Caroma

Caroma is an Australian bathroom-products brand established in 1941 by Hungarian-born inventor and manufacturer Charles Rothauser. The business began with manufacturing in Adelaide and developed into a designer, marketer and distributor of bathroom products, with particular recognition for water-saving toilet technology. Caroma became closely associated with the two-button dual-flush toilet, introduced in 1982, an innovation that allowed users to select different flush volumes for liquid and solid waste. The concept became influential in water-conservation efforts and helped shape the brand’s long-term market identity. The brand’s portfolio covers bathroom and sanitaryware products such as toilet suites, cisterns, basins, baths, urinals, tapware and related fixtures. Caroma has also participated in broader bathroom, kitchen and laundry product operations through the Caroma Dorf group, whose associated brands have included Fowler, Dorf, Clark, Epure, Radiant, Irwell, Stylus and Dux Hot Water. These brands extend the group’s presence beyond toilets and basins into kitchen sinks, tapware, baths, spas, laundry products and hot-water equipment. Caroma’s product positioning combines Australian design, practical bathroom engineering and resource efficiency. Its notable water-efficiency milestones include the development of 6/3-litre and later 4.5/3-litre dual-flush systems, Smartflush technology, and products that received high ratings under Australia’s Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme. The brand has also received Australian design and sustainable-design awards for products including the Smartflush toilet range, the H2Zero Cube urinal and the Invisi Series II toilet suite. Caroma is a subsidiary of GWA Group and distributes directly in Australia. In some overseas markets it uses independent distributors, including Sustainable Solutions International in North America and Sanlamere in the United Kingdom. The company formerly manufactured in Australia, operating factories including sites in Norwood, Adelaide, and Wetherill Park, Sydney. It announced the end of Australian manufacturing in 2014; the Sydney factory closed that year and the Norwood factory closed in February 2017. Caroma subsequently sourced products from third-party manufacturers overseas, including suppliers in Malaysia, China and Europe. The brand therefore remains active as a bathroom-products design, sourcing and distribution business rather than as an Australian factory manufacturer.

Caroma was established in 1941 by Charles Rothauser, a Hungarian-born Australian manufacturer and inventor. Its early operations were based at Norwood, an inner-eastern suburb of Adelaide, where the company manufactured bathroom products for the Australian market. The business developed within a domestic plumbing and sanitaryware industry in which product durability, ease of installation and compliance with local water and building requirements were central commercial concerns. The brand’s defining historical contribution was its work on water-saving flushing systems. In 1982, Caroma introduced what is widely described as the world’s first two-button dual-flush toilet system. Rather than using one fixed flush volume, the system gave users a choice between a lower-volume flush for liquid waste and a higher-volume flush for solid waste. This design made water conservation part of an everyday bathroom action and became an important reference point in the development of efficient toilet technology. Caroma continued developing lower-volume sanitaryware. Its innovation record includes 6/3-litre dual-flush cisterns and the later 4.5/3-litre dual-flush configuration associated with Smartflush technology. The company also achieved high ratings under Australia’s Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards system, including a five-star rating for toilet suites and a six-star rating for urinals. These developments supported the brand’s identity as a practical environmental-technology company rather than simply a conventional bathroom-fixtures supplier. Over time, the Caroma business became connected with a broader group of bathroom, kitchen and laundry brands known as Caroma Dorf. The group’s portfolio included Fowler toilets and basins; Dorf bathroom, kitchen and laundry products; Clark kitchen sinks; Epure premium sinks; Radiant kitchen and laundry products; Irwell tapware; Stylus baths, spas and bathroom fixtures; and Dux Hot Water. This broader structure allowed the business to serve multiple parts of residential and commercial plumbing projects while retaining Caroma as a principal bathroom brand. Caroma’s manufacturing model changed substantially in the 2010s. On 8 October 2014, the company announced its intention to end manufacturing in Australia. Its Wetherill Park factory in Sydney closed in 2014, followed by the closure of the Norwood factory on 24 February 2017. The end of domestic factory production marked a shift from vertically integrated Australian manufacturing toward brand management, product design, sourcing and distribution. Manufacturing thereafter took place through overseas third-party suppliers, including operations in Malaysia, China and Europe. The brand is a subsidiary of GWA Group. It distributes directly within Australia and uses distributors in selected overseas markets, including Sustainable Solutions International in North America and Sanlamere in the United Kingdom. Its product history has been reinforced by design recognition, including Australian awards for the Smartflush Toilet Suite Range, the H2Zero Cube Urinal and the Invisi Series II Toilet Suite. Caroma’s present identity therefore rests on a combination of Australian heritage, water-efficient bathroom engineering, broad sanitaryware distribution and participation in the wider GWA Group brand portfolio.

• 2017

  Norwood factory closes

  [1]Caromaen.wikipedia.org

  The Norwood factory closes on 24 February, completing Caroma’s withdrawal from direct Australian manufacturing.

• 2014

  Australian manufacturing wind-down begins

  [1]Caromaen.wikipedia.org

  Caroma announces its intention to close its Australian manufacturing operations, and the Wetherill Park factory closes during the year.

• 2009

  Invisi Series II receives Australian design recognition

  [1]Caromaen.wikipedia.org

  The Caroma Invisi Series II Toilet Suite receives an Australian Design Award for excellence in Australian design in the housing and building category.

• 2007

  H2Zero Cube Urinal receives sustainable-design recognition

  [1]Caromaen.wikipedia.org

  The Caroma H2Zero Cube Urinal receives an Australian Design Award for excellence in sustainable design.

• 2005

  Smartflush range receives Australian design recognition

  [1]Caromaen.wikipedia.org

  The Smartflush Toilet Suite Range receives an Australian Design Award for excellence in the housing and building category.

• 1982

  Two-button dual flush is introduced

  [1]Caromaen.wikipedia.org

  Caroma introduces a two-button dual-flush toilet system, allowing users to select different flush volumes.

• 1941

  Caroma is established in Adelaide

  [1]Caromaen.wikipedia.org

  Charles Rothauser establishes the company, with manufacturing operations based at Norwood in Adelaide.

Australian-designed bathroom products positioned around water efficiency, functional innovation, sustainability and contemporary bathroom design.

• Toilets and cisterns · 1982

  Dual-flush toilet systems

  Caroma’s signature product technology is the two-button dual-flush system introduced in 1982. The design provides separate lower- and higher-volume flush choices, helping reduce unnecessary water use. Later 6/3-litre and 4.5/3-litre systems extended the same conservation principle into newer toilet-suite configurations.

• Toilet suites

  Smartflush Toilet Suite Range

  Smartflush is a water-efficient toilet-suite range associated with Caroma’s development of lower-volume dual-flush technology. The range helped establish the brand’s environmental positioning and received an Australian Design Award for excellence in the housing and building category in 2005.

• Concealed-cistern toilets

  Invisi Series II Toilet Suite

  The Invisi Series II is a concealed-cistern toilet-suite line designed to integrate the cistern into the wall or a concealed installation space. Its design recognition reflects Caroma’s combination of bathroom aesthetics, installation flexibility and water-efficient flushing technology.

• Urinals

  H2Zero Cube Urinal

  The H2Zero Cube Urinal is a water-efficiency-focused urinal product. It received an Australian Design Award for excellence in sustainable design in 2007 and forms part of Caroma’s broader effort to reduce water use in commercial and public bathroom applications.

• Bathroom sanitaryware

  Basins and bathroom fixtures

  Caroma’s wider bathroom range includes basins and associated fixtures designed to coordinate with its toilet, bath and tapware offerings. These products support complete bathroom specifications for residential, commercial and renovation projects.

• Bathroom fixtures

  Baths, spas and tapware

  The Caroma Dorf group has offered baths, spas and other bathroom fixtures through brands including Stylus, as well as tapware through Irwell and related product lines. This broadens the group’s role from a toilet specialist to a multi-category bathroom supplier.

• 2014

  Exit from Australian manufacturingStrategy

  Background

  Caroma operated Australian factories in Adelaide and Sydney but announced that it would end domestic manufacturing operations.

  Action taken

  The company closed the Wetherill Park factory in 2014 and subsequently closed the Norwood factory in February 2017, moving to overseas third-party manufacturing.

  Aftermath

  Caroma continued as a bathroom-products design, sourcing and distribution brand, with manufacturing taking place through suppliers in Malaysia, China and Europe.

  Source

• 1982

  Launch of the two-button dual-flush systemProduct launch

  Background

  Water conservation was becoming an important consideration in sanitaryware design and household plumbing.

  Action taken

  Caroma introduced a toilet system with separate buttons for different flush volumes.

  Aftermath

  The technology became a defining part of Caroma’s brand identity and influenced the wider adoption of dual-flush toilets.

  Source

1. 1Caromaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Caroma official websitecaroma.com.au