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R ecognizing chances, daring something new! This was the bold step Hans Grohe
took at the beginning of the 20th century. The trained cloth-maker moved from
Luckenwalde in Brandenburg to the Black Forest village of Schiltach and started to
produce metal goods since that was the time when private bathrooms became fa-
shionable. Hans Grohe turned into a shower specialist in the German sanitation in-
dustry: As of 1928, his hand shower offered an alternative to the then usual head
showers. For decades, he developed ideas and even at the age of 82 Hans Grohe in-
vented what today is standard worldwide: the shower rail at which the hand shower
can be flexibly attached. For 54 years, he ran his company. In 1968, his youngest son
Klaus joined the company and left his mark on the family enterprise. Under his ma-
nagement, Hansgrohe developed into a worldwide leading manufacturer of fittings
and showers. The second eldest son of the company founder, Friedrich Grohe, struck
out on his own, left Schiltdach and, already in 1936 and in Hemer in Westphalia,
took over the firm which today is known as Grohe. In Schiltach, Klaus Grohe assu-
med sole management in 1977 and introduced the Hansgrohe brand name. He made
environmental protection and sustainability his topic – energy- and water-saving pro-
ducts and resource-saving production. In 1993, with the AXOR design brand, Klaus
Grohe laid the foundation stone for luxurious bathrooms and kitchens. This succee-
ded thanks to the consistent pursuit of the strategy of signature design already intro-
duced starting in the 1970s with Frog Design, Phoenix Design and Philippe Starck.
Klaus Grohe was a perfectionist and his motto was: “The good is the enemy of the
better.” For 33 years, he lived, managed and worked according to this philosophy.
After him, the next generation – his two eldest sons Richard and Philippe – continued
the family tradition in the operative business.
Eröffnet im Mai 2021: The Water Studio Hamburg • Opened in May 2021: The Water Studio Hamburg
From the family business to the global group

Richard Grohe expanded the Hansgrohe brand into a world-famous premium label.
From 2001 to 2016, his brother Philippe achieved the international breakthrough for
the AXOR design brand. In cooperation with Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio and Pa-
tricia Urquiola, multiple award-winning collections resulted – today, they are modern
icons. In 2016, both brothers resigned from their leading functions. Since March 2012,
the Hansgrohe Group has been an unlisted European stock company. The main sha-
reholders are with 68 percent the Masco Corporation Group and with 32 percent the
Grohe family through the Syngroh Verwaltungs- und Beteiligungs-GmbH. Richard
Grohe is a member of the supervisory board. Since August 2018, Hans Jürgen Kalm-
bach as the chairman of the board promotes the structural change, “through efficient
processes, a targeted growth strategy and the further development of the company
philosophy”, Kalmbach states and adds: “As a globally operating group as well, we
have never forgotten our roots as a small business. Passion, innovation and striving
for perfection are our tradition.”
Exemplary responsibility, service and innovation

Innovations are intended to make life easier and more comfortable. Since the 1970s,
AXOR Edge: gefertigt mit Diamantwerkzeug • AXOR Edge: made with diamond tools the quality alliance of maximum functionality and shapely design has ensured the
Black Forest company decisive advantages in the global competition. Among these
are pioneering innovations such as the above-mentioned shower rail (1953), the Tribel
AXOR Signature Service: Kundenspezifische Modifizierung • AXOR Signature Service: specific modification shower (1974), the first hand shower with adjustable jet types and the Select techno-
logy (2011), which allows controlling the flow of water at the touch of a button. The
continuous optimization of the water flow is and will be the company’s driving force.
The responsibility for the valuable resources water and energy is today manifested in
technologies such as EcoSmart, AirPower or CoolStart. In 1992, the then worldwide
largest roof-integrated solar power plant in Europe was put into operation at the new
Offenburg production site. The quality promise “Made by Hansgrohe” is kept at all
the production sites. With the AXOR Signature Services, the design brand furthermore
offers numerous possibilities of individualization. Since May, Hansgrohe has been re-
presented with its first German The Water Studio on 300 square metres in the Ham-
burg Stilwerk. Architects and interior architects are here able to be inspired and ad-
Fotos: Hansgrohe SE / AXOR vised outside the headquarters. Just recently, Hansgrohe CEO Hans Jürgen Kalmbach
stated on the occasion of the anniversary: “The future needs a past, they say. We are
proud of our roots and our company history and look forward to continuing it with
our very own passion, flexibility and our committed employees.”

044 • AIT 10.2021