Clouth Gummiwerke
Former German rubber-goods manufacturer whose Cologne works produced industrial rubber products, conveyor belts, cables, technical textiles and specialized equipment.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Clouth Gummiwerke was a German rubber-goods manufacturer established by Cologne entrepreneur Franz Clouth. Its origins date to 1862, when Clouth founded the Rheinische Gummiwarenfabrik; the business moved to a larger site in Cologne-Nippes in 1868 and became associated with one of the city’s most important industrial complexes. The company began with relatively simple rubber products, including milk-bottle teats and suspenders, before expanding into technically demanding industrial goods such as roller coverings, conveyor belts and drive belts. During the late nineteenth century, Clouth diversified well beyond ordinary rubber articles. It produced diving equipment and became a supplier to the Imperial German Navy. Its cable activities included gutta-percha, fiber-insulated telegraph cables and telephone cables. In 1898, the cable division was separated into Land- und Seekabelwerke AG, a business that subsequently came under the ownership of Felten & Guilleaume. Clouth also supplied rubberized silk and balloon materials and was involved in the development of envelopes and components for early airships, including the LZ1 project. The company manufactured bicycle and automobile tires, rubberized fabrics, protective clothing, medical articles, inflatable boats, tents, gloves and products for defense-related applications. By the early twentieth century, Clouth had become a major employer in Cologne-Nippes. Its strategic direction increasingly centered on industrial molded rubber goods, rubber-and-material composites and conveyor technology. The family business became a stock corporation in 1920, and Felten & Guilleaume acquired the entire share capital in 1925. After the Second World War, the plant resumed production quickly because conveyor belts were urgently needed by mines in the Aachen and Rhenish lignite regions. Employment expanded significantly during the postwar economic boom, reaching more than 2,200 workers in the early 1960s. Clouth’s later industrial identity was particularly associated with conveyor belts, steel-cord belts, rubber rollers, vibration control and railway applications. Its patented elastic rail bearing, commonly known as the Cologne Egg, reduced structure-borne noise and was adopted extensively in Cologne and elsewhere. The company also developed ISAD technology intended to integrate or replace several conventional automotive starting and electrical components, leading to the creation of ISAD-Systems GmbH in 1997. The business experienced a serious corporate crisis in the late 1980s following product-liability claims and substantial losses. Continental AG, already connected to Clouth through ownership interests in Felten & Guilleaume and as a customer for some products, increased its stake to 98.29 percent in 1990. Clouth’s rubberized-fabric operations ended in 1992, and the company was ultimately merged retroactively into Continental AG effective January 1, 1997. Conveyor-belt activities were transferred to other ContiTech structures, while certain rubber-roller operations moved through Clouth Gummiwalzen GmbH & Co. KG to the C. Hilzinger-Thum Group. Production at the historic Cologne site continued in reduced form, with conveyor belts manufactured there until December 16, 2005. The remaining production at the site ended in December 2009, and the factory buildings were gradually demolished through 2013. The former industrial property was subsequently redeveloped as the Clouth Quarter, a mixed residential and commercial district that preserves selected listed structures and the site’s industrial name. Although Clouth Gummiwerke no longer operates as an independent company, parts of its product heritage and technical know-how continued through ContiTech and successor specialist manufacturers.
History
Franz Clouth founded the business in Cologne on September 10, 1862, under the name Rheinische Gummiwarenfabrik. Early records describe a commission business dealing in rubber goods for technical purposes. As demand increased, the enterprise moved from Sternengasse to a larger site in Cologne-Nippes in 1868. Carl Vorberg became an authorized signatory and later a co-owner, and the firm adopted a name incorporating both Franz Clouth and the Rheinische Gummiwaarenfabrik designation. The initial product range consisted of household rubber articles, but the company rapidly moved into industrial applications. By 1870 it employed about 70 people. It added roller coverings, conveyor belts and drive belts, and introduced steam-powered industrial production. Diving equipment became an important specialized line, and the company was reportedly the Imperial Navy’s sole supplier of such equipment by 1887. During the 1890s, Clouth developed cable activities involving gutta-percha, fiber-insulated telegraph cables and telephone cables. Those operations grew into a large cable department and were separated in 1898 as Land- und Seekabelwerke AG. The new company participated in major cable projects, including the first submarine telegraph connection between Emden and New York, before becoming fully owned by Felten & Guilleaume. The remaining Clouth business continued to diversify. It manufactured tires, rubberized fabrics, protective garments, gloves, inflatable boats, tents, medical goods and products for defense-related uses. The company supplied rubberized silk and other materials for early aviation and airship construction, including the LZ1 project. It also built its own small airship, Clouth I, which entered service in 1908. Bicycle-tire production contributed to Cologne’s cycling culture, and the company supported the development of local cycling infrastructure. After Franz Clouth’s death, his son Max assumed management in 1910. The business became a stock corporation in 1920 with the name Rheinische Gummiwarenfabrik AG Franz Clouth. Felten & Guilleaume acquired the whole share capital in 1925, followed by significant factory expansion. The plant became a major industrial employer in Cologne-Nippes and increasingly focused on industrial molded articles, rubber composites and conveyor systems. The Second World War caused severe physical destruction. Because the plant was heavily involved in war production from 1939, it became a target for air raids. Approximately 70 percent of the site was destroyed in March 1942, and further attacks left around 90 percent destroyed by October 1944. U.S. forces occupied the site in March 1945, but production restarted in October of that year. Conveyor belts were urgently required by the Aachen coalfield and the Rhenish lignite industry, helping the company resume operations quickly. The postwar period brought major expansion. Steel-cord belt production began in the mid-1950s, with large-scale manufacture following in 1957. Employment grew from approximately 700 workers in 1951 to more than 2,200 in the early 1960s. In 1966, Continental acquired half of Felten & Guilleaume’s share capital, creating an indirect connection between Continental and Clouth. From 1982, Clouth Gummiwerke AG was associated with Philips Kommunikations Industrie and Continental, each holding half of the relevant share capital. The Cologne property expanded to approximately 146,000 square meters, and a high-capacity steel-cord belt line was built in the late 1980s. The company entered a serious crisis from 1987, largely connected with product-liability claims involving defective products. Losses reached their low point in 1989. Continental then increased its stake to 98.29 percent in 1990 after receiving regulatory approval. Rubberized-fabric production ceased in 1992. Although the immediate crisis was considered overcome, the company was reorganized through its merger into Continental AG, effective retroactively from January 1, 1997. Conveyor-system activities moved to Transportbandsysteme GmbH, while other rubber-roller operations followed a separate route into the ContiTech group and later to the C. Hilzinger-Thum Group. Clouth’s technical legacy included the Cologne Egg, an elastic rail bearing patented in 1978 by company employee Hans Braitsch. The device reduced structure-borne noise and was installed on Cologne’s light-rail network and in other locations worldwide. Another late technology initiative was ISAD, an automotive system intended to combine functions otherwise performed by a starter motor, flywheel and alternator; it led to the establishment of ISAD-Systems GmbH in 1997. Conveyor-belt production continued at Cologne until December 16, 2005. The remaining production was later shut down, with December 2009 marking the end of manufacturing at the site. Demolition continued until 2013. Cologne subsequently redeveloped the approximately 14.5-hectare property as the Clouth Quarter, a residential and commercial district that retained the historic name and incorporated protected industrial buildings. The independent company disappeared, but elements of its products, patents and expertise survived through Continental’s ContiTech operations and specialist successor businesses.
- 2013
Factory demolition completed
[1]Demolition of the former factory buildings was completed as the site transitioned toward redevelopment.
- 2009
Remaining production closes
[1]The last remaining manufacturing activity at the historic site was shut down.
- 2005
Conveyor-belt production ends at Cologne
[1]The Cologne site manufactured its last conveyor belts on December 16.
- 1997
Merger into Continental AG
[1]Clouth Gummiwerke AG was merged into Continental AG and its activities were reorganized within ContiTech.
- 1990
Continental becomes near-total owner
[1]Continental AG increased its holding to 98.29 percent during Clouth’s corporate restructuring.
- 1978
Cologne Egg rail bearing patented
[1]Hans Braitsch filed a patent for the elastic rail bearing later known as the Cologne Egg.
- 1957
Large-scale steel-cord belt production begins
[1]Clouth moved from initial steel-cord belt production into large-scale manufacture.
- 1945
Postwar production resumes
[1]After wartime destruction and the occupation of the site, production restarted in October to supply urgently needed mining conveyor belts.
- 1925
Felten & Guilleaume takes full ownership
[1]Felten & Guilleaume Carlswerk AG acquired the company’s entire share capital.
- 1920
Conversion into a stock corporation
[1]The company became Rheinische Gummiwarenfabrik AG Franz Clouth with share capital of 6.5 million marks.
Products and positioning
A diversified industrial rubber and rubber-composite manufacturer serving transportation, mining, cable, mechanical-engineering, military, medical and consumer applications. In its later decades, the company was especially associated with conveyor technology, steel-cord belts, rubber rollers and vibration-control systems.
Conveyor technology
Conveyor belts
Conveyor belts became one of Clouth’s central industrial product lines, supplying mining, bulk-material handling and manufacturing customers. The postwar Cologne plant resumed production partly because belts were urgently required in the Aachen coalfield and the Rhenish lignite industry. Later development included high-capacity steel-cord belt production.
Conveyor technology · 1955
Steel-cord belts
Clouth began producing steel-cord belts in the mid-1950s and moved to large-scale production in 1957. A high-performance line constructed in the late 1980s was designed for industrial output of long steel-cord belt lengths. The product represented the company’s later emphasis on heavy-duty conveyor technology.
Rail vibration isolation · 1978
Cologne Egg
The Cologne Egg was an elastic rail bearing developed by Clouth employee Hans Braitsch, with a patent application filed in 1978. Installed first on a Cologne light-rail route, it reduced structure-borne noise and was subsequently used on many track sections, particularly where conventional ballast bedding was unsuitable.
Industrial rubber components
Rubber rollers and roller coverings
Roller coverings and rubber rollers were among Clouth’s industrial products, serving machinery and manufacturing applications. Some related operations were transferred through Clouth Gummiwalzen GmbH & Co. KG and later associated with the C. Hilzinger-Thum Group and other specialist manufacturers.
Technical textiles
Rubberized fabrics
Clouth manufactured rubberized fabrics for applications including wagon and horse blankets, protective garments, balloon materials and airship envelopes. The company’s rubberized-fabric branch was discontinued on March 31, 1992 as part of its restructuring.
Specialized rubber equipment · 1882
Diving equipment and protective rubber goods
The company produced diving apparatus and related protective goods, as well as rubber gloves, aprons, suits for miners and sailors, inflatable boats, tents and other specialized articles. These products illustrate the breadth of Clouth’s nineteenth- and early twentieth-century manufacturing portfolio.
Automotive technology · 1997
ISAD automotive system
ISAD was intended as an automotive alternative to separate starter-motor, flywheel and alternator arrangements. The technology led to the formation of Clouth AG subsidiary ISAD-Systems GmbH in 1997, although it did not become a continuing Clouth consumer brand.
Brand decisions
2009
Close the remaining Cologne productionStrategyBackground
After activities had been transferred or reduced, the historic Cologne works no longer formed an independent manufacturing base.
Action taken
The remaining production at the Cologne site was shut down in December 2009.
Aftermath
The former industrial land was cleared and redeveloped as the Clouth Quarter, while elements of the product heritage continued through successor manufacturers.
1997
Merge Clouth into Continental AGM&ABackground
Further restructuring was required after the company’s crisis, and Clouth carried substantial loss carryforwards.
Action taken
Clouth Gummiwerke AG was merged into Continental AG with retroactive effect from January 1, 1997.
Aftermath
Conveyor activities and other units were redistributed among ContiTech and related successor companies, ending Clouth’s independent corporate existence.
1990
Continental increases ownershipM&ABackground
Clouth had entered a serious crisis from 1987, associated with product-liability claims and substantial losses.
Action taken
Continental AG increased its stake to 98.29 percent of Clouth’s share capital after approval by the German Federal Cartel Office.
Aftermath
Clouth became effectively controlled by Continental and was subsequently reorganized within the ContiTech group.
1898
Separate the land and submarine cable businessStrategyBackground
Cable production and planned submarine-cable projects required substantial capital and had become a distinct business from Clouth’s rubber-goods operations.
Action taken
Clouth’s cable department was spun off into Land- und Seekabelwerke AG, which later came fully under Felten & Guilleaume ownership.
Aftermath
The separation allowed the remaining Clouth enterprise to focus on rubber goods while the cable business pursued large infrastructure contracts.
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