Semperit

Semperit is an Austrian industrial-materials company headquartered in Vienna and historically associated with rubber, latex, polymer, and plastic manufacturing. Its origins are traced to 1824, when Johann Nepomuk Reithoffer received a patent for waterproof fabrics. The company’s industrial manufacturing heritage developed further in the nineteenth century, including the construction of what is described as the first European factory for rubber products at Wimpassing, Austria, in 1852. Semperit became a publicly traded company in 1890 and subsequently expanded from early rubber goods into a broad portfolio of technical products. The company’s historical activities have covered both consumer and industrial markets. It began producing latex gloves in 1920 and later manufactured a range of rubber products, including tires, hoses, conveyor belts, profiles, and other specialized components. During the middle of the twentieth century, Semperit bicycle tires were used on Austrian road bicycles sold by Sears & Roebuck; the white-wall tire design is one of the better-known consumer associations with the name. In 1949, Semperit also began producing Hans Hass System swim fins, linking the company to an early technical-plastics and sporting-goods application. Semperit’s wartime history is complex. Following Austria’s annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938, the company remained formally independent but entered into a cooperation arrangement with Continental AG and became integrated into the German wartime economy. It produced military-related rubber goods, including protective suits and inflatable boats, and used forced labor during the war. Franz Josef Messner, who had become general director in 1937, was simultaneously involved in the Austrian resistance. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1944 and executed at Mauthausen concentration camp on 23 April 1945. After the war, machinery was dismantled as reparations, but Semperit restarted production in August 1945 and rebuilt its operations over subsequent decades. A major strategic transition occurred in 1985, when Semperit sold its tire-production unit and concentrated more strongly on industrial and medical businesses. From the 1990s through the 2010s, the group pursued international expansion through production sites and acquisitions in Thailand, China, the Czech Republic, Poland, India, Malaysia, and Germany. These moves strengthened its position in industrial hoses, conveyor-belt systems, technical rubber products, and medical gloves. In 2020, management adopted a strategic policy to focus the company on industrial activities. This direction was reinforced by the sale of the Sempermed medical business in 2022. In 2023, Semperit acquired RICO Group, an Upper Austrian company specializing in liquid-silicone processing. The transaction broadened Semperit’s polymer-processing capabilities and supported its emphasis on higher-value industrial applications. Today, Semperit presents itself primarily as an industrial polymer and plastics group rather than as a consumer tire or medical-glove company. Its business identity is built around engineered products, production expertise, international manufacturing, and applications where durability, flexibility, sealing, conveying, or resistance to demanding environments are important.

Semperit’s origins lie in the Austrian rubber and waterproof-materials industry. In 1824, Johann Nepomuk Reithoffer received a patent for waterproof fabrics, establishing the technological and entrepreneurial lineage from which the company developed. In 1852, a factory for rubber products was constructed at Wimpassing, Austria. This facility became an important foundation for Semperit’s later industrial manufacturing activities. The company went public in 1890, giving it access to capital for expansion and formalizing its position as a significant Austrian industrial enterprise. During the early twentieth century, Semperit broadened its product range. Latex-glove production began in 1920, while the company continued to develop rubber goods for transportation, industrial, and consumer applications. The brand later became known for bicycle tires, including white-wall tires used on Austrian road bicycles sold by Sears & Roebuck. In 1949, Semperit began manufacturing Hans Hass System swim fins, an early example of its use of rubber and polymer expertise in sporting equipment. The period from 1938 to 1945 forms a particularly important and difficult part of Semperit’s history. After the Anschluss, the company remained formally independent but entered a cooperation agreement with Continental AG. It became involved in the German wartime economy and manufactured military-related rubber products, including protective suits and inflatable boats. The company also used forced labor during the war. At the same time, general director Franz Josef Messner participated in the Austrian resistance through the Maier-Messner-Caldonazzi group, which transmitted military and industrial information to the Allies. The Gestapo arrested Messner in March 1944, and he was executed at Mauthausen concentration camp on 23 April 1945. Following the war, Semperit faced the loss of machinery dismantled as reparations. Production nevertheless restarted in August 1945, and the company gradually rebuilt its facilities and commercial operations. Over the following decades, Semperit remained active in tires and other rubber products while developing industrial and medical businesses. In 1985, it sold its tire-production unit and shifted its strategic center toward industrial and medical sectors. This was a decisive change in the company’s identity, moving it away from a broad consumer-tire profile and toward specialized business-to-business products. Internationalization accelerated from the 1990s onward. Semperit established sites in Thailand and China in 1996, acquired a plant in Odry in the Czech Republic in 1998, and acquired a plant in Belchatów, Poland, in 2000. In 2001, it took a majority stake in an Indian conveyor-belt plant. A new hose factory in China began operations in 2007. The acquisition of Latexx Partners in Kamunting, Malaysia, in 2012 strengthened the group’s medical-glove and latex-related activities, while the 2015 acquisition of Leeser in Germany added further industrial capabilities. The company’s recent history has been defined by portfolio restructuring. In 2020, Semperit adopted a policy of concentrating on industrial products. It sold the Sempermed medical business in 2022, completing a major repositioning away from medical gloves. In 2023, it acquired RICO Group, a leading Upper Austrian liquid-silicone-processing group. The acquisition expanded Semperit’s expertise in silicone and polymer processing and supported its focus on specialized industrial applications. Semperit AG Holding remains headquartered in Vienna and is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange. Approximately half of the company is owned by B&C Holding, with the balance held in free float. Its current profile is that of an international industrial polymer and plastics group, with products aimed primarily at demanding technical applications rather than mass-market consumers.

1. 2023RICO Group acquired

   Semperit acquired RICO Group, a specialist in liquid-silicone processing based in Upper Austria.

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2. 2022Sempermed medical business sold

   The medical business Sempermed was sold as part of the group’s industrial refocusing.

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3. 2020Industrial-sector strategy adopted

   Semperit formally adopted a strategic policy centered on its industrial business.

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4. 2015Leeser acquired

   The company acquired Leeser in Germany, adding to its industrial product capabilities.

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5. 2012Latexx Partners acquired

   Semperit acquired Latexx Partners in Kamunting, Malaysia.

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6. 2007Chinese hose factory starts operations

   A new hose factory in China began operations, strengthening Semperit’s Asian industrial manufacturing base.

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7. 2001Indian conveyor-belt investment

   Semperit acquired a majority stake in an Indian conveyor-belt plant.

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8. 2000Belchatów plant acquired

   The company acquired a production facility in Belchatów, Poland.

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9. 1998Odry plant acquired

   Semperit acquired a production plant in Odry, Czech Republic.

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10. 1996Expansion into Thailand and China

    The company launched sites in Thailand and China as part of its international manufacturing expansion.

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11. 1985Tire unit sold

    Semperit sold its tire-production unit and increased its focus on industrial and medical sectors.

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12. 1949Hans Hass System swim fins

    Semperit began manufacturing swim fins designed under the Hans Hass System.

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13. 1945Postwar production restart

    Semperit resumed production in August after wartime disruption and the dismantling of machinery as reparations.

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14. 1920Latex-glove production begins

    Semperit entered latex-glove manufacturing, a business that remained part of its portfolio for much of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

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15. 1890Semperit becomes publicly traded

    The company went public, marking an important stage in its institutional and industrial development.

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16. 1852Rubber factory established at Wimpassing

    Construction began on a European rubber-products factory at Wimpassing, Austria.

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17. 1824Patent for waterproof fabrics

    Johann Nepomuk Reithoffer received a patent for waterproof fabrics, providing the earliest cited origin of the Semperit business lineage.

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Semperit is positioned as an engineering-led industrial polymer and plastics specialist. Its value proposition centers on technical performance, application-specific design, manufacturing know-how, and durable materials for industrial customers. The group’s current strategy emphasizes industrial products and higher-value polymer-processing capabilities rather than consumer tires or medical products.

• Industrial hosesIndustrial fluid-handling products

  Semperit’s hose activities serve industrial applications requiring controlled transport of liquids, gases, materials, or other media. The business is part of the company’s modern industrial focus and reflects its longstanding expertise in rubber and polymer compounding, reinforcement, and production. Semperit expanded its hose manufacturing footprint through a Chinese factory that began operations in 2007.

• Conveyor beltsBulk-material handling

  Semperit manufactures conveyor-belt products for industrial material handling. These products are designed for demanding environments in which resistance, continuous operation, and reliable transport are important. The company expanded its conveyor-belt presence internationally, including through a majority investment in an Indian conveyor-belt plant in 2001.

• Technical rubber and polymer componentsEngineered industrial components

  This broad category includes specialized rubber, plastic, profile, sealing, and other polymer products made for industrial customers. Semperit’s positioning in this area is based on material formulation, component engineering, and production for applications where flexibility, sealing, wear resistance, or durability are required.

• Liquid-silicone molded productsSilicone processing2023

  Through the acquisition of RICO Group in 2023, Semperit expanded into liquid-silicone processing and related molded polymer applications. The capability strengthens the group’s portfolio of specialized industrial materials and supports applications requiring precise molding and the performance characteristics of silicone.

• Latex glovesMedical and protective products1920

  Semperit began producing latex gloves in 1920 and operated a medical business under the Sempermed name for many decades. The medical business was sold in 2022, so latex gloves are a historical Semperit product line rather than a current core offering.

• Bicycle tiresBicycle components

  Semperit historically produced bicycle tires, including tires fitted to Austrian road bicycles sold by Sears & Roebuck. The classic white-wall design is particularly associated with this period of the brand’s consumer-market history. Semperit sold its tire-production unit in 1985 and no longer centers its business on tires.

• Hans Hass System swim finsSporting goods1949

  In 1949, Semperit began manufacturing swim fins designed according to the Hans Hass System. The product illustrates the company’s historical use of rubber and polymer expertise in consumer sporting equipment before its later concentration on industrial applications.

• 2023Acquisition of RICO GroupM&A

  Semperit was seeking to expand its industrial polymer-processing capabilities and add higher-value technical applications.

  What changed. The group acquired RICO Group, an Upper Austrian specialist in liquid-silicone processing.

  Aftermath. The acquisition broadened Semperit’s materials and molding capabilities and supported its industrial growth strategy.

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• 2022Sale of SempermedM&A

  The medical business was no longer aligned with Semperit’s stated long-term emphasis on industrial products.

  What changed. Semperit sold its Sempermed medical business.

  Aftermath. The transaction completed a significant step in the group’s withdrawal from medical products and sharpened its industrial focus.

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• 2020Industrial refocusing strategyStrategy

  Semperit reviewed its portfolio and identified industrial products as the core direction for the group.

  What changed. Management adopted a strategic policy to focus the company on its industrial business.

  Aftermath. The decision preceded the divestment of Sempermed and reinforced the group’s identity as an industrial polymer and plastics specialist.

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• 1985Exit from tire productionStrategy

  Semperit historically had a consumer presence in tires, including bicycle tires, but sought to concentrate on more specialized business activities.

  What changed. The company sold its tire-production unit and shifted its emphasis toward industrial and medical sectors.

  Aftermath. The sale marked a major repositioning toward engineered rubber, polymer, industrial, and medical products.

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• 1938Wartime production and forced laborControversy

  After the Anschluss, Semperit entered a cooperation arrangement with Continental AG and became part of the German wartime economy. It produced military-related rubber products and used forced labor during the Second World War. This period is a documented part of the company’s historical record and should be distinguished from the resistance activities of general director Franz Josef Messner.

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• 2023Semperit acquires RICO Group

  Semperit acquired RICO Group, an Upper Austrian specialist in liquid-silicone processing, expanding its capabilities in engineered polymer manufacturing.

  M&A
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• 2022Semperit sells its medical business

  The group completed the sale of its Sempermed medical business, consistent with its decision to focus on industrial polymer and rubber products.

  M&A
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• 2020Semperit adopts a strategic focus on industrial activities

  Semperit announced a strategic policy to concentrate its business on industrial products and reduce the importance of its medical activities.

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• 1945Semperit restarts production after the Second World War

  After wartime disruption and the dismantling of machinery as reparations, Semperit resumed production in August 1945 and began rebuilding its manufacturing base.

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1. Semperit
2. Semperit Group official website