Langenthal porcelain factory
The Langenthal porcelain factory (" Porzi " for short ) was founded in 1906 in Langenthal in the Bernese Oberaargau . After a fire in 1908, it was rebuilt. The first dishes were removed from the kiln on January 17, 1908. The factory produced porcelain for hotels, restaurants and households. In the meantime, the production of electrical porcelain (from 1920) also belonged to the company. In the 1990s, production was relocated to the Czech Republic.
history
In the 1980s the number of employees fluctuated between 800 and 1,500. Langenthal has been part of Keramik Holding Laufen since 1988 , which produced a wide range of ceramics in Europe, North and South America and Asia (coarse and sanitary ceramics , tiles , ceramic floor coverings and tableware).
In the mid-1990s, the “Porzi” range also included “complete solutions” (dishes and trays on trolleys with a warming system, with a special dish coating that made it possible to keep them warm by induction). At that time, the Langenthal Group also wanted to develop into a service company in order to be able to offer a “complete service” with partner companies, the entire “table setting” (dishes with customer-specific decorations, cutlery, glasses , serving and warming systems).
Since the early 1990s, the future of the porcelain factory was threatened - in addition to the overcapacities of the porcelain production in Asia, the Eastern European ones were added. Production in Langenthal was gradually closed in 1995, 1997 and 1998 and relocated to Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) in the Czech Republic. Soon, however, «Porzi» was to be closed as an unprofitable part of the diversified Keramik Laufen group - which in turn was struggling with problems.
Before production was closed in Langenthal, 300 people were employed there - out of a total of around 1,000 people in the Langenthal Group, with other locations in the Czech Republic (“ Hotelový porcelán ”), France (“ Pillivuyt ”), Austria (“ ÖSPAG ”) and Italy (« Metallurgiche Balzano »). The management of the group and the areas of logistics, design and part of the production were then located in Langenthal.
A management buyout , completed in 1997, saved the traditional company for a short time. Mismanagement and the unresolved relocation of production to Karlovy Vary, with the unresolved takeover of the formerly “nationally owned” Hotelový porcelán, led to bankruptcy / inheritance in 2001 .
In 2002/03, the owners of the Czech G. Benedikt Group took over all bankruptcy / inheritance parts, including “Porzi”, the “Langenthal” brand and all of its brands . The shares in the Pillivuyt company bought by Langenthal in 1963 were bought back in 2002 by the founder's family.
At the end of 2006 the company in Switzerland only had around 30 employees, at the end of 2005 it was only 20. The unpainted white goods are produced in the parent company's Czech production facility in Karlsbad-Dvory.
In 2008, the traditional company also outsourced the decoration to the owner company in Karlsbad, so that no more production takes place in Switzerland.
In 2016 the design department was closed. Since then, new shapes and designs have come from the parent company in Karlsbad.
In 2018 the company is a pure trading company with 13 employees.
The products are identified by the “Suisse Langenthal” logo with the Langenthal city arms
In addition to the classic white porcelain, the product range has included the “Bopla!” Series since 1993. (Art name after the French "beau plat") with unusual colorful decors.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Max Hottinger, Architecture and Art: 1926, Die Porzellanfabrikation in Langenthal. Retrieved October 6, 2019 .
- ↑ Hotelový porcelán in HR of ČR
- ↑ easyMonitoring.ch «Porzellanfabrik Langenthal» ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 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. (see there under estate contracts, entries in HR Emmental - Oberaargau , published in SHAB )
- ↑ G. Benedikt in the HR of the CR
