Manufacturer of mugs and cups made of porcelain and bone porcelain with in-house screen printing, from 96 pieces
Könitz Porzellan GmbH
Unterwellenborn, OT Könitz · GroßschönauNew on Amplifa
About Könitz Porzellan
Könitz Porzellan GmbH produces mugs, cups and supplementary articles made of hard porcelain, Basic Bone and Fine Bone as well as ceramics at its Könitz site (Unterwellenborn, Thuringia). Founded in 1909, the company sees itself as a B2B specialist for mugs and supplies retailers, promotional goods agencies, museums, gastronomy and brands with serial products and custom-made items from 96 pieces. Production includes shape production, firing and an in-house screen printing shop where ceramic colours are individually mixed; refinement techniques include fired-in screen printing, digital and direct printing, relief printing, engraving, real gold and platinum decors as well as effects such as Thermic, Glow and scratch-off surfaces. In addition, the company offers Ready-to-Go designs, a mug configurator and more than 30 mug and cup shapes. The products are certified as household-suitable, i.e. scratch-resistant, dishwasher-safe and food-safe. A factory outlet is located at the main plant, another one in Großschönau at Frottana Textil GmbH & Co. KG.
- Site
- Unterwellenborn, OT Könitz
- Processes
- Porcelain production (mugs/cups), Screen printing (ceramic, own screen printing shop), Digital printing, Direct printing (up to 2 colours, 80 x 200 mm, only KC2/KCB502), Airbrush, Relief printing / tactile effects, Engraving (into the surface), Real gold & platinum decors, metallic colours
- Materials
- Porcelain (hard porcelain), Basic Bone (bone porcelain), Fine Bone, Ceramics/earthenware, Stainless steel, Glass, Wood, Bone ash (raw material bone china)
- Founded
- 1909
- Industries
- Promotional goods agencies, Specialist and wholesale retail, HoReCa (hotels, gastronomy, cafés), Museums, Merchandising/licensing, Industry
- 01
Decor development and lithography
- 02
Porcelain production (shape production and firing)
- 03
Screen printing in own screen printing shop (colour mixing, print refinement)
- 04
Decor firing (firing-in of the decors)
- 05
Hand decoration in own production
- 06
Assembly and packaging (gift box, industrial packaging, pallet)
- 07
Distribution via specialist retail, factory outlets and online shop
Materials and refinement techniques
Porcelain (hard porcelain)
Fired from kaolin, feldspar and quartz at 1,200–1,400 °C; dense, scratch-resistant, taste-neutral and suitable for daily use.
Basic Bone (bone porcelain)
Lightweight porcelain produced with a bone ash content, with a warm cream colour and translucency for the premium tableware and gift segment.
Fine Bone
Material with an increased bone ash content for particularly fine, lightweight and translucent premium collections.
Ceramics/earthenware
Porous body with a waterproof glaze for versatile ceramic articles.
Stainless steel
Material for insulated bottles such as the Cool Bottle and Hot Bottle in the supplementary range.
Glass
Used for double-walled mugs such as the Coffee Bar SEVEN.
Wood
Material for accessories such as the Home Office Tray.
Sites
Unterwellenborn, OT Könitz
DEMain plant: production, factory outlet, administration
- Lot size
- Custom-made items from 96 pieces
- Materials
- Porcelain, Basic Bone, Fine Bone, ceramics
- Mug takt lines (commissioned 1985)
- Screen printing machine (own screen printing shop)
- Decor firing kiln (2008)
Großschönau
DEFactory outlet at Frottana Textil GmbH & Co. KG
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porcelain production (mugs/cups)Casting | – | – | – | 96 pieces | Porcelain, Basic Bone, Fine Bone, Ceramics |
| Screen printing (ceramic, own screen printing shop)Surface | – | 200 mm (direct printing) × 80 mm (direct printing) | – | 96 pieces | Porcelain, Basic Bone, Fine Bone, Ceramics |
| Digital printingSurface | – | – | – | 96 pieces | Porcelain, Basic Bone, Fine Bone |
| Direct printing (up to 2 colours, 80 x 200 mm, only KC2/KCB502)Surface | – | 200 mm × 80 mm | – | 96 pieces | Porcelain, Basic Bone |
| AirbrushSurface | – | – | – | – | Porcelain, Ceramics |
| Relief printing / tactile effectsSurface | – | – | – | – | Porcelain, Basic Bone, Fine Bone |
| Engraving (into the surface)Surface | – | – | – | – | Porcelain, Basic Bone, Fine Bone |
| Real gold & platinum decors, metallic coloursSurface | – | – | – | – | Porcelain, Basic Bone, Fine Bone |
| Special effects: Glow, Thermic Effect, scratch-off surfaceSurface | – | – | – | – | Porcelain, Basic Bone, Fine Bone |
| Decor firing / firing-in of the decorsHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | Porcelain |
| Surface structures/surfaces (steel, concrete look, carbon, wood, etc.)Surface | – | – | – | – | Porcelain, Ceramics |
| Hand decoration (hand-painted rim, hand-applied print)Surface | – | – | – | – | Porcelain |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen printing machine | – | – | – | – | Könitz (Thuringia) |
| Mug takt line | – | 4 | – | 1985 | Könitz (Thuringia) |
| Decor firing kiln | – | – | – | 2008 | Könitz (Thuringia) |
| Round kilns (porcelain firing) | – | 4 | – | 1909 | Könitz (Thuringia) |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1673
According to the company's account, origins in connection with refinement techniques reach back to the year 1673
- 1909
Founding of the porcelain factory in Könitz with four round kilns by Alois Rödl and Max Metzel; the first products went mainly to England
- 1912
Expansion due to strong demand; the company was renamed Könitzer Porzellanfabrik Gebrüder Metzel
- 1948
Takeover by the Soviet occupation force into the Soviet A.G. Keramische Werke Hermsdorf, production exclusively of technical porcelain
- 1951
The operation passed into public ownership and remained part of the Hermsdorf works
- 1954
Resumption of household porcelain production on its own initiative
- 1962
Merger with Kahla to form Vereinigte Porzellanwerke Könitz-Kahla
- 1984
Investments until 1985; Europe's most modern mug takt line was built, commissioned in December 1985
- 1993
Turpin Rosenthal takes over Könitz Porzellan from the Treuhand (purchase on 21 December 1993); reorientation as a mug specialist
- 1996
Restructuring of the company following economic difficulties
- 2000
Stake in the Wiedemannsche Druckerei
- 2001
Founding of the Thai subsidiary Konitz Asia Ltd.
- 2006
Takeover of Waechtersbacher Keramik and the Weimar Porcelain Manufactory (EN-Wikipedia: 2006 and 2007)
- 2008
Purchase of a new decor firing kiln
- 2009
100th anniversary; reopening of the factory outlet; acquisition of Waechtersbach USA (according to EN-Wikipedia)
- 2025
November 2025: preventive insolvency under self-administration due to a dispute with a former business partner in France (German Wikipedia); EN-Wikipedia reports insolvency