INTRODUCTION
|Knauf, a family name, and a corporate group of global dimensions. A leading | |
|manufacturer of building materials worldwide, including plasterboards, | |
|plasters, insulation materials and external renders, with a turnover of Euro| |
|2.5 bn. With over 100 plants in Europe, Asia, USA and South America, it is | |
|through technical innovation and high quality standards that Knauf leads the| |
|development of markets across the Globe. Committed to the environment, Knauf| |
|is active in retaining the natural balance across all our operations. | |
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| |Established in 1932, Gebr. Knauf Westdeutsche Gipswerke, Iphofen, is not | |
| |only one of the leading manufacturers of building materials in Europe, but | |
| |also a global group whose activities are no longer limited solely to the | |
| |production of gypsum-based building materials. | |
| | | |
| |The families of Alfons and Karl Knauf still wholly own the strongly | |
| |expanding company. Their oldest sons, Baldwin and Nikolaus Knauf are the | |
| |managing partners. | |
| | | |
| |The company is based in Iphofen, midway between Nuremberg and Frankfurt. | |
| | | |
| |All the other shareholders also belong to the family and some are | |
| |responsible for the various business activities of the company both at home | |
| |and abroad. | |
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Established in 1932, Gebr. Knauf Westdeutsche Gipswerke, Iphofen, is
not only one of the leading manufacturers of building materials in Europe,
but also a globally operating group whose activities are no longer limited
solely to the production of gypsum-based building materials.
The families of Alfons and Karl Knauf still wholly own the strongly
expanding company. Their oldest sons, Baldwin and Nikolaus Knauf are the
managing partners. The company is based in Iphofen, midway between
Nuremberg and Frankfurt.
All other shareholders also belong to the family; some are responsible
for the various business activities of the company both at home and
abroad.
Profile
Knauf nowadays operates more than 100 production plants in over 30
countries. Annual sales of more than € 2.5 billion are achieved with more
than 16,000 employees. The main markets are to be found in northern,
western and central Europe as well as the entire Mediterranean area
including Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey. In recent years Eastern Europe,
the former CIS states and China, in particular, have made an increasingly
significant contribution to the development of business.
Knauf was one of the first companies to invest in modern plants in
eastern Germany, Eastern Europe and the CIS. In 1997 a new Knauf
plasterboard factory was opened in Wuhu, near Shanghai, a second plant
supplies the markets in Canton, Hong Kong and southern China with Knauf
plasterboards. A third factory was acquired in 1999 from Siam Cement, which
produces in Tianjin, near Peking.
Knauf has spent recent years building up the Brazilian and Argentine
markets. The first Knauf plasterboard factory in South America commenced
production since 2000 in Queimados, near Rio de Janeiro. A further factory
produces in Mendoza in Argentina directly on the border to Chile to service
the Argentine and Chilean markets.
In addition to plasters and plastering accessories, Knauf manufactures
insulating materials made from glass fibers at four sites in the USA.
A further business field is the production of distended pearlites that
are used in plastering, cement bound boards and dry mortars.
With the production of carton for Knauf boards Knauf has continued its
strategy of vertical diversification. Knauf owns two paper factories;
Inland AB in Lilla Edet, Sweden and St Petersburg Polygraphie- und
Kartonkombinat in St. Petersburg in Russia, and also holds shares in
Tecnokarton located in Mayen.
Lime and lime cement plaster and even bricks round off the product
assortment offered by the Knauf group.
The range of products for the drywall sector is rounded off by plaster
fiberboards that are manufactured in factories in Satteldorf, Germany, in
Vidin, Bulgaria, in Dzershinsk and Tscheljabinsk, both in Russia.
A new business sector is the production of moulded plastics in France,
Italy, Spain, England, The Netherlands, Brazil and Poland. The construction
of a factory in Belgium for the production of polystyrene is a further step
in the strategy of vertical integration pursued by Knauf in this sector as
well. -3-
Its diversified portfolio of partner companies also highlights the
commitment of Knauf to the construction
industry.
The company Putz- und Fördertechnik (PFT) located in Iphofen leads the
market for the development and manufacture of machines for the machine
application of plasters for interior and exterior use. The plaster machine
G4, which is legendary in industry circles, is probably the best-known
product manufactured by PFT.
Richter-System, a leading manufacturer of metal profiles and angle
protectors in Europe, is also a member of the Knauf group.
With more than 30 furnaces in nine factories, Knauf is Europe’s largest
producer of distended Perlites that are used in the production of dry
mortar to improve the heat insulation qualities.
The product range of Deutsche Perlite GmbH, one of the leading processors
of perlites, also includes the cement-based Perlconboard, dry composition
floor elements and perlite charges.
Group member AMF is a manufacturer of high-quality mineral fibre boards
used to form innovative ceiling systems.
Knauf Bauprodukte GmbH offers the most extensive range in Europe of
building chemicals for DIY and professional users.
Marmorit GmbH located in Bollschweil, to the south of Stuttgart, produces
and sells an extensive range of lime and lime cement renders.
This extensive and diverse product programme ensures that Knauf is the only
gypsum-based manufacturer in the market offering this complete range of
services and products.
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As expectations for the performance of our buildings rise, so must the
performance of the materials used in their construction. As a result, the
demand for gypsum is on the increase. Due to its exceptional performance
characteristics, we call it the magic material.
Nature is innovative
Nature possesses exceptional innovative spirit. Gypsum, a sedimentary rock
that is over 200 million years old, is so easy to handle that it has been
used for building purposes for thousands of years. For example, 11,000
thousand years ago, the walls and floors in ancient Jericho were made of
gypsum. The utilisation of this building material reached a new peak in the