All under one roof Tondach

all undEr onE rooF

Austrian Tondach is a leading manufacturer of long-life ceramic roof tiles and roof systems and has been present in Hungary for over 25 years. Since 2012 the world’s largest brick producer, Wienerberg, has been involved in a joint corporation with the Tondach brand, which led to the creation of valuable synergies. Edina Beale reports.

IN 1992 the Austrian Tondach Gleinstatten AG expanded into Hungary, and began a series of acquisitions to expand its operations in Europe. First the group acquired shares in the largest Hungarian roof tile manufacturer, later purchasing two more tile factories in Hungary. To increase the efficiency of these dynamically developing operations, Tondach decided to fuse the three companies and established Tondach Hungary in 2003.

Giant capacities

Following several successful years, in 2009 Tondach built a new production facility in Békéscsaba, south-east Hungary from a €50 million investment. The new factory was completed in a record one year and provides a space of 25,000m2 to house the cutting-edge production technology. The output capacity of this state-of-the-art facility reaches nearly 30 million roof and 2.5 million profile tiles a year. This is enough to cover about 3 million square metres – i.e. the roofs of 15,000 houses. The 235 metre-long kiln is the largest of its kind in the world.

Tondach is seriously committed to providing responsible services and the best solutions for their partners at their two sites in Békéscsaba and Csorna where nearly 50 million roof tiles are made every year. The Hungarian subsidiary employs around 300 staff – in fact, nearly 2 million people live under a Tondach roof in Hungary, where the company is a clear market leader. While providing a fast and efficient service for the domestic market, half of the total production is distributed to foreign markets including Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

unique roof solutions

Due to the wide selection of solutions it offers in terms of both shape and colour, Tondach Hungary offers unique and creative roof solutions for builders: a total of 1392 different variations can be made from its products. This year’s new collection of Tondach roof tiles

includes the Natur line, Color line, Protect line and Exclusive line, while customers are able to choose ceramic roof tiles with Fusion Color and Fusion Protect surface treatment options in the popular brown, grey or black colours.

The aim of this continuous product development is to serve all market requirements at the highest level, while also staying abreast of current trends and complying with construction laws. Tondach’s principle is that there is absolutely no barrier to the creativity and imagination of the designer and builder when it comes to new roof or roof repair.

New integration

It was at the end of 2012 that the management of Tondach Hungary Zrt and directors of Wienerberger Téglaipari Zrt announced that Wienerberger AG would be purchasing 50 per cent of Tondach Gleinstatten AG. The aim of this cooperation was to widen the ceramic product choice for builders, from the brickwork to the ceramic roof tiles. Wienerberger is the largest producer of bricks in the world and holds the leading position in the clay roof tiles market in Europe, with 198 production sites in 30 countries. The company is also No. 1 in the production of house front/facade bricks in central and eastern Europe.

Top position

While operating in Hungary, Wienerberger has achieved a market leading position in the market for ceramic building materials. The company established its Hungarian subsidiary in 1990 with an aim of introducing its hi-tech solutions and products in the central eastern European region by manufacturing at local sites. Owing to its dynamic market policy and intensive investment activities, the Hungarian subsidiary has achieved a top position in the Hungarian construction materials market. Its expertise has been proven by the manufacture and sale of marketable products, but it also leads the way when it comes to sustainable innovation in brick production; its energy efficient products include the Smartbricks, Porotherm Thermo and Klima bricks.

The new cooperation has allowed the two firms to bring all ceramic construction materials together: from the cellar bricks, walls, bearers and slabs to façade solutions and ceramic roof systems. Ceramic construction materials are long lasting products that can survive for thousands of years but are still able to recreate and renew themselves. Tondach’s products are manufactured only from natural materials, and thanks to their environmentally friendly characteristics they provide healthy living conditions. Wienerberg’s Porotherm Smart bricks are the most innovative and most energy efficient bricks, which are 40–60 per cent better at insulating than traditional bricks.

Winning concept

This is clearly a winning concept for the two ceramic construction material producers in order to satisfy more customers and therefore acquire better market positions. By using the newly-created synergies, the firms are able to put customers first and offer healthy, energy saving and economic ceramic construction solutions. The Tondach brand is as valuable as Wienerberger’s Protoherm brand name, both of which guarantee the highest quality and customer satisfaction levels.