History Slider
1822
Departure Into The Coal And Steel Era
Departure Into The Coal And Steel Era
In 1822, Friedrich Ludwig Röchling established an international trading network with his coal business, which became the basis for the family's industrial activities.
His heirs Theodor, Ernst, Carl and Fritz Röchling realign the company with industrial steel production by purchasing the Völklinger Hütte. After the death of his brothers, Carl takes over sole responsibility and ensures success and growth with far-sighted decisions.
1921
Materials Expertise Expanded To Include Plastics
Materials Expertise Expanded To Include Plastics
Around 100 years after the founding of the company, which has grown considerably in the meantime, the family is making a strategic investment in a patented, new wood-based plastic. In 1921, Röchlings acquired Holzveredelung GmbH, Berlin, the legal predecessor of today's Röchling Engineering Plastics SE & Co. KG in Haren, with the patent for Lignostone, a completely new material at the time. Lignostone is still used today for large-volume insulation components in oil-filled high-voltage transformers, for example. A successful sustainable Röchling plastic product made from renewable raw materials.
1978
Reorientation And Diversification
Reorientation And Diversification
The sale of Völklinger Hütte in 1978 marked the exit from the steel industry and ushered in a phase of reorientation and expansive diversification which had already begun with the acquisition of Rheinmetall AG in 1955. In the course of this, investments are also made in new markets of the plastics industry, especially the automotive industry. In 1994, the Röchling ironworks in Völklingen was declared the world's first "industrial" world heritage site by UNESCO.
2006
Focus on Plastics Competence
Focus on Plastics Competence
The sale of all shareholdings not related to plastics marks the transition to a pure plastics specialist. This will be successfully completed in 2006. In 2008, the existing focus on industrial high-performance and automotive plastics will be strategically expanded to include medical technology plastics through the acquisition of a company focused purely on medical technology.
Today
Solution Provider for Innovative Plastics
Solution Provider for Innovative Plastics
With now more than three divisions - Industrial, Automotive and, since 2016, Medical - the Röchling Group operates worldwide in the field of highly specialized high-performance plastic materials. As an innovative solutions provider, Röchling serves its customers at 90 locations in 25 countries: in Europe, North, Central and South America, and Asia.
