A milestone in history

The first ceramic washbasins, carefully protected with straw, didn’t roll off the production line in Laufen until 1925, more than three decades after the company was founded in 1892, but they marked the beginning of its success story.

When people think of the LAUFEN brand, they instantly picture beautiful bathrooms. However, our original roots lie in the manufacture of bricks and tiles. The local clay deposits, hydroelectric power, access to the railway, and a long-standing tradition of working with clay provided the perfect starting point for brick and tile production in 1892.

100 years ago, on 26 November 1925 to be exact, the company LAUFEN was established on the initiative of Guido Gerster, then Director and Board Member of the Tonwarenfabrik Laufen. In the early years, the focus was mainly on producing utility basins. LAUFEN’s fireclay quickly gained a reputation in the Swiss market for its exceptional functionality and quality. New kilns were put into operation and production of washbasins began in 1928, followed shortly after by the production of toilets.

In the 1990s, the group restructured to focus on its core activity - sanitary ceramics. In 1999, Roca Group acquired Keramik Holding AG. This merger created the world’s second-largest supplier of sanitary products.

LAUFEN has always been a true ceramic specialist, passing its knowledge down from generation to generation. One groundbreaking example came in 2013 with the launch of Saphirkeramik - a global innovation that set a new trend in bathroom design. And in November 2023, LAUFEN commissioned the world’s first electric tunnel kiln at its Austrian plant in Gmunden, enabling the firing of sanitary ceramics with zero CO₂ emissions.

Today, LAUFEN is a leading manufacturer, both in Switzerland and internationally, of complete bathroom collections and fittings for kitchens and public spaces.

To the complete history