Haas Type Foundry

Haas Type Foundry, also known as Haas'sche Schriftgießerei, was a Swiss manufacturer of foundry type whose history extended from the early development of printing in Basel into the industrial era of twentieth-century typography. Its origins are traced to Jean Exertier, a printer who began casting type during the second half of the sixteenth century. The enterprise subsequently passed to the Genath family before Johann Wilhelm Haas, a type caster from Nuremberg, joined the business in 1718. Haas eventually inherited the operation, and after 1740 it was conducted under the Haas name. The foundry was initially associated with Basel, an important center of printing and publishing. During the 1920s it relocated to nearby Münchenstein, where it continued operating as a specialist producer of metal type. Its business was based on the design, production, and distribution of physical type used by printers, rather than on the manufacture of printing presses or the operation of a publishing house. As printing technology evolved, the foundry’s importance rested on its typeface holdings, matrices, production expertise, and relationships with other European type manufacturers. Haas became increasingly connected with the wider European type-foundry industry during the twentieth century. In 1927, Germany’s Stempel Type Foundry acquired a shareholding in the company. The two businesses subsequently shared matrices, linking Haas to a broader network for developing and manufacturing type. Haas later expanded through acquisitions in France: it purchased Deberny & Peignot in 1972 and Fonderie Olive in 1978. These transactions gave the Swiss company interests in important French typefoundries and broadened its historical type assets. The ownership structure changed again when Linotype acquired D. Stempel AG in 1985. Through that transaction, Linotype became the majority shareholder in Haas Type Foundry. The arrangement reflected the consolidation then taking place across the European type industry, as traditional foundries faced changing economics and the transition from hand-composed and machine-cast metal type toward phototypesetting and digital typography. In 1989, Linotype closed the Haas foundry. Linotype retained the rights to the typefaces, while the metal typefounding operations were transferred to Walter Fruttiger AG. The closure ended Haas as an operating type foundry, although its typeface-related intellectual property and historical influence continued through successor ownership and the later use of type designs in new typographic technologies. Haas is therefore best understood today as a defunct Swiss type manufacturer and a historically significant participant in the development and consolidation of European type founding.

Haas Type Foundry’s documented lineage begins with Jean Exertier, a printer in Basel who started casting type during the second half of the sixteenth century. The business later passed to the Genath family, reflecting the close relationship between early type founding and established printing houses. In 1718, Johann Wilhelm Haas, who had come from Nuremberg, was hired by the enterprise. His contribution was eventually recognized through his inheritance of the company, and from after 1740 the foundry operated under the Haas name. For much of its history, Haas was based in Basel, a major Swiss center of printing and publishing. The company was a traditional type foundry: it produced the metal sorts and related components that printers used to compose pages for books, newspapers, and other printed material. In the 1920s, the factory moved from Basel to Münchenstein, a nearby municipality that became the company’s later industrial base. The foundry entered a more interconnected phase in the twentieth century. In 1927, D. Stempel AG acquired a shareholding in Haas. The relationship enabled the two companies to share matrices, helping them coordinate the production and circulation of type designs. Matrix sharing was strategically important in an industry where manufacturing resources, type designs, and casting technology could be reused across multiple markets and foundries. Haas subsequently pursued an expansion strategy through French acquisitions. In 1972 it purchased Deberny & Peignot, a prominent French typefoundry, followed in 1978 by the acquisition of Fonderie Olive. These transactions placed additional French typefoundry operations and typeface assets within the Haas business. They also demonstrated the company’s attempt to remain relevant within a consolidating European industry rather than operating solely as a local Swiss manufacturer. The ownership chain changed in 1985, when Linotype acquired D. Stempel AG and consequently became the majority shareholder of Haas. By that time, technological change was placing pressure on traditional foundries. Phototypesetting and other newer production methods were reducing the centrality of cast-metal type, while typeface rights and reproducible designs were becoming increasingly valuable independently of physical manufacturing capacity. Linotype closed the Haas foundry in 1989. It kept the rights to the typefaces associated with the business, while the metal typefounding operations were transferred to Walter Fruttiger AG. This separation marked the end of Haas as a functioning foundry but not the end of its type-related legacy. The company’s history survives through its typeface holdings, its role in the Swiss and European foundry network, and its place in the transition from traditional metal type production to later typographic technologies.

• 1989

  Foundry closure and transfer of metal operations

  [1]Haas Type Foundryen.wikipedia.org

  Linotype shut down the Haas foundry, retained the typeface rights, and transferred the metal typefounding operations to Walter Fruttiger AG.

• 1985

  Linotype becomes majority shareholder

  [1]Haas Type Foundryen.wikipedia.org

  Linotype’s acquisition of D. Stempel AG made Linotype the majority shareholder in Haas Type Foundry.

• 1978

  Acquisition of Fonderie Olive

  [1]Haas Type Foundryen.wikipedia.org

  Haas acquired the French typefoundry Fonderie Olive.

• 1972

  Acquisition of Deberny & Peignot

  [1]Haas Type Foundryen.wikipedia.org

  Haas purchased the French typefoundry Deberny & Peignot.

• 1927

  Stempel acquires a shareholding

  [1]Haas Type Foundryen.wikipedia.org

  D. Stempel AG acquired a shareholding in Haas, after which the two foundries began sharing matrices.

• 1920

  Relocation to Münchenstein

  [1]Haas Type Foundryen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1920s, the factory moved from Basel to Münchenstein, Switzerland.

• 1740

  The business begins operating under the Haas name

  [1]Haas Type Foundryen.wikipedia.org

  After Johann Wilhelm Haas inherited the enterprise, it was run under the Haas name from after 1740.

• 1718

  Johann Wilhelm Haas joins the enterprise

  [1]Haas Type Foundryen.wikipedia.org

  Johann Wilhelm Haas, a type caster from Nuremberg, was hired by the business that traced its earlier history to Jean Exertier and the Genath family.

A historic European specialist in the manufacture of physical printing type and the management of typeface assets.

• Metal printing type

  Foundry type

  Haas manufactured cast-metal type used by printers to compose text and other printed matter. The foundry’s core output consisted of physical sorts and related type-production materials rather than consumer products. Its historical importance lies in its participation in the European foundry system and in the typeface assets later retained by Linotype.

• Type-production components

  Typeface matrices

  Matrices were essential production components used to cast repeated characters and type sorts. Haas shared matrices with D. Stempel AG after Stempel acquired a shareholding in 1927. These assets supported the coordinated production and distribution of type across associated European foundries.

• 1989

  Closure of the Haas foundryStrategy

  Background

  Changing typesetting technologies and the consolidation of the industry reduced the viability of traditional metal typefounding.

  Action taken

  Linotype closed the Haas foundry, retained the typeface rights, and transferred metal typefounding operations to Walter Fruttiger AG.

  Aftermath

  Haas ceased operating as a type foundry, while its typeface rights remained with Linotype and its metal-production activities continued under the transferee.

  Source

• 1978

  Acquisition of Fonderie OliveM&A

  Background

  Haas continued its expansion through acquisitions in the French typefoundry sector.

  Action taken

  Haas purchased Fonderie Olive.

  Aftermath

  The transaction further broadened Haas’s European typefoundry interests.

  Source

• 1972

  Acquisition of Deberny & PeignotM&A

  Background

  Haas expanded beyond its Swiss base during a period of consolidation among European typefoundries.

  Action taken

  The company purchased the French typefoundry Deberny & Peignot.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition added a French typefoundry and its associated historical type assets to Haas’s portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Haas Type Foundryen.wikipedia.org