Manufacturer of faucets, showers and sanitary systems for bathroom and kitchen, designed and engineered in Germany
Grohe AG
Hemer · Düsseldorf · Lahr/Schwarzwald · Porta Westfalica · Albergaria-a-Velha · Tomaszów Mazowiecki · Klaeng · Da Nang · Jiangmen · MonterreyNew on Amplifa
Faucets and sanitary systems from the Sauerland
Grohe AG is a German manufacturer of sanitary fittings and sanitary products with its registered seat in Hemer and its administrative headquarters in Düsseldorf. Founded in 1911, the company produces faucets, shower systems, WC/installation systems, kitchen faucets and smart-home water sensors (GROHE Sense, GROHE Sense Guard) for the global market. Product development begins at the R&D and validation laboratory in Hemer in the Sauerland region; product design is created in the company's own design studio in Düsseldorf. Production for the European market takes place mainly in Hemer, Porta Westfalica, Lahr (plastics manufacturing and shower systems), Albergaria-a-Velha (Portugal) and Klaeng (Thailand); further LIXIL fittings production sites are located in Vietnam, China and Mexico. Materials are predominantly metals and plastics; key technologies such as the ceramic cartridges (SilkMove), thermostat cores (TurboStat) and shower spray systems (AquaBooster) are developed in-house. The products are available in around 150 countries; consolidated revenue in 2017 was approximately 1.35 billion €. Since 2014, Grohe has belonged to Japan's LIXIL Group and remains an independently managed brand within it.
- Site
- Düsseldorf
- Processes
- Research & Development (technical centre in Hemer), Product design (studio in Düsseldorf), Warranty and repair service, Spare parts service, Product registration, Professional training for installers, Consulting for installers, architects and designers, Showroom locator
- Materials
- Ceramic alloy (cartridge discs), Plastic
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001
- Founded
- 1911 (as
- Industries
- Sanitary fittings, Bathroom solutions, Kitchen faucets, Shower systems, WC/flush systems, Smart home/water sensors
- 01
Research & Development (Hemer)
- 02
Product design (Düsseldorf)
- 03
Metal and plastics manufacturing
- 04
Assembly
- 05
Testing and validation (Hemer validation laboratory)
- 06
Logistics and distribution (Hemer, Porta Westfalica)
- 07
Sales and service
Materials and manufacturing technologies
Ceramic alloy (cartridge discs)
Ceramic discs with an extremely smooth surface inspected by X-ray laser form the heart of the single-lever mixers.
Plastic
Plastics manufacturing and shower systems with a focus at the Lahr/Schwarzwald plant.
Development and production sites
Hemer
DEHeadquarters, R&D laboratory, validation laboratory, production, distribution centre
- Materials
- Metals, plastics
Düsseldorf
DECentral office/administration, design studio
Lahr/Schwarzwald
DEProduction of plastics manufacturing and shower systems; largest plant in Germany
- Materials
- Plastics
Porta Westfalica
DEProduction, distribution centre
Albergaria-a-Velha
PTProduction
Tomaszów Mazowiecki
PLProduction
Klaeng
THProduction (opened 2017)
Da Nang
VNLIXIL Fittings production
Jiangmen
CNLIXIL Fittings production
Monterrey
MXLIXIL Fittings production
Industries
Additional services
Tested quality according to uniform standards
Quality assurance begins at the company's own R&D and validation laboratory in Hemer: cartridges are tested with up to 220,000 load cycles, leak tests are carried out at up to 50 bar, and leaching tests analyse the water with a precision of 1 to 10 billion. All major group sites are certified according to uniform GROHE standards and are audited centrally.
| Evidence | Hemer | Lahr/Schwarzwald | Porta Westfalica | Tomaszów Mazowiecki | Albergaria-a-Velha | Klaeng |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | ||||||
| ISO 14001 | ||||||
| ISO 45001 | ||||||
| ISO 50001 |
Over 110 years of company history
- 1911
Founded as the small iron goods factory Berkenhoff & Paschedag in Hemer
- 1936
Friedrich Grohe takes over the factory and focuses manufacturing on bathroom fittings
- 1938
First orders from abroad
- 1948
Renamed Friedrich Grohe Armaturenfabrik
- 1956
Acquisition of the Carl Nestler fitting factory in Lahr/Schwarzwald; market launch of the Skalatherm thermostat
- 1961
Foundation of the first foreign subsidiary in France
- 1968
Sale of 51% of the company shares to ITT
- 1984
The Grohe family buys back the ITT shares
- 1991
Acquisition of Herzberger Armaturen GmbH and H. D. Eichelberg & Co. (Iserlohn); conversion into a public limited company
- 1994
Acquisition of the DAL/Rost Group; the Porta Westfalica plant is added
- 1996
Expansion into Portugal and Thailand
- 1999
Sale to the investor group BC Partners; delisting
- 2004
Sale to a consortium of Texas Pacific Group and CSFB Private Equity
- 2008
Relocation of the company headquarters from Hemer to Düsseldorf
- 2011
Majority acquisition of the Chinese sanitary manufacturer Joyou
- 2014
Acquisition by LIXIL Group and Development Bank of Japan (87.5%)
- 2017
Opening of the Klaeng production facility (Thailand); acquisition of the remaining 50% of Grome Marketing; inclusion in the Fortune 'Change the World' ranking
- 2018
Foundation of Grohe Logistik Service GmbH