The ingo-man® Euro dispenser is 55 years strong

The flagship sanitizer dispenser turns 55 this year.

This year, we highlight Germany’s most popular hand sanitizer dispenser as the ingo-man® is celebrating its 55th birthday. The ingo-man® has a unique success story.

The original ingo-man® was created by Hermann Ophardt in 1967 and quickly became very popular, as it solved a serious problem. In the 1960s, alcohol-based hand disinfectants started flooding the market. However, nursing staff and doctors in hospitals quickly noticed that the sanitizer landed on the floors more often than on their hands. The pump seals of the dispensers of the time simply were not good enough. That all changed in 1967 with Ophardt’s invention of the ingo-man®.

„The ingo-man® sets the benchmark for hygiene dispensers. We are constantly developing our flagship product to offer improved performance and enhanced user experience – this is what motivates us.“

Padraig McDonagh, Product Manager ingo-man

The ingo-man® quickly became invaluable to hospital staff for other reasons. In addition to the efficient pump technology, the dispenser featured a hygenic operating lever with a small contact surface and filling product was easily swappable via an open, front-loading design.

The birth of the Euro dispenser and the Euro bottle

One of the most important developments of the ingo-man® dispenser systems is the Euro bottle. This manufacturer-independent 500 ml and 1L format has become the standard for soap and hand disinfectant containers, particularly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The introduction of the Euro bottle dates back to the 1970s. At that time, each manufacturer had its own bottle format and dispenser system. There was hardly any compatibility among manufacturers, to the detriment of hospitals, which were often tied to a particular system and had to pay high prices for it.

At the instigation of Prof. Dr. Franz Daschner of Freiburg University Hospital, the hospital hygienist, development of the industry standard Euro bottle began by Hermann Ophardt. To support this new open format, the ingo-man® was slightly modified to become a Euro dispenser.

The manufacturer-independent bottle format not only protected hospitals from arbitrary pricing when purchasing hand sanitizers, but also ensured maximum supply security in times of supply bottlenecks. The wisdom of this forward-looking approach was borne out during the pandemic.

Innovations improve infection control

Another milestone in the history of ingo-man® was the introduction of the Plus series in 2006, which significantly simplified handling for the user. Only twelve months later, the touchless version of the ingo-man® series arrived on the market and impressed healthcare and public sectors alike.

Engineer Padraig McDonagh works at today’s ingo-man® manufacturing site in Ireland, where he and his team turn new concepts into physical products. He has been involved with OPHARDT’s popular Euro dispenser for many years. McDonagh emphasizes during a conversation on the 55th anniversary that “the ingo-man® always sets the benchmark among sanitizer dispensers and is indispensable.”

Smart. Digital. Connected.

In December 2011, OPHARDT revolutionized hospital hygiene with the ingo-man® plus Weco and further solidified its position as an innovation leader. This was the first ingo-man® to be a connected, smart dispenser that automatically and continuously recorded its usage data and made it available to hygiene departments via software. By the end of 2021, countless smart ingo-man® Euro dispensers in a wide variety of healthcare facilities worldwide have registered over 50 million hand disinfections.

The ingo-man^® is not standing still, as digitalization and innovation continue. The ingo-man® SmartNose, launched in 2019, is the latest development in the Eurospender product series and offers a unique feedback function in addition to the collection of hand hygiene data. As soon as the user has taken the recommended amount of three milliliters for hygienic hand disinfection, they receive positive feedback via a green feedback LED. This instant feedback can consistently increase hand hygiene behavior.

The success story of OPHARDT and the ingo-man® as a flagship dispenser was recently honored by the renowned ZEIT publishing house with the official appointment as German Standards: Brand of the Century 2022.