and special metals. He also set up even more subsidiaries outside Germany. Sales outside Germany first outstripped domestics sales in 1979. Since 1983 From 1983 until 2000, the company – by now in its fourth generation – was headed up by Jürgen Heraeus, the son of Reinhard Heraeus and a company director since 1970. Under his management, the business grew into a global group of companies. To pave the way for this expansion, the company was fundamentally reorganised and modern management structures introduced. Following the founding of Heraeus Holding GmbH in 1985, the company underwent an intense period of decentralisation in 1990. Under the umbrella of the management holding, the group's core activities of precious metals, dental materials, quartz glass, sensors and medical technology were reorganised into five decentralised, independent management divisions. Simultaneously, the company expanded in Asia. Heraeus also entered strategically important markets, such as through the acquisition of Electro-Nite. As the company grew, sales and operating profits reflected its standing as an international group. By 2001, sales outside Germany first broke the 74% mark. To exploit synergies throughout the group, Heraeus refocused its activities on core business, resulting in the setting up of Heraeus Noblelight as an independent business in 2001. The Heraeus Med part of the company was sold in 2002, as were the group's shares in Kendro Laboratory Products. At the same time, W. C. Heraeus intensified its involvement in industrial precious metals by expanding its activities in the field of thin film materials. The company's wire bonding operations in China were also expanded, and the company entered into a joint venture in South Africa which soon evolved into a fully-fledged subsidiary. Heraeus also expanded its activities in medical technology with the acquisition of the Swiss company Metalor Medical Division. Since 2001 – More than 160 years of Heraeus After Heraeus Dental was sold to the Mitsui Group, a Japanese company, in 2013, Heraeus Holding comprised six business groups. Under a restructuring of the organization, the business groups Heraeus Precious Metals and Heraeus Materials Technology were converted to seven new Global Business Units (GBUs). The four remaining business groups were retained and are now likewise managed as GBUs. As of January 2015, the Heraeus Group is organized under the umbrella of Heraeus Holding with eleven GBUs. In October 2018, Heraeus extended its sales channels in Germany by opening the online platform Heraeus-Gold.de in co-operation with the