Enraf-Nonius is a Dutch medical equipment manufacturer celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. For many physiotherapists Enraf-Nonius have provided the equipment used across entire careers, and so they have grown in parallel with the profession.

Founded in 1925 by Mr AG Hoekstra, the First Dutch X-ray Machine Factory [Eerste Nederlandse Röntgenapparaten Fabriek] (ENRAF) in Rijswijk started developing equipment for röntgen (x-ray) applications and diathermy. The production facility was later moved to the city of Delft, known not only for its world famous Delft Blue porcelain, but also for its university (the oldest engineering university in The Netherlands), which for centuries has produced the country’s top engineers and where research has always been a core activity.

During the German occupation of World War II, the German company Seifert tried to acquire a stake in Enraf, but was unsuccessful. In 1944, director Hoekstra was in danger of being put to work in Germany. He was able to avert this by joining Philips. When the liberators advanced in 1944, co-director Van Noord fled because of his pro-German leanings. In January 1945 the factory was looted by the occupying forces.

After the liberation, Hoekstra became sole director and rebuilt the company. His time at Philips taught him that the Netherlands needed a precision mechanical company, and for that purpose he founded the Nonius instrument factory in 1948. Hoekstra believed that an instrument factory had little in common with an equipment factory and should therefore operate independently. Nonius developed better than Enraf, and specialized in diffraction cameras and the like.

Enraf, meanwhile, had not stood still, and had started making a name for itself in electro surgery, with, for example, the Curatis. With participation in Enraf by the English company Evershed & Vignoles (it is by now 1955), the rights to the manufacturing and sale of a very advanced range of electronic measuring and control equipment were acquired.

The merger of Enraf and Nonius into Enraf-Nonius occurred in 1965, as did the coming into force of the Dutch Physiotherapists Decree. Physiotherapists, masseurs and specialists were awarded the official status of paramedics and were able to treat independently, a development that also took place in surrounding countries. The competence to work with physical technical equipment was a requirement in the Netherlands to be able to use the title of Physiotherapist. Both the mandatory Physical Technology lessons at the Physiotherapy training and technical workshops on paramedical equipment, organized by Enraff Nonius in the factory, were part of the curriculum.

The wide product range of Enraf-Nonius was at that time geared to precision and came to include industrial measuring and control equipment and medical applications. A conspicuous product at that time was the Curamed 401, the first safe and reliable diathermy device for treatment of the musculoskeletal system.

During the seventies, various acquisitions took place and the production site in Brunssum was opened. Enraf-Nonius became a leading specialist in its field, active in three high technology areas: industrial measuring equipment, röntgen diffraction and medical equipment. For physiotherapists, the Sonopuls 407 and 417 ultrasound devices, the Endomed 415 and 422 interferential devices, the Dynapuls 417, 421 and 424 and the Curapuls 418 shot wave diathermy device were developed during this time and became known worldwide. The Manulekt treatment couches completed the practical product range.

In 1986, Enraf-Nonius was introduced on the Amsterdam stock exchange, after which it merged with Oldelft to form Delft Instruments in 1990.  The name Enraf-Nonius continues to be used for its rehabilitation equipment and training for physiotherapists, with a head office in Rotterdam and a distribution centre in Echt. It has five specific product groups:

Treatment couches
Medical fitness & rehabilitation
Physiotechnique
Ultrasound
Shockwave therapy

The EN-Projects division is a specialist in large-scale medical turnkey projects for hospitals and rehabilitation centres all over the world.

NB: Assistance in writing this article was provided by Huub Vossen, Publicist, History of Physiotherapy Foundation (SGF), The Netherlands.