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Friesland Porzellan

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Coordinates: 53°23′52″N 8°04′03″E / 53.39769°N 8.06754°E / 53.39769; 8.06754
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Friesland Porzellan logo
Ceramics coffee pot and Melitta coffee filter 102
Porcelain mark of Friesland porcelain
Backside of soup bowl Ammerland, blue

Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH & Co. KG, based in Varel, Germany, in the Friesland district, is a 1953-founded German manufacturer of porcelain and earthenware, in particular coffee and table services for everyday and upscale needs.[1] In spring 2019, Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH was taken over by the Dutch company Royal Goedewaagen [nl]. The headquarters of the new corporate group RGW Friesland Porzellan Gruppe is still in Varel.

History

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On 13 August 1948, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics and Transport [de][2] granted the merchant August Heinrich Caspritz,[2] who came from Tolkemit,[2] permission to build and operate a factory for the production of electrical porcelain, stove tiles and tableware on the site of a former anti-aircraft equipment depot.[2][3] After bankruptcy in 1953, the factory was continued by Horst Bentz[4] under the name Porzellanfabrik Friesland as part of the Melitta group of companies. This was Melitta's response to the barely satisfied demand for coffee filters, as, after the Second World War, the former paper filter factory in Düren had been destroyed and the Concordia porcelain factory in Lesov was now located in the Czechoslovakia.

The factory site, which was 17 hectares in size at the time, was rented by Melitta employee Adolf Hagemann on 26 October 1953. The production of porcelain and paper in Rahling began in 1953. Melitta later acquired the company premises in 1957 for 325000 DM.[5]: 7 

By 1954, the Rahling plant's product range already included porcelain coffee filters, matching stoneware coffee pots, large filters for the catering trade and filter paper. Initially, up to 4 tons of filter paper were produced daily,[6] but later production was increased to 20 tons.[5]: 9  By the end of 1955, one million porcelain coffee filters had already been produced in Rahling.[5]: 33  The plant subsequently developed into an important production site for the Melitta company. The director of the Kunsthochschule Kassel, the designer Jupp Ernst [de], was a personal friend of Horst Bentz and had a great influence on the company's marketing from the mid-1950s.[5]: 9 

Ernst not only developed the characteristic Melitta word mark for Melitta, but also the green and red color concept for the packaging of the Melitta filter bags. In 1956, he introduced Melitta coffee table ceramics to complement the coffee filters and, from 1959, designed the Paris, Zürich and Ascona coffee services.[7]

The first stoneware coffee service was produced in 1956, followed by the first porcelain service in 1958. The Minden stoneware service, glazed in pastel colors and derived from the Form 0 jug designed by Jupp Ernst, was a commercial success.[5]: 68, 77  During this time, filters were produced, some of which were color-coordinated with the coffee pot, and sold as a Filka set (Filter & Kanne, filter & jug).[5]: 11  From 1957, the company also produced doll dishes, which were offered as miniature versions of Melitta coffee filters and tableware series in various colors under the name Melitta Kinder-Filter-Party, among others.[5]: 12  The company began expanding production at the end of the 1950s. On a newly installed casting line, up to 180,000 porcelain coffee filters could now be produced per month in three-shift operation.[5]: 9 

After filter paper production was moved to Minden in 1959, the company subsequently concentrated entirely on coffee service production. In the same year, the designer Lieselotte Kantner [de] joined the company. Over the next 20 years, she designed numerous award-winning tableware services,[8] including the Helsinki, Berlin, Copenhagen and Jeverland series.

1960s onwards

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In the 1960s, the company set up its own design department for porcelain tableware, which Lieselotte Kantner headed.[9] In addition to the designs by Jupp Ernst, Lieselotte Kantner and Karl Leutner, the appearance of the product range was shaped by the decorations of Claus Dombrowsky and Melanie Martens.[9]

In the first half of the 1960s, over 1200 people worked in Rahling,[1] the majority of them women.[5]: 9  The product range was expanded in 1966 to include the production of dinner services. In 1969, the 25 millionth coffee pot in the Minden series was produced.

As a result of market saturation and increasing competition from abroad, sales of ceramic products in the Federal Republic of Germany began to stagnate in the early 1970s.[10] The company took various rationalization and modernization measures to counteract this development. After the Melitta porcelain factory in Rehau was closed, the Rome, Verona and Madrid tableware series produced there continued to be produced in Rahling. In 1974, construction began on its own shipping and track hall for optimized shipping. After the rationalization measures were completed, around 700 people were still working in the factory in 1977.

In the mid-1970s, the tableware collection was fundamentally revised. The two series Jeverland (porcelain service) and Ammerland (Ceracron [de] service) were launched on the market. Both series were extremely successful and are still produced today. In 1978, the rustic, fireproof cookware made of Ceracron came onto the market and also became a long-term commercial success. In addition to the fireproof cookware, a cookbook was published in the early 1980s.[5]: 15 

At the same time, Melitta changed its corporate strategy and developed the factory in Rahling as an independent business area, with sales and shipping in-house (previously located in Minden). From 1979, the company operated as Porzellanfabrik Friesland Bentz KG. In a second stage, the brand name Friesland Porzellan was introduced in 1982.[11]

The new marketing strategy included placing products in popular women's magazines, including Brigitte, Bunte, Journal für die Frau, Freundin and Wohnidee [de]. Attractive celebrities were also used as advertising media, including Liselotte Pulver for the Lindau and Jeverland tableware services.[10][5]: 13–  In the mid-1970s, the company managed to win Luigi Colani as a designer. In 1974, he designed the black Ceracron Zen tea service [de] for the company.[12] It came onto the market in 1981. In 1984, the Life series by designer Lutz Rabold [de] was introduced. Its design is reminiscent of the HEWI [de] door handle that was popular at the time. The series is still produced today as Life Revival.

Takeovers

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In 1991, Melitta sold 70 percent of the company shares. At that time, the company only employed 300 people. The company was continued to be run by two senior employees via a management buyout.[5]: 9  In 1995, they also took over the remaining 30 percent of the company. However, losses in sales and company pensions from the Melitta era led to the company going bankrupt in 2004.[5]: 16  At that time, only 175 employees were still working in Varel.[4] A holding company with 85 employees was founded, but could not prevent the company from going bankrupt again in 2005.[13][14]

The shareholder and managing director Uwe Apken took over the traditional company and continued to run the company as Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH & Co. KG, initially with a partner, then alone.[4] In 2010, Friesland Versand GmbH was founded and an online shop was introduced.

Recent

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Entry to Friesland porcelain factory in Rahling (Varel)

Apken concentrated production on 17 series, including some with a long tradition, some of which are produced with new glazes and decorations.[15][16] The company is also breaking new ground, for example by combining Friesland Porcelain with other materials - such as walnut or maple wood - to create a tea service.[17]

A large part of the production is done by hand.[18] The Melitta filters are still part of the range, with an annual number of around 50000 units (as of 2014).[19] The company's unique selling point, however, is the use of the particularly durable Ceracron, a mass of earthenware and stoneware developed in the 1970s. Friesland Porcelain owns the brand name Ceracron.[20] Furthermore, Friesland is the only factory in Germany that produces porcelain and earthenware under one roof. Since 2014, the company has been using a 3D printer to produce equipment for plaster molds needed for casting porcelain.[16]

The coffee and dinner services are sold in large department stores such as KaDeWe and Galeria Kaufhof and in parallel online.

Numerous products are now in the inventory of domestic and foreign design museums, including the Berlin Museum of Decorative Arts,[21] the Grassi Museum, Leipzig,[22] and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London,[23] and have been shown at international design exhibitions, for example at the Museum für Gestaltung, Zürich.[24]

In July 2018, the management initially announced that it would cease operations in Rahling on 31 March 2019.[25] However, the closure was averted. At the beginning of 2019, the management announced that Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH & Co KG had merged with the Royal Goedewaagen Group, based in Nieuw-Buinen, Drenthe province, the Netherlands, to form the RGW Friesland Porzellan Group and that the site would remain one of four sites of the new company.[26]

In 2020, Friesland secured the rights to the "Walküre" ('Valkyrie') brand and several product series from the insolvent Bayreuth-based Walküre Porzellanfabrik. The aim was to strengthen their own position in the hotel and catering industry.[27] Some of the former Walküre products, including the Karlsbad and Bayreuth coffee makers, are since manufactured at the Varel factory using the porcelain mark "FPM".[28][29][27][30]

On the night of 29 June 2023 to 30 June 2023, five warehouses on the Friesland Porzellan factory premises were completely destroyed by a major fire.[31][32][33] Almost all employees were subsequently laid off.[34] Clean-up work began in mid-November 2023,[35] now pending its reconstruction.[36][37]

Trivia

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Original Utah Teapot in the Computer History Museum in Mountain View

A well-known product of the Friesland Porcelain Factory is the so-called Utah Teapot. In the 1970s, a white Melitta porcelain pot provided the model for one of the first three-dimensional computer animations, which was shown in various animated films such as The Simpsons and Toy Story as well as in the Windows 98 screen saver Pipes. The original pot has been on display in the Computer History Museum (USA) since 1990.[38] The company only became aware of this fact in 2017 through a customer's request and subsequently changed the name of the teapot from "household teapot" to "Utah Teapot".[39]

Products

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The company launched more than 75 different coffee and dining services with more than 760 decors and colors (as of 2007). The company's most famous designs include:

  • 1932: Coffee filter 102
  • 19??: Tea filter 401
  • 1956: Coffee pot Minden, also known as Form 1, originally in pastel colors
  • 1960: Service Zürich, designed by Jupp Ernst
  • 1961: Service Ascona, designed by Jupp Ernst
  • 1961: Service Salzburg, service Stockholm, designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1962: Service Hamburg, designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1963: Service Paris, designed by Jupp Ernst
  • 1963: Service Wien, designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1964: Service Oslo, designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1965: Service Kopenhagen, designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1968: Service Budapest, designed by Axel Wolfgang Werner
  • 1969: Service Bremen, design Heidelberg, designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1970: Service Berlin, service Helsinki, designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1973: Service Lindau, designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1975: Service Jeverland, designed by Lieselotte Kantner
  • 1976: Ceracron service Ammerland, designed by Anne Mentzel-Marx
  • 1978: Ceracron Katengeschirr, designed by Bodo Mans
  • 1979: Ceracron service Bambus, service Jadeborg, designed by Hanns Welling
  • 1981: Ceracron tea service Zen, designed by Luigi Colani (1974)
  • 1982: Service Schloss Gödens, designed by Hanns Welling
  • 1983: Service Life / Life Revival, designed by Lutz Rabold (1973)
  • 1987: Service Kröning, designed by Anne Mentzel-Marx
  • 1994: Service Ecco, designed by Ulrike [de] and Detlef Rahe [de]
  • 2002 & 2017: Service Horizont, designed by Volker Hundertmark
  • 2003: Service Enjoy, designed by Odo Klose
  • 2008: Tea service Chai, designed by Jannis Ellenberger

Awards

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Numerous of the company's designs have received design awards, including:[40][8][9]

  • Coffee service Stockholm, Die gute Industrieform (Hannover 1962)
  • Coffee service Hamburg, Die gute Industrieform (Hannover 1963)
  • Coffee service Wien, Die gute Industrieform (Hannover 1964)
  • Porcelain coffee service Hamburg, Die gute Industrieform (Hannover 1965)
  • Earthenware coffee service Kopenhagen, Die gute Industrieform (Hannover 1967)
  • Coffee and table service Berlin, decor Havel, IF Design Award 1972
  • Table service Stockholm, decor Värmland, IF Design Award 1973
  • Table service Kopenhagen, decor Boulevard, IF Design Award 1976
  • Coffee service Life (modern name Life Revival), Design Plus Award [de] 1984
  • Coffee and table service, Ecco, designed by Rahe & Rahe, IF Design Award 1995

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Danckert, Ludwig (2006). Handbuch des europäischen Porzellans (7 ed.). München / Berlin / London / New York: Prestel. pp. 719–. ISBN 978-3-7913-3281-9.
  2. ^ a b c d von der Decken, Alexander (1948-08-13). "[Grant for August Heinrich Caspritz of Tolkemit to build a factory for the production of electrical porcelain, stove tiles and tableware on the site of a former anti-aircraft equipment depot in Varel]" (Document) (in German). Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wirtschaft und Verkehr, Abteilung II/1 [de]. Nummer 2130. [1]
  3. ^ Müller-Düring, Friedhelm (2015). Jeverland aus Ton gebrannt: Von Melitta zu Friesland Porzellan – 60 Jahre Porzellanherstellung. Kulturland Oldenburg (in German). Vol. 2. Oldenburg, Germany. p. 26.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b c nwzonline: Gute Marke kommt aus Varel
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Sander, Antje; Siems, Maren; Wördemann, Wilfried; Meyer, Stefan; Janssen, Nina (2015). Siems, Maren (ed.). Melitta und Friesland Porzellan - 60 Jahre Keramikherstellung in Varel [Melitta and Friesland Porzellan - 60 years manufacturing of ceramics in Varel]. Schloss Museum Jever [de] (in German). Vol. Jever Heft 33 (1 ed.). Oldenburg, Germany: Isensee Verlag [de]. pp. 7, 9, 11, 12, 13f., 15, 16, 33, 68, 77. ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1. Begleitkatalog zur Ausstellung: Jeverland - in Ton gebrannt. (48 pages)
  6. ^ Heinz Schmidt-Bachem: Aus Papier: eine Kultur- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte der Papier verarbeitenden Industrie in Deutschland. De Gruyter 2011, p. 856.
  7. ^ Jansen, Nina (2015). ""Für Menschen, die mit Verstand genießen" – Design und Designer". In Siems, Maren (ed.). Melitta und Friesland Porzellan. 60 Jahre Keramikherstellung in Varel. Begleitpublikation zur Ausstellung Jeverland – in Ton gebrannt. Kataloge und Schriften des Schlossmuseums Jever. Oldenburg, Germany: Isensee. pp. 41–43. ISBN 978-3-7308-1177-1.
  8. ^ a b "Word design guide – Melitta". Retrieved 2017-06-22.
  9. ^ a b c "Verzeichnis der Firmenmitglieder und befreundeter Betriebe des Deutschen Werkbundes" (PDF). Deutscher Werkbund e. V. 1971. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
  10. ^ a b Gesamtverband Werbeagenturen, ed. (1989). "Tafelgeschirre von Friesland: Eine neue Marke und neue Programme". Effizienz in der Werbung: 26 Fallbeispiele wirksamer Werbung. Moisburg, Germany: Siegmund Verlag. pp. 103–109. ISBN 978-3-923251-35-3.
  11. ^ Dahlhoff, Dieter (1989). Effizienz in der Werbung. Vol. 1985/1984, 1985/1986. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Gesamtverband Werbeagenturen GWA. pp. 103–109. ISBN 3-923251-35-1.
  12. ^ Bayerischer Rundfunk (2011-06-12). Teeservice: Elegante Kurven. Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  13. ^ "Friesland-Porzellan wieder in Insolvenz - Hubertus Hinse hatte die Rettung versucht. In Varel spricht man von einem "harten Schlag" für die Region." Varel, 2005-05-13. NWZ Online. https://www.nwzonline.de/wirtschaft/seghorn-insolvenz-porzellan-hoffnung-zerschlagen_a_6,1,3985213805.html
  14. ^ Stange, Peter. "Porzellan: Hoffnung zerschlagen - Es wurde alles getan; es ging auch voran, sagt der Geschäftsführer. Aber es reichte nicht." Seghorn, 2005-05-13, NWZ Online. https://www.nwzonline.de/wirtschaft/seghorn-insolvenz-porzellan-hoffnung-zerschlagen_a_6,1,3985213805.html
  15. ^ Stange, Peter (2005-08-13). "Porzellan-Fabrik: Produktion läuft wieder an". NWZonline. Nordwest-Zeitung. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
  16. ^ a b Haß, Chelsy (2017-06-29). "Zerbrechliches Kleinod". Wirtschaft. Nordwestzeitung. No. 23. Oldenburg, Germany. pp. 6–.
  17. ^ "Teeservice Chai, von ellenberger für Friesland Porzellan" (in German). Retrieved 2017-06-26.
  18. ^ "Geschirr von Friesland Porzellan wird wieder populär – WELT". Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  19. ^ "NWZ: Manche Scherben bringen Glück". October 2014. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
  20. ^ "DPMAregister | Marken – Registerauskunft" (in German). Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  21. ^ Mundt, Barbara; Netzer, Susanne; Hettler, Ines (1993). Interieur + Design in Deutschland, 1945–1960. Bestandskatalog des Kunstgewerbemuseums Berlin. Vol. 19. Berlin, Germany: Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. p. 201. ISBN 978-3-496-01103-3.
  22. ^ "Pressefotos Sonderausstellung "Blumen Flowers Fleurs"" (PDF). Grassi-Museum. 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  23. ^ "Life | Rabold, Lutz | V&A Collections". Objektdatenbank. Victoria and Albert Museum. 1983. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  24. ^ Schwyzer, Doris (1983). Design-Formgebung für jedermann: Typen und Prototypen. Wegleitungen des Kunstgewerbemuseums Zürich. Vol. 345. Zürich, Switzerland: Alois Martin Müller, Kunstgewerbemuseum der Stadt Zürich. pp. 105, 119.
  25. ^ Friesland Porzellan gibt auf, accessed 2018-07-18.
  26. ^ Friesland Porzellan macht verstärkt weiter!, accessed 2019-03-01.
  27. ^ a b Schreibelmayer, Stefan (2020-02-09). Written at Bayreuth & Varel, Germany. "Rechte verkauft - Porzellanfabrik: Nur der Name Walküre bleibt" [Rights sold - Porcelain manufacturer: Only the name Walküre remains]. News. Nordbayerischer Kurier [de] (in German). Bayreuth, Germany: Nordbayerischer Kurier Zeitungsverlag GmbH. Archived from the original on 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  28. ^ "Walküre Germany / FPM - Katalog" [Walküre Germany / FPM - Catalog] (in German). Varel, Germany: Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH & Co. KG. 2020-07-22. Archived from the original on 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-01-06. (48 pages)
  29. ^ "Walküre Germany / FPM - Katalog" [Walküre Germany / FPM - Catalog] (PDF) (in German). Varel, Germany: Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH & Co. KG. 2021-12-01. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-12-28. Retrieved 2023-12-28. [2] (78 pages)
  30. ^ "Walküre Porzellan" [Walküre porcelain] (in German). Varel, Germany: Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH & Co. KG. 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  31. ^ Varel: Brand in Porzellanfabrik - fünf Lagerhallen zerstört. At: ndr.de, 2023-06-30.
  32. ^ Der Landesdienst Niedersachsen/Bremen (dpa/lni) (2023-06-30). "Großbrand zerstört Porzellanfabrik in Varel" [Large fire destroys porcelain factory in Varel]. Brände [Fires]. Deutsche Presse-Agentur (in German). Varel, Germany. Archived from the original on 2023-12-25. Retrieved 2023-12-25 – via Süddeutsche Zeitung.
  33. ^ Written at Varel, Germany. "Traditionsbetrieb in Friesland in Flammen: Riesiger Fabrikkomplex steht lichterloh in Flammen - Unternehmen gehörte früher zur Melitta-Gruppe und produziert bis heute das bekannte Friesland Porzellan - etliche Produktion- und Lagerhallen in Vollbrand". NonstopNews - Die Nachrichtenagentur fürs Fernsehen (in German). Delmenhorst, Germany: Borgmeier Media Gruppe GmbH. 2023-06-29. News-Nr.: 42161. Archived from the original on 2024-02-11. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  34. ^ Börjes-Meinardus, Traute (2023-07-17). "Brandursache noch unklar: So geht es bei der Porzellanfabrik Friesland nach dem Feuer weiter". NWZ Online. Nordwest Zeitung. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  35. ^ Börjes-Meinardus, Traute (2023-11-16). "Aufräumen nach dem Großbrand - So geht es in der Friesland Porzellanfabrik weiter" [Cleaning up after the fire - further proceedings at the Friesland porcelain manufacturer]. Nordwesten > Friesland. NWZ Online [de] (in German). Varel, Germany: Nordwest-Zeitung Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. Archived from the original on 2023-12-28. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  36. ^ "Sie möchten Einzelteile unserer Serien nachkaufen?". Friesland Porzellan > Produkte > Information (in German). Varel, Germany: Friesland Porzellanfabrik GmbH Co. KG. 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-12-30. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  37. ^ Börjes-Meinardus, Traute (2024-01-30). "Starker Auftritt halbes Jahr nach Großbrand - Friesland Porzellan präsentiert sich auf internationaler Messe". Nordwesten > Friesland. NWZ Online [de] (in German). Varel, Germany: Nordwest-Zeitung Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. Archived from the original on 2024-02-11. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  38. ^ Nordwest-Zeitung (2017-06-03). "Computeranimation: Diese Teekanne ist ein Filmstar". NWZonline. Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  39. ^ "Radiobeitrag zum "Utah Teapot" im Kasten - Friesland Porzellan". Friesland Porzellan (in German). 2018-04-26. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  40. ^ "iF World Design Guide". Retrieved 2017-06-21.

Further reading

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53°23′52″N 8°04′03″E / 53.39769°N 8.06754°E / 53.39769; 8.06754

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