German linoleum works
| Gerflor DLW GmbH | |
|---|---|
| legal form | GmbH |
| Seat | Delmenhorst |
| Website | www.gerflor.de |
The German Linoleum-Werke AG (then: Armstrong DLW GmbH , then: DLW Flooring and since March 2018 Gerflor DLW GmbH ) with its production site in Delmenhorst is the last active German linoleum factory and one of the world's three last manufacturers of linoleum.
history
The DLW was founded in 1926 in Berlin through the merger of five German linoleum factories ("Hansa", "Anker" and "Schlüssel" in Delmenhorst , Adler-Werke in Maximiliansau , German linoleum and oilcloth company in Berlin-Neukölln ). Two years later, in 1928 she was one of the founders of the Continentalen Linoleum Union , alongside the Swedish linoleum Aktiebolaget Forshaga and the Swiss Linoleum AG Giubiasco , from which she left for political reasons at the end of the 1930s. In 1938 the company relocated to Bietigheim.
During the Second World War , around 500 forced laborers were employed at the Bietigheim plant. The forced laborers arrived at the Bietigheim transit camp in collective transports and were housed in the company's own barracks on the sports field directly adjacent to the factory. During the Nazi era, Deutsche Linoleum-Werke AG was one of the German companies that had its materials tested by concentration camp inmates in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp . The prisoners in the so-called shoe runner detachment had to cover a 700-meter-long test route with different surfaces several times up to 40 kilometers. The endurance runs were de facto death marches , as the runners were shot when they collapsed due to fatigue .
 
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Location of DLW (and former main plant in Bietigheim-Bissingen) |
In the 1960s, the displacement of linoleum by PVC and similar materials as floor coverings led to an extensive decline in production, and the production of related materials such as Stragula was also discontinued. The only production site has been Delmenhorst since 1968. In the 1970s, production figures fell to just 150,000 square meters a year. Only with the increasing interest in linoleum since the mid-1980s did the company grow again.
In 1996 DLW entered into a joint venture with the Indian group Birla Corporation Limited . The aim was to work with Birla-DLW Ltd. to set up a company for the distribution and production of ecological linoleum in India. After 10 years, DLW withdrew from the company, Birla-DLW operates today as Budge Budge Floorcoverings Ltd. , Linoleum is not produced.
In 1998 the American group Armstrong World Industries took over the majority of shares in the 125 million D-Mark indebted company, which was previously owned by Allianz Deutschland AG and Baden-Württembergische Bank , among others .
In Germany, DLW are now the market leader with a market share of 54 percent; internationally they are in second place behind Forbo Holding with 26%. In 2002 around 12 to 13 million square meters were produced. Several of the predecessor companies had a strong connection to modern art and modern design since the turn of the century, in which numerous well-known artists, architects (including Peter Behrens , Heinz Stoffregen , Carl Eeg ) and designers participated. During the time of National Socialism , this connection was broken. The revival of this tradition from 1957 was short-lived due to the collapse of the market; It was not until the 1980s and 1990s that this was possible again.
In December 2014, the company filed for bankruptcy . In June 2015, the continued existence of the company was secured by the Dutch Fields holding group under the name DLW Flooring .
DLW Flooring, in turn, filed for bankruptcy on October 12, 2017. On January 11, 2018, it was announced that the Bietigheim-Bissingen location would be closed because no investor could be found.
On March 1, 2018, the linoleum plant in Delmenhorst was officially taken over by the French Gerflor Group and from now on produces under the name Gerflor DLW GmbH .
literature
- Linoleum Chronology 1863-2000 . In: Gerhard Kaldewei (ed.): Linoleum - history, design, architecture 1882–2000 . 2000, ISBN 3-7757-0962-2 , p. 244
Web links
- www.gerflor.de - Official website of Gerflor Mipolam GmbH
- Early documents and newspaper articles on Deutsche Linoleum-Werke in the 20th century press kit of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Tarkett Sommer invests in linoleum In: BTH Heimtex, 06/03, Online
- ↑ Silvia Tauss: The problem of maintaining linoleum coverings in situ. Using the example of the “Cheesmeyer” department store in Sissach . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) Diploma thesis, Bern 2007, pp. 21–22.
- ^ Annette Schäfer: Forced labor in Bietigheim 1939–1945 and the establishment and function of the "transit camp". In: Blätter zur Stadtgeschichte , Issue 14. Bietigheim-Bissingen 1999.
- ^ Anne-Sophie Lang: Experiments in the concentration camp: blood in the shoe. November 13, 2014, accessed August 27, 2020 .
- ↑ a b DDP: Linoleum is on the rise again. In: Die Welt Online, October 28, 2003, Online
- ↑ Sambit Saha: Lodha alters name of MP Birla outfit , In: The Telegraph, Calcutta, India, April 24, 2006, online
- ^ Deutsche Linoleum-Werke before takeover . In: Berliner Zeitung , June 8, 1998
- ↑ Birgit Geiger: Targeted support for wholesalers - linoleum gaining market share in Germany, the most important market. ( Memento of the original from May 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 2.0 MB) In: eurodecor , 12-05 / 01-06, pp. 22-23.
- ↑ Peter Behrens' engagement came about through Gustav Gericke . - Cf. Gerhard Kaldewei: "... if Delmenhorst is not to come completely into disrepute". On the history and future of Delmenhorst's industrial culture . In: Hans H. Bass (Ed.): Facets of economic research. Festschrift for Karl Marten Barfuß . LIT Verlag, Münster 2004, ISBN 3-8258-7441-9 , p. 33 ( books.google.de )
- ^ Gerhard Kaldewei: Linoleum - Art and Industry 1882-2000. In: Gerhard Kaldewei (ed.): Linoleum - history, design, architecture 1882–2000 . 2000, ISBN 3-7757-0962-2 , pp. 14-29.
- ↑ Armstrong DLW files for bankruptcy . In: Stuttgarter Zeitung , December 12, 2014
- ↑ Dutch enable DLW to restart . ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) In: Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung , June 20, 2015
- ↑ What's next at DLW? Bietigheimer Zeitung, October 13, 2017
- ↑ DLW Flooring closes Bietigheim Stuttgarter Nachrichten, January 11, 2018
- ↑ Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Stuttgart, Germany: Insolvency proceedings: Gerflor buys parts of DLW Flooring . In: stuttgarter-nachrichten.de . ( stuttgarter-nachrichten.de [accessed April 2, 2018]).
