Combining tradition with innovation

Our history at a glance

the mining town of Johanngeorgenstadt was founded in 1654 with the permission of the Saxon Elector Johann Georg I. The ironworks, on the other hand, was founded as early as 1651 by the citizens of the imperial mining town of Platten am Breitenbach.

The speciality of this factory was forgeable cast iron. It mainly produced Castings for machines, tools of all kinds, washing and wringing machines, embroidery and knitting machines, agricultural equipment, castings for wagon and carriage construction and, as a speciality, officially certified military horseshoes.

Towards the end of the 19th century, a foundry with a metalworking and enamelling shop was built and put into operation in 1896. In addition to enamelled cast-iron wall fountains, spouts, water pans and wash kettles, the company mainly produced cast-iron and sheet metal round ovens in simple nickel-plated and enamelled versions as well as cast-iron cookers, tiled stove inserts, fire doors and grate beams.

in 1935, Ernst Schleitzer took over the ironworks and founded a limited partnership with other partners. After the beginning of the Second World War, the company switched to armaments production.

After the war, production of traditional room heaters and household items began again with great difficulty.

With the founding of the GDR and the acquisition of a 50% state share in the company in 1958, as well as the nationalisation of the company in 1972, "socialist production conditions" were also introduced in the ironworks Wittigsthal "socialist production conditions" were also introduced at the ironworks. The extremely high demand for kitchen cookers and heating stoves increased production figures from year to year. Since 1968, the company's production profile has been dominated by coal-fired bath ovens. The ironworks Wittigsthal established itself as the leading manufacturer of enamelled bath ovens in the former Eastern Bloc, producing up to 60,000 units per year.

With the reunification of Germany in 1990, the ironworks also stood Wittigsthal faced the ruins of forty years of mismanagement. The company was not competitive and economic collapse seemed inevitable. Thanks to the great and joint efforts of the management and the entire workforce, it was possible to restore the traditional ironworks Wittigsthal production and with good prospects for the future.

With improvements to the bath furnace itself, chrome-plated fittings, high-quality raw materials, new packaging and, above all, a customer-focused sales organisation, the company had managed to steer a new product and company profile from its main product. On 18 June 1991, the ironworkers were able to take the 4 millionth bath heater off the production line. On 19 November 1991, a new, high-performance reverse enamelling furnace of the highest technological standard was put into operation.

Since the privatisation in 1992 by the Swabian entrepreneur Winfried Friedrich, the existing sheet metal processing, painting and enamelling division has been continuously expanded and modernised. In the following years, Winfried Friedrich completely restructured the company and turned it into a leading Wittigsthal into a leading supplier in the field of measuring stations. With the development of the UP-fix®, the company Wittigsthal quickly became a leading manufacturer in the field of water meter modules.

Since January 2008, Eisenwerk Wittigsthal GmbH has new owners. The previous owner Winfried Friedrich handed over the helm to a younger generation. Since then, the new shareholders Jochen Browa and his wife Heike Browa-Forner have steered the fortunes of the company and successfully developed it further. In addition to the consistent continuation of the previous successful strategies in the heating and sanitary product area, Eisenwerk Wittigsthal GmbH has been expanded with new, innovative product fields in special machinery and plant engineering. New developments in the field of fresh water stations and controlled domestic ventilation help to expand the range of heating and sanitary products. With the entry into automotive parts production, the company is also benefiting from this rapidly growing market.

in 2010, a competitor in the heating technology sector was acquired and successfully integrated into production at the Johanngeorgenstadt site. A positive culture of appreciation towards both customers and employees has created a sustainable basis that represents a unique selling point.

This will ensure a secure future for employees and the site.

Our path into the future