About Loy & Hutz Solutions AG
1986 – Foundation of the company
In springtime of 1986, Michael Loy and Rainer Hutz founded the “Loy & Hutz Company constituted under civil law” in Gießen, Germany, to develop and create a unique software solution for the maintenance of medical devices in hospitals.
The software was based on a diploma thesis written by Michael Loy, entitled “Software Ergonomics”. As students with no financial reserves, the necessary working capital was earned through the selling of hardware and the installation of networks.
1987 – visual FM 1 is ready for market
With much joy and optimism, version 1.0 of our maintenance software was presented to the market. But disillusionment followed quickly, as the software was sold twice. Perhaps the idea to develop visual FM on the Atari ST game PC and not on the then standard PCs running MS-DOS, was not the best. However we wanted to offer the market special software, with unique capabilities and an intuitive user interface, not the usual MS-DOS or D-Base similar programs.
1988 – Visual FM 2 under MS-DOS
Consequently, we developed visual FM 2, under MD-DOS, not under the standard text mode, but in the so-called graphic mode. Since this was unacceptably slow under MS-DOS, the monitor display had to be accelerated by using assembler language and programming of the graphics card.
1989 – Fall of the Berlin wall
In 1989 the newly completed MS-DOS version of visual FM 2 maintenance management software enjoyed great demand. With the fall of the Berlin wall, the user base was increased by additional customers from the former East Germany.
1991 – Visual FM under Windows
Finally, Microsoft Corporation delivered an operating system with a graphical user interface. Windows 3 allowed us to design a completely new user interface, which in turn required a new, third development of visual FM.
1993 – Home and Industrial Engineering software
Meanwhile, over 100 hospitals were using maintenance software from Loy & Hutz. New software, designed to meet the specific requirements of domestic and industrial engineering, was completed in 1993. The less profitable trading with hardware and the providing of networks was discontinued. In the same year, the previous legal form of Loy & Hutz was changed from a company constituted under civil law into a general partnership. At that time Loy and Hutz had approximately 8 employees.
1995 – Moving to Freiburg
After almost 10 years, the company was relocated from Giessen in Hesse to Freiburg in Breisgau.
1998 – visual FM 7: Maintenance, Facility Management, Object management.
visual FM 7 marked the release of the 4th generation of our software: over and above managing of technical devices and equipment, visual FM is able to manage almost any object. For example, the classical Facility Management objects such as real estate, buildings, areas, rooms, furniture, equipment etc.
In addition to that, visual FM is equipped with unique features for flexible and rapid customization.
2000 – Conversion into a public limited company
In total, Loy & Hutz was then comprised of 20 employees.
2005 – Founding of the Frankfurt branch
The recognition that the growing market and customer base could not be addressed from Freiburg alone provided the impetus for the establishment of the Frankfurt branch.
At the same time, smaller local offices in Dortmund, Hamburg and Berlin were opened.
2010 – Today
Today, different variants of visual FM are used in healthcare, transportation, councils, different industrial sectors, fire brigades or church authorities. It has sold in excess of 6,000 licences.
65 employees are responsible for the care of our customers and the development of our software. The turnover is approximately € 6.7 million (2009). The growth of “Loy & Hutz AG” is still ensured through its own achievements without the use of borrowed capital.
The founders of the company, Michael Loy and Rainer Hutz, own 50% of the company’s shares, and are today both actively involved in the progress of the company. The business principles of the company ensure ongoing and reliable growth without unscheduled highs and lows, together with the maintenance of a trustful relationship towards our customers and our employees. These principles provide the guarantees for the successful development of Loy & Hutz AG.
Outlook - The 5th generation of software
The fifth generation of visual FM is based on the most current software tools.
The experience of more than two decades of software development gained in the area of Maintenance and Facility Management by our long time programmers, coupled with the ideas of young, technology-minded employees has generated new, unique software full of innovations and ideas. This makes for even easier operation, further meeting your individual requirements and needs.