Wienerberger

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Wienerberger AG

logo
legal form Corporation
ISIN AT0000831706
founding 1819
Seat Vienna , AustriaAustriaAustria 
management
Number of employees 17,234
sales 3,446 billion euros
Branch Building materials
Website www.wienerberger.com
Status: 2020

Corporate headquarters of Wienerberger AG on Wienerberg in Vienna- Favoriten - Copyright Uwe Strasser / Wienerberger AG

The Wienerberger AG has more than 200 plants in 30 countries is the largest producer of bricks in the world to No. 1 in clay roof tiles in Europe. And holds leading positions in concrete pavers in Central-Eastern Europe and in pipe systems in Europe. The company's headquarters are in Vienna , and in 2019 (2018) there were 17,234 (16,596) employees.

Due to the trend in the USA to build buildings from solid building materials, which was increased not least by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Wienerberger was also able to rise to number one in the USA through General Shale Brick Inc.

history

The company was founded in 1819 by Alois Miesbach (1791–1857) in Vienna. The basis was the rich deposits of clayey loam on the southern edge of Vienna ( Wienerberg area ). In 1841, von Miesbach found numerous milestones from the Roman Empire from the period of the second and third centuries on the historical ground . The finds are in the Kunsthistorisches Museum .

After his death in 1857 the company was taken over by his nephew Heinrich von Drasche-Wartinberg and brought to a workforce of almost 10,000. The working conditions in the brick pits were generally poor in the industry and had deteriorated further in 1869 after the company's IPO . The wage workers (" Ziegelböhm "), who mostly came from Bohemia and Moravia , had to work an average of 15 hours a day; there were no weekends or days off. In addition, the wages were usually not paid in cash but in sheet metal tokens ( truck system ; "truck" means barter or barter), which could only be redeemed in the company's own canteens. The young doctor and journalist Victor Adler took up these conditions in his socially critical reports , which initiated a development that made Victor Adler chairman of the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and successful social reformer in 1888 . At the brickworks, it brought about the abolition of the truck system, which had been illegal since 1885, and further social reforms after the brick workers' strike in 1895.

The company was able to benefit from the great building boom of the early days and in 1887 paid out a total of 490,000 guilders in dividends , which corresponded to a share of the profits of 12 percent. The company also had factories in Croatia , Hungary and Bohemia , which it lost in 1918 following the defeat of Austria-Hungary in the First World War . Towards the end of the Second World War , large parts of the production facilities near Vienna were destroyed by bombing raids.

Difficult times after the end of the war and the successful advance of the building material concrete required expansion in this area as well. The need for building materials to repair the war damage brought a renewed upswing after the war.

View from the A9 to the Eisenberg plant

In 1969 the company received the state award and thus the right to use the federal coat of arms in business dealings.

In 1986 Wienerberger AG began to set up international locations under the management of Erhard Schaschl, Wolfgang Reithofer and Paul Tanos and first took over German manufacturers, such as the Oltmanns company from Jeddeloh I , the leading manufacturer of Poroton bricks in Europe . In 1990, immediately after the opening of the East, it expanded its mainstays in the former Eastern Bloc countries (Hungary in 1990).

Wienerberger's corporate headquarters have been located in the new building "The Brick" on Wienerberg in Vienna - Favoriten since January 2020 .

After further acquisitions (1996: Terca / Benelux, 1999: General Shale / USA, ZZ Wancor / Switzerland, Mabo / Scandinavia, 2000: Cherokee Sanford / USA, 2001: Optiroc / Northern Europe, 2002: Hanson plc / Europe, 2003: Koramic Roofing ) the group developed into the world market leader in the brick sector and number two for roof tiles in the early 2000s .

As a result of the global economic and financial crisis in 2008/2009, Wienerberger began a comprehensive restructuring program. Production capacities were reduced, administration and sales costs were cut, and investments were reduced to a minimum in order to secure liquidity and reduce net debt. The aim was to create efficient structures, to focus on high-quality, innovative products and to intensify sales activities in order to remain competitive and to strengthen and expand market positions. This should lay the foundation for future growth.

Steinzeug-Keramo in Frechen

From 2010 Wienerberger changed its pure player strategy and changed from a pure brick supplier to a provider of construction and infrastructure solutions. The first step in 2010 was the 100% takeover of Steinzeug-Keramo , manufacturer of ceramic waste water pipe systems, as a strategic expansion of the pipe business and complement to the 50-50 joint venture Pipelife (plastic pipes). In 2010, 100% of Semmelrock, Austrian producer of concrete paving stones with a focus on Eastern Europe, was also taken over to strengthen the pavement division.

In 2011 Wienerberger expanded its stake in Tondach Gleinstätten to 50% by taking over 25% of the Tondach shares from Monier and in return for all shares in the concrete roofing business (Bramac). Wienerberger thus strengthened its position in the clay roof tile sector (Koramic in Western Europe and Tondach in Eastern Europe).

In 2012, this was followed by the acquisition of the remaining shares in the plastic pipe manufacturer Pipelife, a further package of measures to reduce costs (duration 2012–2014) and, in 2014, the majority takeover of Tondach Gleinstätten.

Wienerberger thereby strengthened the renovation and infrastructure divisions and reduced its dependence on economically sensitive new buildings.

The main strategic cornerstones of management today are: organic growth, broadening the core business in renovation and infrastructure, increasing cash flow to finance ongoing business, dividends and value-creating growth investments.

On September 26, 2017, it was announced that Wienerberger would take over the Brenner brickworks and its employees based in St. Andrä in Carinthia.

Sales development

The tabular development of sales in each case in million euros.

year sales EBITDA EBIT
2003 1,826.9 349.9 190.2
2004 1,758.8 405.4 257.5
2005 1,954.6 428.4 270.3
2006 2,225.0 471.9 299.6
2007 2,447.3 551.2 353.1
2008 2,431.4 440.1 239.8
2009 1,816.9 208.6 19.0
2010 1,663.6 198.3 4.6
2011 1,915.4 240.4 37.5
2012 2,355.5 216.7 −21.7
2013 2,662.9 275.9 64.7
2014 2,834.5 317.2 −165.1
2015 2,972.4 369.7 163.1
2016 2,973.8 404.3 190.6
2017 3,119.7 415.0 178.7
2018 3,305.1 442.6 239.8
2019 3,466.3 362.7 190.6

Architecture award

In 2004 Wienerberger launched the Brick Award architecture prize, which has been presented every two years since then. Innovative and creative brick buildings are awarded. The worldwide outstanding buildings made of brick products are submitted by international architecture critics and architecture journalists. These “architecture scouts” research brick buildings around the world for Wienerberger that leave a lasting impression. The spectrum of applications ranges from building solutions with classic wall and facade tiles to the creative use of roofing and paving tiles. Particular attention is paid to the natural embedding in the environment, the geometry, the character and the quality of the building and its lighting conditions. The Wienerberger Brick Award 2018 is endowed with a total of 34,000 euros.

Movie

  • 2019: Heritage Austria: He built the Vienna Ringstrasse - The brick baron Heinrich Drasche and the Wienerberger , director: Gustav Trampisch, 45 minutes, first broadcast on ORF III

literature

Web links

Commons : Wienerberger  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wienerberger Group:

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Family company Wienerberger strengthens its board of directors with two COOs FAMILY BUSINESS in FOCUS (FiFo) , August 18, 2020, accessed on August 18, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l 2019 annual report accessed at https://www.wienerberger.com/content/dam/corp/corporate-website/downloads/investors-downloads/2019/Gesch%C3%A4ftsbericht % 202019.pdf
  3. ↑ Excavations of ancient objects ao Wienerberge
  4. ↑ Trade Regulations 1859 - Industrial auxiliary staff: §78 wage payments , effective date June 1, 1885, Austrian National Library
  5. ^ Karl R. Stadler: Victor Adler . In: Walter Pollak (Ed.): A thousand years of Austria. A Biographical Chronicle , Volume 3: Parliamentarism and the Two Republics. Verlag Jugend und Volk, Vienna 1974, ISBN 3-7141-6523-1 , pp. 50–60, here p. 57; and SPÖ favorites: Victor Adler and the brick workers
  6. ↑ Johannes Luxner: Much misery for the shine , orf.at , May 1, 2015
  7. ↑ Press release crisis 2009 Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 23, 2016 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. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wienerberger.com
  8. ↑ Press release, second quarter of 2010 Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 5, 2016 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. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wienerberger.com
  9. ↑ 2014 Annual Report accessed on archived copy ( memento of the original from October 24, 2017 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. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wienerberger.com
  10. ↑ Press release from September 26, 2017: Wienerberger takes over Brenner brickworks in Austria ( memento of the original from October 2, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wienerberger.com
  11. ↑ Official website of the Wienerberger Brick Award: http://www.brickaward.com/

Coordinates: 48 ° 10 ′ 6 "  N , 16 ° 20 ′ 43.7"  E