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Eventful
history - fascinating perspectives |
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| In 1999, Geberit celebrated
its 125th anniversary. The official permit to open a first workshop cost
Geberit's founder, Caspar Melchior Albert Gebert-Domeisen, all of seven
Swiss francs in 1874. |
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First years - first
innovations
In the early years, Caspar Melchior Gebert
concentrated on building up his plumbing business. But as early as 1905
he laid the foundations for future growth with the manufacture of wooden
cisterns lined with lead and equipped with lead fittings. Patented in
1912, the cisterns were soon being supplied to customers throughout
Switzerland and in neighboring countries.
1921, after World War I, all the workshops
were centralized in one factory building. In 1935 the company entered
into a completely new technology: for the first time, plastic was used
to produce non-corroding pipes and cistern fittings. |
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A new age - plastic's
victorious march
In 1952 a process was developed to
manufacture complete cisterns from plastic, which led to a striking
upturn for the company.
One year later, the brand name Geberit was
registered as a trademark, and the third generation of the founding
family took over the company management. It began to systematically
develop the European markets.
1953 the brothers Heinrich (left) and Klaus
Gebert took over the management of the company |
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Accordingly, in 1955 the
subsidiary in Pfullendorf in Southern Germany was founded, and
additional branches in Austria and France soon followed.
As a logical result of Geberit's market
success with plastic cisterns, in 1956 it entered the drainage
technology field. Here, too, the company settled on plastic, producing
odor traps and other molded items from polyethylene.
In 1962 Geberit opened a new plant in
Rapperswil-Jona. |
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Unstoppable climb to
market leadership
A further rapid expansion of the product
range into the areas of drainage technology, flush-mounted installations
and hygiene led to successive expansion of the plants in Pfullendorf,
Jona and Pottenbrunn (near Vienna).
With the founding of a subsidiary in the
USA, Geberit made its move overseas.Today, Geberit is active also
outside Europe, with its own companies in the USA, Canada, China and
Singapore.
The product range was greatly expanded in
1977, with the introduction of installation systems and shower toilets.
In 1989 the company entered into fresh water supply systems.
In 1990 the first comprehensive
environmental strategy was implemented.
At the beginning of the nineties, the
representatives of the founding family retired from operative
management. In 1991, under the leadership of the new CEO, Günter F. Kelm,
today's management structure was developed and systematically
implemented. A restructuring of the group led to a separation of the
sales, production and service companies.
In the years from 1988 - 1997, sales for the
Geberit Group have more than doubled. |
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On the way to a public
corporation
In 1997 the family shareholders sold the
company to the British finance company Doughty Hanson & Co. The Group
Executive Board, together with other executive
managers, took up participation in the
company and can thus preserve the independence of the Geberit Group.
All the research and development activities
were consolidated into an in-house company at the Jona location. In 1997
an obligatory procedure for all R&D activities, Innovation Process
Development (IPD), was established. In that same year, the building
technology laboratory was completed.
In 1998 sales for the Geberit Group rose
above the billion Swiss franc level for the first time. The company
began to systematically prepare itself for an initial public offering
(IPO).
In 1999 - the year of its 125th anniversary
- the Geberit Group went public. At the same time, it offered an
attractive Employee Participation Plan to its employees.
| On July 9th
2002, the Geberit Group acquired 100% of the shares of the
Chicago Faucet Company, Des Plaines, Illinois. Chicago Faucets
is a highly recognized brand in the US, producing a broad line of
commercial faucets and fittings. In the fiscal year 2001 Chicago
Faucets generated sales of USD 70.0 million with 400 employees. With
this acquisition the Geberit Group significantly increases its
presence and commitment in the USA and continues its successful
expansion and internationalization strategy. |
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| The Chicago
Faucet Company is a traditional family owned company, which
celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2001. The company has a
strong sales organization and a wide distribution network operating
throughout the USA. Its products are produced in four manufacturing
plants in the US. The Chicago Faucet products are complementary to
Geberit's product range and can be found mainly in schools,
laboratories, hospitals, office buildings, food service, airports
and sports facilities. |
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| With this
acquisition, Geberit becomes one of the leading suppliers of
commercial plumbing products in the USA. The Geberit Group will
combine its existing product line with Chicago Faucet's line to form
a broader range of offerings to the commercial plumbing market. The
integration of the two company's sales and distribution networks is
seen as a significant synergy |
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| The Geberit
Group, headquartered in Jona, Switzerland, is a European market
leader and global provider in the area of plumbing technology. The
company employs a staff of approximately 4,550 worldwide. In the US
Geberit currently operates a manufacturing and sales operation based
in Michigan City, Indiana. |
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© 2003 Geberit . - All rights
reserved.
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Providing Advanced
Plumbing Technology Since 1994
