HISTORY
First ISH trade fair in Frankfurt am Main, 1967
Founded in 1949
The engineer Edwin Rothenberger founded the company on 24 May 1949 as a trading company in Frankfurt am Main. The product range included tools, machines and welding technology - the joining of pipes was at the centre of business activities. The range of products appealed to customers, so the company grew steadily and expanded its premises in Frankfurt several times within a short space of time.
1967
At the International Trade Fair for Sanitary and Heating Technology (ISH) in 1967, ROTHENBERGER presented the so-called R-System, which contributed significantly to the company's success. The R-System consisted of tools for expanding, collaring and bending pipes and enabled plumbers to connect pipes without fittings: it eliminated the need for soldered sockets, T-pieces and L-bends, saving time and materials.
1974
The great demand for ROTHENBERGER products soon necessitated a change of location: in 1974, the company moved to Kelkheim, near Frankfurt. In the same year, the second generation of the Rothenberger family took over the management and continued to invest in the development of the company. In 1985, Dr Helmut Rothenberger took over as CEO of ROTHENBERGER AG, to which all ROTHENBERGER companies still belong today. He moved to the Supervisory Board of the AG in 2013. Dr Christian Heine has been Chairman of the Executive Board of ROTHENBERGER AG since 2016.
2000s
Thanks to the user-friendliness, quality and durability of its products, ROTHENBERGER has earned a place in the toolboxes of trade professionals. Over several decades, the company has built up and expanded its capacities and opened up more and more markets.
The family business conquered the market for pipe tools in other countries by setting up its own subsidiaries in countries outside Germany and investing in international brands such as VIRAX in France and North Africa and SUPER-EGO in Spain and Latin America. The Rothenberger family also added special expertise to the core business by acquiring companies specialising in pipe tools and machines. In this way, the company continued to develop pipe tools and related technologies - always with the users of the tools in mind.
2007
ROTHENBERGER Industrial GmbH was founded in 2007 as a subsidiary of the ROTHENBERGER Group. We stand for tradition, innovation and first-class quality in the DIY market. A professional, competent and reliable partner.
**From a niche department to a company!
2010
ROTHENBERGER Industrial presents the individual items in the range in closed, transparent packaging. The colourful design attracts the customer's attention, while the designed inserts with product information and pictograms support the consultation. We thus support the purchase decision and the satisfaction of our customers at the point of sale through a well thought-out packaging concept with combinable units of size dimensions.
2016
In 2016, ROTHENBERGER Industrial inaugurated the expansion of its warehouse. This extension has significantly increased storage capacity to support the company's steady growth. The inauguration was marked by a festive celebration where business partners, employees and local representatives came together to celebrate the company's success and future developments.
2018
In 2018, the building work was extensively modernised, including façade work to enhance the external appearance. A central focus was on optimising the work processes in the warehouse area:
Improved warehouse logistics and more efficient utilisation of space made the movement of goods faster and smoother. This led to shorter throughput times, reduced search effort and improved inventory management.
2023
The key account and sales departments were merged in 2023. This physical proximity promotes more efficient communication and improved collaboration between the teams. As a result, decision-making processes were accelerated and synergies were better utilised and made more transparent.