North German earthenware
| North German Steingut AG | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Corporation |
| ISIN | DE0006770001 |
| founding | October 2, 1869 |
| Seat |
Bremen , Germany
|
| Number of employees | 511 |
| sales | 90.8 million euros (2017) |
| Branch | Ceramic industry |
| Website | www.norddeutsche-steingut.de |
| As of December 31, 2017 | |
The North German faience is a Bremer manufacturer of ceramic floor and wall tiles .
history
19th century
On October 2, 1869, the stock corporation Norddeutsche Steingutfabrik was founded by Vegesacker and Bremen merchants with a share capital of 125,000 Reichstalers, whose task was the manufacture of fine ceramic household dishes. Located directly on the Weser , the manufacturing facility was built the following year, which, due to the transport restrictions caused by the Franco-German War, could not fully start production until 1871. The good sales of the goods enabled a steady increase in production and the construction of energy-saving Mendheim gas stoves.
From 1879, the fine ceramics companies in the Rhineland lowered prices in order to stimulate the stagnating market by increasing the attraction of buying. In addition to this regional competition, there was the high level of English stoneware production, which in the oversupply led to a further reduction in German domestic prices.
Despite the price agreement with other companies from the spring of 1883, it was not possible for the Actiengesellschaft Norddeutsche Steingutfabrik in Grohn to fully absorb the losses; For this reason it was forced to switch to the cheaper production of lightweight stoneware for export to countries with weight duties from 1886 onwards .
Towards the end of 1889, wall tiles were also produced using the wet pressing method, in addition to household dishes. Lively demand could be recorded here. After the burnt down factory was rebuilt, new production processes were introduced that included dry pressing of the tiles. The more rational process enabled the production of wall tiles to be increased to 70,000 pieces per week, so that the company was able to gain decisive market share.
With the complete conversion to wall tiles from 1891, a dividend of 6 percent was distributed for the first time in ten years. The reduction in the panel thickness from 10 to 6 mm had a lasting positive effect on the export of the goods, as the weight duty remained the same with increased quantities. Despite high tariffs, it was possible to increase sales in the export areas. While the raw material was obtained by ship from England, Otto Freise , who became sole manager in 1902, switched raw material delivery to rail freight from the Rhineland in 1904 and also acquired his own sand store conveniently close to the manufacturing facility.
20th century
From the 20th century, industrialization began for tiles as well. England took on the leading role in Europe. Printing and copying processes were invented and helped reduce costs. From now on, tiles were affordable for everyone, and it was good manners to decorate living spaces with pictures. Kitchens and bathrooms have also been designed with imagination. Entrance halls and stairwells in particular shone with their colorful tile installation.
The Norddeutsche Steinutfabrik produced a variety of decorative Art Nouveau tiles . The company and its trademark GROHN were already well known beyond the borders. An award with the silver medal at the world exhibition in St. Louis (USA) in 1904 made the name a quality concept.
The Grohner wall panel factory was founded by Vegesacker and Bremen businessmen on January 11, 1906 in Lesum near Bremen. For the manufacture and sale of earthenware, wall and floor panels, another factory was built in Schönebeck on the Bremen-Vegesacker railway, which began operations in the autumn of 1907. In the following years, the factory was expanded to include a steam boiler and a pulverization plant for the raw materials. In order to achieve an additional increase in production, the biscuit oven was enlarged and it was decided to build an additional oven.
In the business year 1920, the Grohner wall plate factory was completely owned by the Actiengesellschaft Norddeutsche Steingutfabrik. Under the new management the economic situation of the company could be improved until 1927, whereby the good sales abroad had a significant influence on the situation. As a result of this upswing, a newly developed tunnel kiln for biscuit firing of the tile fragments was put into operation in 1930. Due to the high investments and the generally falling prices, which were directly related to the fall of the British pound, the plant was shut down from January 18 to October 15, 1932.
Full employment was not reached again until 1933, as the government's job creation measures also affected the construction market. After the Second World War , on January 1, 1958, the company, as well as the Witteburg stoneware factory and the Bremen wall panel factory, were taken over by the sole shareholder, Norddeutsche Steinutfabrik Grohn.
Towards the end of the Second World War, the Actiengesellschaft Norddeutsche Steingutfabrik Grohn was also idle and only resumed the production of fine ceramic goods around 1945 with the completion of the necessary renovation measures, and then in 1948, after the currency reform , the facilities were again converted for the production of wall tiles. While Subsidiary Plant II, Grohner Wandplattenfabrik, and Plant III, Bremer Wandplattenfabrik mbH, resumed work in 1948 and 1950, Plant IV, Steingutfabrik Witteburg AG, had to deal with the unprofitable in 1949 after the conversion to floor tiles Production in the obsolete facilities was shut down in 1953. After the introduction of the 45-hour week in May 1957, the three subsidiaries were converted to the sole shareholder in the following year.
In the 1980s, the entire production of the Norddeutsche Steinutfabrik was converted to modern single-firing rapid firing technology. This drastically reduced the time and energy consumption. Further advantages were the lower space requirement and increased flexibility.
21st century
Following the takeover of the majority of the shares on January 1, 2001, the joint-stock company belongs to the Steuler Tile Group by Steuler Industriewerke . In connection with the Steuler tile group, consisting of the following companies: Steuler-Fliesen, Norddeutsche Steingut, Kerateam and NordCeram, Norddeutsche Steingut AG exports to 45 countries worldwide.
In 2002 the company NordCeram was founded as a 100% subsidiary of Norddeutsche Steinut . In Bremerhaven fishing port located on the deepwater a modern production facility was built stoneware -Bodenfliesen, their connection to the water, rail and motorway offers good logistical conditions. On August 23, production began with the first rapid kiln. The second furnace was put into operation in 2003 and the third in 2006. With an annual output of around 5.8 million m² of fine stoneware, NordCeram is Germany's largest producer of floor tiles.
The production of tiles in Bremen-Grohn was discontinued in mid-2014. Other areas of the company, such as logistics, sample production, or corporate management will initially remain at the Grohn location. At the same time, investments are being made in the Bremerhaven location.
archive
The company's chronicle is kept by the Schönebeck Castle Local History Museum. A permanent exhibition can be seen here.
Products
The range includes wall tiles in the formats up to 30 × 90 cm as well as porcelain stoneware up to 120 × 120 cm and slabs in 2 cm thickness.
Grohner calendar tile
The Grohn calendar tile was first produced for the 100th anniversary in 1968/1969 and reissued annually from 1971. From the mid-1970s onwards, various designers created the pure calendar in conjunction with local and current affairs. The bird of the year has been featured since 1993 and the calendar tile had long since become a coveted collector's item not only among customers and employees. The 45th and last calendar tile was produced with a particularly elaborate glaze motif.
Special motifs:
- 1969 100 years of North German stoneware
- 1991 German reunification
- 2000 Musical Jekyll and Hyde
- 2009 40 years of Grohner calendar tile
- 2014 Ahoy, the last calendar tile
Subsidiaries
- 1906 Foundation of Grohner wall tile factory
- 1920 Takeover of the Witteburg stoneware factory in Farge, which continued to produce with interruptions until 1958.
- 1980 Takeover of 88% of the Engers earthenware factory founded in 1911 in Neuwied (sold again in 1985)
- 1995 Foundation together with Steuler tiles Messrs. Kerateam in Leisnig in Saxony. Kerateam is thus a 50% subsidiary of Norddeutsche Steingut.
- 2002 Establishment of the fine stoneware factory NordCeram in Bremerhaven as a 100% subsidiary of Norddeutsche Steingut.
Board members
- 1869 master bricklayer Albert Encke, Bremen (chairman)
- 1869 Rentier Joh. Friedrich Rust, Bremen (Deputy Chairman)
- 1869 businessman Dietrich Friedrich Rabe, Bremen
- 1869 Ernst Christian Weyhausen, Bremen
- 1869 economist Johann Wilhelm Smidt zur Dunge
- 1900–1950 Otto Freise
- 1922–1928 Paul Landwehr
- 1922–1934 Paul Freise
- 1922–1945 Karl Kroemer
- 1934–1960 Georg Kahler
- 1934–1945 Adolf Kunz
- 1948–1956 Hermann Andres
- 1949–1969 Erwin Körner
- 1958–1981 Bernhard Holke
- 1967–1976 Heinz Henze
- 1974–2004 Walter Krawitz
- 1980-2003 Arthur Mocker
- 2003–2017 Karl-Heinz Fabel
- 2003–2020 Stefan Zeidler
- Rüdiger Grau since 2018
- Since 2020 Alexander Lakos
Supervisory boards
- 1869 Consul Friedrich Albert Schumacher, architect Below and broker Johann Friedrich Lauts
literature
- Michael Weisser : Art Nouveau tiles . Schmalfeldt, Bremen 1978, ISBN 3-921749-04-2 , p. 57–65 (with numerous illustrations and further references and sources on the company's history).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Annual Report 2017 (PDF) North German Stoneware, accessed on April 4, 2013 .
- ↑ Note: The notarial articles of association are dated October 2, 1869 and have a share capital of 125,000 Reichstalern Kurant
- ↑ Jürgen Theiner: North German stoneware remains in Grohn for the time being. In: www.weser-kurier.de. September 24, 2014, accessed March 9, 2018 .
Coordinates: 53 ° 10 ′ 19 ″ N , 8 ° 38 ′ 37 ″ E