A company in the course of time

SENTAL is founded as SENTAL Export GmbH in Hamburg on October 31, 1977 by four founding members. The senior member of the Reichenberg family takes over the management - today the company is owned by the Reichenberg family. SENTAL starts as a purchasing house for SIEMENS Telefonfabrik Iran. In a way, we have been active in the telecommunications sector from the very beginning.

After the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and the closure of the SIEMENS telephone factory in Iran, SENTAL reoriented itself and opened up new sales markets. The focus is on niche markets in which SIEMENS is less strongly represented. SENTAL supplies SIEMENS homes and factories in regions such as Central America, North Africa and Pakistan. The portfolio includes telephone sets, components for the manufacture and maintenance of telephone sets, components for main distribution boards such as racks, main distribution boards and LSA-PLUS technology as well as components for infrastructure.

With the sale of the telecommunications division of SIEMENS to CORNING in 2002, a close relationship between SENTAL and CORNING is established which still exists today. During this time, SENTAL specializes in warehouse clearance and the worldwide export of telecommunications technology. The most important projects include the clearance of warehouses of Deutsche Telekom, SIEMENS, CORNING and other companies. Millions of used telephones, telephone systems and components are exported to countries such as Russia, Belarus, Chile, the Philippines, Egypt and Romania.

At the end of the 1970s, the focus was on Iran, while Central America and Greece were important markets in the 1980s. From the 1990s onwards, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Dubai, the Philippines, Vietnam and numerous countries in Eastern Europe and North Africa dominated the export business.

With a product shift in 1985 and the sale of surplus material from the SIEMENS “Aufbau Ost” project, SENTAL realigns itself. At the same time, there is a change of ownership: two shareholders transfer their shares to the Reichenberg family, who have managed the company completely ever since. In 1986, SENTAL moves to its current location in Hamburg-Wandsbek.

A new era begins for SENTAL when the two sons of the Reichenberg family join the company in 1991 and 1995. The second generation brings fresh ideas and new impulses to the family business, while at the same time continuing the traditional values and close customer loyalty.

With increasing competition from the Far East, SENTAL adapts to market changes and expands its business area in 2012. The company starts importing fiber optic cables from India in cooperation with an Ericsson joint venture and establishes itself as a reliable partner in re-export. At the same time, demand for fiber optic cables in Germany increases significantly, opening up new growth opportunities for SENTAL.

In 2015, SENTAL enters into a strategic partnership and becomes the exclusive distributor for ATTEMA, specifically for the NiD for Deutsche Glasfaser. ATTEMA now operates under the KAISER brand. This partnership enables SENTAL to further strengthen its position in the field of fiber optic expansion. Since then, SENTAL has established and developed itself as a reliable distributor and specialist in the field of fiber optic infrastructure.

With the third generation of the Reichenberg family joining the company in 2018, SENTAL is continuing the successful family business. The young family members bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to strengthen and further develop the company for the future. This decision ensures the long-term continuity of the company and consolidates SENTAL's role as a future-oriented and tradition-conscious family business.