What makes a company last over a century, through some of the toughest economic times the world has seen, among some of the fiercest competitors the industry has born, and in a world of people whose needs are ever changing? Hansgrohe attributes its tremendous solidity as a company to “…continually introducing new solutions and inspiring products that consumers love and competitors envy.” Looking at their unique history of intense focus on water technology products, systems and services reveals a faithful pattern of turning great ideas into great products.
This international enterprise has humble beginnings in a small workshop in the Black Forest region of Germany. The Grohe family was a family of master craftsmen in the textile trade, and traveling journeymen. When young Hans Grohe transferred his interests from weaving to metal pressing, it was only natural that he took this spirit of excellence with him as he formed the basis for his new business in the small town of Schiltach, Germany in 1901. He and his partner hammered metal into casings for alarm clocks before a fire burned down their small enterprise. Grohe picked up where he left off, solo this time, but determined, and hired two men to operate the waterpowered metal pressing machines he acquired in another warehouse in Schiltach. They continued making patterned metal parts, even securing a contract to make casings for a large German watchmaking company, Junghans. Hans bicycled around to construction sites to meet with plumbers and pipe layers, and as business grew, he eventually supplied only wholesalers, publishing Hans Grohe’s first catalogue in 1908. In the 1920’s, Grohe’s two sons, Hans Jr. and Friederich joined the family business. By 1928, Grohe’s intimate knowledge of industry needs coupled with his ambitious business sense had established a reputable company with 100 employees.
War era challenges sunk many businesses, but after the tight adjustments made for the manpower shortage during the first war, and the raw material shortage during the second war, Grohe only managed to grow stronger as it found its niche in the postwar building boom. Not only did the customer base grow as the demand for kitchen and bath faucetry increased, Hans Grohe was able to pioneer the hydrolandscape with the vision that had always driven him – creating solutions with new products. The 1940’s and 50’s introduced many classics – the first adjustable wallbar for a bath, the first adjustable handheld shower, and an adjustable shower and a jet stream shower were offered. In 1958, Hans Grohe products were featured at the World’s Fair in Brussels.
Friederich had separated from the company in 1932 to start his own business, and the families had agreed to maintain different fields of specialties in order to keep competition from driving them apart. But the death of founder Hans Grohe Sr. in 1960 led to years of family disagreements about handling the two branches of the company and who would win rights to the reputable name of Hans Grohe, and ultimately led to two separate businesses. The split created a Grohe brand with Friederich’s company that is completely separate from Hans Jr.’s line, which was now to be the Hansgrohe brand.
This identity needed a distinctiveness all its own, and satisfying demand for plumbing parts wasn’t enough for the Hansgrohe name anymore. The Hansgrohe company focus was becoming refined as Klaus Grohe, son of Hans Jr., became CEO in 1975. They became the first plumbing industry manufacturer to incorporate professional designers into their product creation, with the first award in design in 1974. This would go on to become a Hansgrohe legacy as they would consistently win top awards for many of their 2000 patented products. In 2008, the prestigious and independent award institution International Forum of Design (iF) gave Hansgrohe top credit for their position as a trendsetter across the board in company design, alongside such respectable names as Apple, Adidas, Sony, and BMW. Being a company who sets the direction for future development has paid off, as they received their 66th iF award in 2010 for three products, two of which are the beloved Raindance shower pieces. Products from the company that started so long ago in the little town of Schiltach continue to be manufactured there, and have garnered over 270 prestigious design awards to date.
Design, in fact, was their savior during the economic collapse of the 1990’s, with the reunification of Germany. They concentrated on upscale, high-quality products and introduced two new brands, “Axor” and “Pharo” that were installed in prestigious construction projects. Hansgrohe now works with leaders in design and architecture on international icons of luxury, not only as bath and kitchen plumbing suppliers, but also as collaborators in interior design and architecture. Klaus Grohe also incorporated an environmentally friendly corporate policy that would include solar powered and low pollution production facilities at the back end of the consumer product, and water saving faucets on the front end.
The continued success of Hansgrohe depends wholly on its family orientation. Even now, 2/3 of their products are proudly ‘Made in Germany’. Klaus Grohe gave us a picture of the heart of Hansgrohe in 2001 when he said, “The spirit of belonging, respect, and mutual support drives Hansgrohe's corporate culture. Open, trust-based and fair cooperation inside the company provide a solid foundation for our international success. We all work for our own company. It must be able to compete if our successful track record is to continue in the second century of Hansgrohe's existence. In other words: Hansgrohe needs the challenge of strong competitors. They keep us on our toes and measure the performance of each and every Hansgrohe employee.”
From the beginning, it’s always been about family. Now, the family has grown to include the designers, engineers and factory workers who are part of building their product, as well as majority shareholders The Masco Corporation, and even, as the company so naturally includes in their history, water. Water is family. Water brings life. Water is in Hansgrohe.
