DONIC is a German traditional company in the second generation which has become one of the most important manufacturers of blades, rubber sheets, tables, textiles and equipment in table tennis sport worldwide. World class players, national teams, top clubs and millions of active table tennis players meanwhile trust in our brand. World- and European Championships as well as national and international titles have been won with our equipment. That's why we claim: CREATE SUCCESS.
The early years
Originally DONIC has been founded by its eponym Dr. (DO) Georg Nicklas (NIC). When Dr. Nicklas wanted to move to Sweden at the end of the 80s, he sold his company to his coach and friend Karlheinz Schreiner already at the time when he was a German first division team player. Karlheinz, the founder of our company, wasn’t only a professional player and coach, but had already opened the table tennis shop Sport Schreiner in 1964 in a small extension in his private residence. When buying the brand DONIC he aimed to change the table tennis world. This was the beginning of our story of success.
How Jan-Ove Waldner joined our team
Due to a friendship it occurred then that in 1993 Jan-Ove Waldner the presumably most legendary table tennis player of all times, became our first worldwide known brand ambassador. He had just become free, as it didn’t work with his preceding equipment supplier and sponsor at that time. Frank Schreiner who meanwhile had taken over his dad’s company, had known JO from his time at the ATSV Saarbrücken. JO had always promised Frank that he would come to DONIC as soon as he was free. Father and son Schreiner didn’t hesitate one second and put him under contract. It was a large venture for them as the company was relatively small at that time. However, they were sure that this step of her brand DONIC and the involved services would make them know worldwide. They were right, and their courage has been rewarded.
The legends from Sweden
Apart from Waldner also the two world champions Mikael Appelgren and Jörgen Persson could be engaged with DONIC. The Swedish super trio became the golden generation of table tennis sports and already at that time attracted attention worldwide, especially in Asia where table tennis is a national sport. This helped DONIC to become a top brand and DONIC is meanwhile the biggest European table tennis equipment supplier in Asia. Even today the table tennis legends regularly fly together with our CEO Frank Schreiner to events and appointments in China and excite millions of people with their shows.
Dima Ovtcharov and our young talents
Having Dima Ovtcharov under contract, even a table tennis star of the modern era is also successful with our products. The German national player has been part of the DONIC story since the age of 12. At that time Frank Schreiner signed Dima after a German Cadet Championships. The cooperation was worth it, as in January 2018 Dima became No. 1 of the world ranking list due to his numerous successes. With him and a lot of other young players such as Yan An, Jakub Dyjas, Joao Geraldo and Kirill Gerassimenko we put our priority on top players and young talents also in future.
What makes us special
Even for beginners table tennis easily becomes a complex sport with a lot of specialities. Specialised equipment suppliers such as DONIC supply the best suitable products. Our development and sales department include only former and active table tennis players so that we can guarantee a first-hand expertise. Additionally there is our owner Frank Schreiner, of course, who played 2nd Bundesleague in the 80ies and who tests all products personally and checks them with his team in detail again before the production will be started. In our headquarter in Völklingen there are currently nearly 30 employees which are responsible for administration, product development, sales, despatch and marketing. Additionally there are production sites in many countries worldwide and an international distribution net around the globe.
DONIC - CREATE SUCCESS
Due to our long-time and continuously updated know-how combined with the close work with the best male and female table tennis players in the world, it is a tradition to be the first on the market regarding new product innovation. Thus, new innovations have been created permanently, such as the third generation of the Formula DONIC rubber sheets or the Senso and Dotec technologies of blades. Classic products such as the table Delhi 25 are used at the biggest table tennis events for years already. At DONIC the era of modern table tennis has started. We work according to the principle: no tuning, no tricking but more fun and pure playing fun. Consequently honest winnings arise. DONIC – CREATE SUCCESS