Laufen Ceramics Inc history

In 1925, the company expanded its business into the fast-growing market for sanitary ceramics products, forming a new company, AG für Keramische Industrie Laufen.

Laufen added a new product group in 1932, that of the manufacturing of ceramic tiles for bathrooms, kitchens, and other applications.

In 1952, Laufen turned to Brazil for its first foreign expansion effort by acquiring Incepa SA, a ceramic tile producer based in Campo Larga.

In 1955, the company changed its name, to Osterreichische Sanitär-,. Keramik-, und Porzellan-Industria (OSPAG), and introduced a new brand name for its products, Austrovit.

By then, the transformation of bathroom fixtures from utilitarian form to more luxurious design was well under way, and in 1959 OSPAG brought bathroom design to the Austrian market with the release of its Ultra series.

The company was also credited with being among the first to attach a toilet's bowl to its cistern, creating the semi-WC in 1960.

1967: A merger takes place with Osterreichische Sanitär-,. Keramik-, und Porzellan-Industria (OSPAG), based in Wilhelmsburg, Austria.

Ceramic pressure casting, developed by Keramik LAUFEN over years, is unveiled to the public for the first time in October 1982.

In 1985, the company turned to designer Helmut Telefunt and debuted the first of Laufen's successful and long-lasting Vienna line.

In 1996, the company reinforced its presence in these markets, joining Thailand's United Mosaic Industry Co. to form UMI-Laufen.

In 1997, Laufen acquired control of public company Celite S.A. Industria e Comercio, a leading specialist in bathroom fixtures in Brazil.

By 1998, Laufen had dipped into losses and was forced to undergo a thorough restructuring that included a cut of some 15 percent of its international work force.

Since 1999, LAUFEN has been one of the world's largest bathroom manufacturers in the ROCA Group, which has over 20,000 employees in over 135 countries and produces 38 million ceramic products annually.

4. "Roca Gains Approval for Laufen Acquisition (Luz verde a la compra de Laufen por Roca)," Expansion, March 3, 2001.

In 2002 LAUFEN launched ‘Tam Tam’, the world’s first standing washbasin, cast in one piece.