Friesland porcelain factory

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Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH & Co. KG

logo
legal form GmbH & Co. KG
founding 1953
Seat Varel , Lower Saxony
management Yvonne Kooi
Number of employees 50
Branch Porcelain manufacture
Website friesland-porzellan.de

Earthenware coffee pot and Melitta coffee filter 102
Bottom mark of the Friesland porcelain
Ammerland blue soup bowl, back side

The Friesland porcelain factory GmbH & Co. KG , based in Varel in the district of Friesland is a German manufacturer of porcelain - and earthenware , especially coffee and dinner services for daily and upscale needs. In spring 2019, Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH was taken over by the Dutch company Royal Goedewaagen . The headquarters of the new corporate group RGW Friesland Porzellan Gruppe is in Varel.

history

On August 13, 1948, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics and Transport granted the Tolkemit merchant August Caspritz permission to build and operate a factory for the production of electrical porcelain, stove tiles and tableware on the site of a former anti-aircraft warehouse. After bankruptcy in 1953, Horst Bentz continued to run the factory under the name Porzellanfabrik Friesland as part of the Melitta group of companies . Thus Melitta responded to the barely satisfactory demand for coffee filters , since the paper filter factory in Düren destroyed and the porcelain factory Concordia in Lesov after the Second World War in the area of Czechoslovakia was.

The factory site, which was 17 hectares in size at the time - a former flak equipment warehouse - was rented on October 26, 1953 by Melitta employee Adolf Hagemann. Porcelain and paper production began in Rahling in 1953. Melitta only acquired the company premises in 1957 for DM 325,000.

As early as 1954, the production range of the Rahlinger factory included coffee filters made of porcelain, matching coffee pots made of earthenware, large filters for the catering industry and filter paper . At first up to 4 tons of filter paper were produced daily, later the production could be increased to 20 tons. By the end of 1955, one million porcelain coffee filters had already been produced in Rahling. The plant subsequently developed into an important production location for Melitta. The director of the Staatliche Werkkunstschule Kassel - the designer Jupp Ernst - as a personal friend of Horst Bentz - had a great influence on the company's marketing from the mid-1950s .

Ernst not only developed the characteristic Melitta word mark for Melitta , but also the green and red color scheme for the packaging of the Melitta filter bags. In 1956, in addition to the coffee filters, he introduced Melitta coffee table ceramics and, from 1959, designed the coffee services in Paris , Zurich and Ascona .

The first earthenware coffee service was produced in 1956, followed by the first porcelain service in 1958. The Minden stoneware service , glazed in pastel colors , derived from the Form 0 jug designed by Jupp Ernst , became a commercial success and achieved cult status. During this time, filters were produced - some of which were color-coordinated with the coffee pot - and were sold as a Filka set (filter & pot). From 1957, the company also began producing dolls' dishes, which were offered as miniature versions of Melitta coffee filters and tableware series in various colors under the name Melitta Children's Filter Party , among other things . The company began expanding production in the late 1950s . Up to 180,000 porcelain coffee filters per month could now be produced in three-shift operation on a newly established pouring line.

After filter paper production was relocated to Minden in 1959 , the company then concentrated entirely on coffee service production. In the same year the designer Lieselotte Kantner joined the company. Over the next 20 years she designed numerous award-winning tableware services, including the Helsinki , Berlin , Copenhagen and Jeverland series . In the 1960s, the company set up its own design department for porcelain tableware, headed by Lieselotte Kantner. In addition to the designs by Jupp Ernst, Lieselotte Kantner and Karl Leutner, the decors by Claus Dombrowsky and Melanie Martens in particular shaped the appearance of the product range.

In the first half of the 1960s over 1200 people worked in Rahling, the majority of them women. The product range was expanded in 1966 by the production of table services . In 1969 the 25 millionth coffee pot in the Minden series was produced.

As a result of market saturation and increasing competition from abroad, sales of ceramic products in the Federal Republic of Germany began to stagnate in the early 1970s . Various rationalization and modernization measures were taken in the company to counteract this development. After the closure of the Melitta porcelain factory in Rehau , the tableware series Rome , Verona and Madrid produced there continued to be produced in Rahling. In 1974, construction began on its own shipping and rail hall for optimized shipping. After the rationalization measures were completed, around 700 people still worked in the plant in 1977.

In the mid-1970s, the tableware collection was fundamentally revised. The two series Jeverland (porcelain service) and Ammerland ( Ceracron service) were launched. Both series were extremely successful and are still in production today. In 1978 the rustic, fireproof Ceracron crockery came onto the market and also became a long-term commercial success. In addition to the fireproof crockery , a cookbook was published in the early 1980s .

At the same time, Melitta changed its company strategy and developed the plant in Rahling as an independent business area, with in-house sales and dispatch (previously located in Minden). From 1979 the company traded as Porzellanfabrik Friesland Bentz KG . In a second stage, the brand name Friesland Porzellan was introduced in 1982 .

The new marketing strategy included placing products in popular women's magazines , including Brigitte , Bunte , Journal für die Frau , Freund and Wohnideee . Even popular celebrities were tried as advertising media, u. a. Liselotte Pulver for the Lindau and Jeverland crockery services . The company managed to win Luigi Colani as a designer in the mid-1970s . In 1974 he designed the black Ceracron tea service Zen for the company . It was launched in 1981. The Life series by designer Lutz Rabold was introduced in 1984 . Its design is reminiscent of the HEWI door handle that was popular at the time . The series is still produced today as the Life Revival .

Acquisitions

In 1991 Melitta sold 70 percent of the company shares . At that time, the company only had 300 employees. The company was continued by two senior executives through a management buyout . In 1995 they also took over the remaining 30 percent of the company. However, in 2004, losses in sales and company pensions to be paid from the Melitta period led the company to bankruptcy . At that time only 175 people were still working in Varel. A rescue company with 85 employees was founded, but could not prevent the renewed bankruptcy in 2005.

The managing director Uwe Apken took over the traditional company and continued to run the company as Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH & Co. KG , initially with a partner , then alone. In 2010 Friesland Versand GmbH was founded and an online shop was launched.

present

Apken concentrated production on 17, including traditional series. T. can be made with new glazes and decors. In addition, the company is breaking new ground by combining Friesland porcelain with other materials - such as walnut or maple wood - to create a tea set.

A large part of the production is done by hand. The Melitta filters are still part of the range with an annual number of around 50,000 (as of 2014). The company's unique selling point, however, is the use of the particularly resistant Ceracron , a mass made of earthenware and stoneware , developed in the 1970s . Friesland Porzellan is the owner of the brand name Ceracron. Furthermore, Friesland is the only factory in Germany that manufactures porcelain and earthenware under one roof. Since 2014, the company has been using a 3D printer to manufacture equipment for plaster molds needed for casting porcelain.

The traditional coffee and table services are sold in large department stores such as KaDeWe and Galeria Kaufhof and in parallel online.

Numerous products are now in the inventory of domestic and foreign design museums, including the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin , the Grassi Museum Leipzig and the Victoria and Albert Museum London and have been shown at international design exhibitions, e.g. B. shown in the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich .

In July 2018, the management initially announced that they would cease operations in Rahling on March 31, 2019. However, the closure could be averted. At the beginning of 2019, the management announced that Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH & Co KG had merged with the Royal Goedewaagen Group, based in Nieuw-Buinen , Province of Drenthe , in the Netherlands , to form the RGW Friesland Porcelain Group and that the location was one of four locations of the new company.

Trivia

Original Utah Teapot in the Computer History Museum in Mountain View

A well-known product of the company is the so-called Utah Teapot . In the 1970s, a white Melitta porcelain pot was the model for one of the first three-dimensional computer animation , which in various animated films such as The Simpsons and Toy Story and the screen saver Pipes of Windows 98 was shown. The original coffee pot has been on display in the Computer History Museum (USA) since 1990 .

Products (selection)

The company brought more than 75 different coffee and dining services with more than 760 decors and colors onto the market (as of 2007). The company's best-known designs include:

  • Coffee filter 102
  • Quick tea filter 104
  • 1956: Minden coffee pot , also known as Form 1 , originally in pastel shades
  • 1960: Service Zurich, designed by Jupp Ernst
  • 1961: Ascona service , designed by Jupp Ernst
  • 1961: Service Salzburg, Service Stockholm, design by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1962: Service Hamburg , design by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1963: Service Paris, designed by Jupp Ernst
  • 1963: Service Vienna, design by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1964: Service Oslo , designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1965: Service Copenhagen, designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1968: Service Budapest , design by Axel Wolfgang Werner
  • 1969: Service Bremen , Service Heidelberg , design by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1970: Service Berlin, Service Helsinki, design by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1973: Lindau service , designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1975: Jeverland service , designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1976: Ceracron service Ammerland, design by Anne Mentzel-Marx
  • 1978: Ceracron crockery, designed by Bodo Mans
  • 1979: Ceracron service bamboo, service Jadeborg, design by Hanns Welling
  • 1981: Ceracron tea service Zen , designed by Luigi Colani (1974)
  • 1982: Service Schloss Gödens, designed by Hanns Welling
  • 1983: Service Life / Life Revival , designed by Lutz Rabold (1973)
  • 1987: Service Kröning , design by Anne Mentzel-Marx
  • 1994: Service Ecco, design by Ulrike and Detlef Rahe
  • 2002 & 2017: Service Horizont, design by Volker Hundertmark
  • 2003: Service Enjoy , design by Odo Klose
  • 2008: Chai tea service , designed by Jannis Ellenberger

Awards (selection)

Many of the company's designs have been awarded design prizes, including a .:

  • Coffee service Stockholm , Die gute Industrieform (Hannover 1962)
  • Coffee service Hamburg , Die gute Industrieform (Hanover 1963)
  • Coffee service Vienna , The good industrial form (Hanover 1964)
  • Porcelain coffee service Hamburg , Die gute Industrieform (Hanover 1965)
  • Earthenware coffee service Copenhagen , Die gute Industrieform (Hanover 1967)
  • Coffee and table service Berlin , decor Havel , IF Design Award 1972
  • Dinner service Stockholm , decor Värmland , IF Design Award 1973
  • Dinner service Copenhagen , Boulevard decor , IF Design Award 1976
  • Coffee service Life (today's name Life Revival ) , DesignPlusAward 1984
  • Coffee and table service, Ecco , designed by Rahe & Rahe, IF Design Award 1995

See also

literature

  • Mechthild Hempe: 100 years of Melitta. History of a brand company . Ed .: Melitta group of companies. Geschichtsbüro, Cologne 2008, ISBN 3-940371-12-2 .
  • Maren Siems (ed.): Melitta and Friesland porcelain. 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay. Catalogs and publications of the Jever Castle Museum, Volume 33, Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Ludwig Danckert: Handbook of European porcelain . 7th edition. Prestel, Munich / Berlin / London / New York 2006, ISBN 978-3-7913-3281-9 , pp. 719 ff .
  2. ↑ Friedhelm Müller-Düring: Jeverland made of clay: From Melitta to Friesland porcelain - 60 years of porcelain production . In: Kulturland Oldenburg . tape 2 , no. 164 . Oldenburg 2015, p. 26 .
  3. ↑ a b c nwzonline: Good brands come from Varel
  4. ↑ Melitta and Friesland Porcelain - 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . In: Maren Siems (Ed.): Catalogs and writings of the Jever Castle Museum . tape 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 7 .
  5. ↑ Heinz Schmidt-Bachem: From paper: a cultural and economic history of the paper processing industry in Germany . De Gruyter 2011, p. 856
  6. ↑ a b c d Melitta and Friesland porcelain. 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . In: Maren Siems; Schlossmuseum Jever (Ed.): Catalogs and publications of the Schlossmuseum Jever . tape 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 9 .
  7. ↑ Melitta and Friesland Porcelain - 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . In: Maren Siems (Ed.): Catalogs and writings of the Jever Castle Museum . tape 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 33 .
  8. ↑ Nina Jansen: "For people who enjoy with understanding" - design and designer . In: Maren Siems (ed.): Melitta and Friesland porcelain. 60 years of ceramic production in Varel. Accompanying publication to the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . Catalogs and publications of the Jever Castle Museum, No. 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 41 - 43 .
  9. ↑ Melitta and Friesland Porcelain - 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . In: Maren Siems (Ed.): Catalogs and writings of the Jever Castle Museum . tape 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 68, 77 .
  10. ↑ Melitta and Friesland Porcelain - 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . In: Maren Siems (Ed.): Catalogs and writings of the Jever Castle Museum . tape 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 11 .
  11. ↑ Melitta and Friesland Porcelain - 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . In: Maren Siems (Ed.): Catalogs and writings of the Jever Castle Museum . tape 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 12 .
  12. ↑ Melitta and Friesland Porcelain - 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . In: Maren Siems (Ed.): Catalogs and writings of the Jever Castle Museum . tape 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 9 .
  13. ↑ a b Word design guide - Melitta. Retrieved June 22, 2017 .
  14. ↑ a b c Directory of company members and friendly companies of the German Werkbund. (PDF) Deutscher Werkbund e. V., 1971, accessed June 22, 2017 .
  15. ^ A b Gesamtverband Werbeagenturen (Ed.): Efficiency in advertising: 26 case studies of effective advertising . Siegmund Verlag, Moisburg 1989, ISBN 978-3-923251-35-3 , Tableware from Friesland: A new brand and new programs, p. 103-109 .
  16. ↑ Melitta and Friesland Porcelain - 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . In: Maren Siems (Ed.): Catalogs and writings of the Jever Castle Museum . tape 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 15 .
  17. ↑ Dahlhoff, Dieter: Efficiency in advertising . Ed .: General Association of Advertising Agencies GWA. tape 1985/84, 1985/86 . Frankfurt a. M. 1989, ISBN 3-923251-35-1 , pp. 103-109 .
  18. ↑ Melitta and Friesland Porcelain - 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . In: Maren Siems (Ed.): Catalogs and writings of the Jever Castle Museum . tape 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 13 f .
  19. ↑ Bayerischer Rundfunk: Tea service: Elegant curves . June 12, 2011 ( br.de [accessed June 24, 2017]).
  20. ↑ Melitta and Friesland Porcelain - 60 years of ceramic production in Varel . Catalog accompanying the exhibition Jeverland - burned in clay . In: Maren Siems (Ed.): Catalogs and writings of the Jever Castle Museum . tape 33 . Isensee, Oldenburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1 , p. 16 .
  21. ↑ Peter Stange: Porcelain Factory: Production starts again . In: Nordwest-Zeitung (Ed.): NWZonline . August 13, 2005 ( nwzonline.de [accessed June 29, 2017]).
  22. ↑ a b Chelsy Haß: Fragile Gem . In: Nordwestzeitung . Economy. No. 23 . Oldenburg June 29, 2017, p. 6th f .
  23. ↑ Chai tea service, by Ellenberger for Friesland Porzellan. Retrieved June 26, 2017 .
  24. ↑ Tableware from Friesland Porzellan is popular again - WELT. Retrieved June 24, 2017 .
  25. ↑ NWZ: Some broken pieces bring luck. Retrieved June 22, 2017 .
  26. ↑ DPMAregister | Trademarks - register information. Retrieved June 19, 2017 .
  27. ↑ Barbara Mundt, Susanne Netzer, Ines Hettler: Interior + Design in Germany, 1945–1960 . In: Kunstgewerbemuseum - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Hrsg.): Inventory catalog of the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin . tape 19 . Berlin 1993, ISBN 978-3-496-01103-3 , pp. 201 .
  28. ↑ Press photos special exhibition "Blumen Flowers Fleurs". (PDF) Grassi Museum, 2017, accessed on June 24, 2017 .
  29. ↑ Life | Rabold, Lutz | V&A Collections. In: Object database. Victoria and Albert Museum, accessed June 28, 2017 .
  30. ↑ Doris Schwyzer: Design for everyone: types and prototypes . In: Alois Martin Müller, Kunstgewerbemuseum der Stadt Zürich (ed.): Guidelines for the Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich . tape 345 . Zurich 1983, p. 105; 119 .
  31. ↑ Friesland Porzellan gives up , accessed on July 18, 2018
  32. ↑ Friesland Porzellan is increasingly continuing! , accessed on March 1, 2019
  33. ↑ Nordwest-Zeitung: Computer animation: This teapot is a movie star . In: NWZonline . June 3, 2017 ( nwzonline.de [accessed June 24, 2017]).
  34. ↑ iF World Design Guide. Retrieved June 21, 2017 .

Coordinates: 53 ° 23 '51.7 "  N , 8 ° 4' 3.1"  E