Duravit
Encyclopedia
As an international manufacturer of bathroom furnishings, Duravit AG with head office in Hornberg
, Germany
, has made its mark in the sanitary sector with innovative developments and exciting forms created by international designers like Philippe Starck
, Sieger Design, EOOS, Phoenix Design, Frank Huster, Sergei Tchoban and Matteo Thun
. Today the company
is no longer just the producer of elegant designer products but increasingly a supplier of bathrooms that offer an all-round experience of well-being. With its sanitary ceramics, bathroom furniture and the Bathtub + Wellness business area, Duravit today covers the whole spectrum of bathroom interiors, launching one or two new projects every year.
began in 1817, when Georg Friedrich Horn founded a small factory
that until 1842 exclusively produced earthenware crockery.
This was followed at the beginning of the 20th century with the production of sanitaryware. Since 1960, the DURAVIT brand name has stood for quality made in the Black Forest.
The product range of the Hornberg bathroom specialists was extended in 1980 to include accessories.
In 1984, DURAVIT acquired a majority shareholding (60%) in the Alsace-based company Céramique de Bischwiller
. In 1988 the private limited company (GmbH) became a public limited company - DURAVIT AG
.Roca holds at least 25% through the acquisition of Laufen.
In 1991, Céramique de Bischwiller became a fully owned DURAVIT subsidiary.
One year later, with the startup of the Schenkenzell
production site, DURAVIT added a new focus: the strategic decision to manufacture bathroom furniture, intended to provide the company with a second mainstay of production, would prove to be a winner.
In Meissen
, world famous for its tradition-rich porcelain
manufacture, DURAVIT established one of the most modern plants for the production of sanitary ceramics. DURAVIT Sanitärporzellan Meißen GmbH went into production in 1994. In 1999, DURAVIT acquired the majority shareholding in the Egyptian company MISR TECH, in the meantime DURAVIT Egypt.
Since 01.01.2001, a further foreign subsidiary, DURAVIT Turkey in Istanbul
, has been an officially registered company.
With the acquisition of a majority shareholding in the Egyptian acrylic bath manufacturer Saniacrylic in 2002, DURAVIT laid the foundation for developing the new Bathtubs + Wellbeing segment. Development and final assembly of the new DURAVIT brand products takes place in Germany and France.
Within the scope of a joint venture
project, DURAVIT started in 2003 to expand its activities in China under the name DURAVIT Chongqing Sanitaryware Co. Ltd.
Only two years later, the newly constructed production and administration building based in Youxi-Town (Jiangjin) near Chongqing
in Central China was officially inaugurated. Today, the former joint venture company is a fully owned subsidiary operating under the name Duravit Sanitaryware Co. Ltd.
In 2008 Duravit took over a 51 per cent share in the Tunisian ceramics manufacturer Manufacture Tunisienne de Céramiques (MTC).
Duravit has been active on the Indian market since 2003 and has laid the foundation stone for a new production site at Tarapur, Gujarat, in 2008. The production site will be inaugurated on the 21st of September 2010.
The construction of a new head office in Hornberg designed by Philippe Starck is one of the highlights in the company’s history.
There are production facilities at several locations in Germany and abroad: Hornberg, Schenkenzell, Meißen (Germany)
Bischwiller (France), Cairo (Egypt), Istanbul (Turkey), Chongqing (China), Bizerte (Tunisia) and Tarapur (India).
Hornberg
Hornberg is a town in the Ortenaukreis, in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the Black Forest, 35 km southeast of Offenburg, and 25 km northwest of Villingen-Schwenningen.-External links:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, has made its mark in the sanitary sector with innovative developments and exciting forms created by international designers like Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck
Philippe Patrick Starck is a French product designer and probably the best known designer in the New Design style...
, Sieger Design, EOOS, Phoenix Design, Frank Huster, Sergei Tchoban and Matteo Thun
Matteo Thun
Matteo Thun, born in 1952 in Bolzano, Italy, is a famous architect and designer.-Early years:Thun studied at the Salzburg Academy under the supervision of Oskar Kokoschka. He then obtained a degree in architecture in Florence, Italy, in 1975...
. Today the company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
is no longer just the producer of elegant designer products but increasingly a supplier of bathrooms that offer an all-round experience of well-being. With its sanitary ceramics, bathroom furniture and the Bathtub + Wellness business area, Duravit today covers the whole spectrum of bathroom interiors, launching one or two new projects every year.
History
The history of DURAVIT in Hornberg in the Black ForestBlack Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
began in 1817, when Georg Friedrich Horn founded a small factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
that until 1842 exclusively produced earthenware crockery.
This was followed at the beginning of the 20th century with the production of sanitaryware. Since 1960, the DURAVIT brand name has stood for quality made in the Black Forest.
The product range of the Hornberg bathroom specialists was extended in 1980 to include accessories.
In 1984, DURAVIT acquired a majority shareholding (60%) in the Alsace-based company Céramique de Bischwiller
Bischwiller
Bischwiller is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France just west of the Moder River.The city is located southeast of Haguenau, west-northwest from the German border and the Rhine River , and lies north-northeast of Strasbourg.-Notable people:* Henri Baumer, master...
. In 1988 the private limited company (GmbH) became a public limited company - DURAVIT AG
AG
AG, Ag or ag may refer to:-Organizations:*Agrigento , a Sicilian commune*Aktiengesellschaft , a German name for a type of company, similar to "Inc." or "LLC " in the USA, public limited company in the UK, or S.p.A...
.Roca holds at least 25% through the acquisition of Laufen.
In 1991, Céramique de Bischwiller became a fully owned DURAVIT subsidiary.
One year later, with the startup of the Schenkenzell
Schenkenzell
Schenkenzell is a village in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The town is twinned with Schenkon in Switzerland.-External links:*...
production site, DURAVIT added a new focus: the strategic decision to manufacture bathroom furniture, intended to provide the company with a second mainstay of production, would prove to be a winner.
In Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
, world famous for its tradition-rich porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
manufacture, DURAVIT established one of the most modern plants for the production of sanitary ceramics. DURAVIT Sanitärporzellan Meißen GmbH went into production in 1994. In 1999, DURAVIT acquired the majority shareholding in the Egyptian company MISR TECH, in the meantime DURAVIT Egypt.
Since 01.01.2001, a further foreign subsidiary, DURAVIT Turkey in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, has been an officially registered company.
With the acquisition of a majority shareholding in the Egyptian acrylic bath manufacturer Saniacrylic in 2002, DURAVIT laid the foundation for developing the new Bathtubs + Wellbeing segment. Development and final assembly of the new DURAVIT brand products takes place in Germany and France.
Within the scope of a joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
project, DURAVIT started in 2003 to expand its activities in China under the name DURAVIT Chongqing Sanitaryware Co. Ltd.
Only two years later, the newly constructed production and administration building based in Youxi-Town (Jiangjin) near Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
in Central China was officially inaugurated. Today, the former joint venture company is a fully owned subsidiary operating under the name Duravit Sanitaryware Co. Ltd.
In 2008 Duravit took over a 51 per cent share in the Tunisian ceramics manufacturer Manufacture Tunisienne de Céramiques (MTC).
Duravit has been active on the Indian market since 2003 and has laid the foundation stone for a new production site at Tarapur, Gujarat, in 2008. The production site will be inaugurated on the 21st of September 2010.
The construction of a new head office in Hornberg designed by Philippe Starck is one of the highlights in the company’s history.
Factory sites
The Duravit designer brand is exported today to over 100 countries.There are production facilities at several locations in Germany and abroad: Hornberg, Schenkenzell, Meißen (Germany)
Bischwiller (France), Cairo (Egypt), Istanbul (Turkey), Chongqing (China), Bizerte (Tunisia) and Tarapur (India).
Products
- Washbasins
- Toilets
- Bidets
- Tubs
- Showers
- Bathroom Furniture
- Accessories
- Sauna
- Pools
- Kitchen sinks
- Shower toilet seats