Zürcher Ziegeleien
Swiss manufacturer of clay-based building materials, including bricks, roof tiles, facade products, and photovoltaic modules.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Zürcher Ziegeleien is a Swiss building-materials manufacturer specializing in clay products for structural construction and building envelopes. The company is headquartered in Regensdorf in the canton of Zurich and operates production facilities in Laufen and Istighofen. Its principal product areas include masonry bricks, roof tiles, facade tiles, and integrated photovoltaic solutions for roofs and facades. The business was created in 1912 through the merger of the Mechanische Backsteinfabrik, established in 1861, with Albishof-Heurieth AG, an enterprise formed in 1905 from two other mechanical brickworks. The resulting company adopted the name Zürcher Ziegeleien and became one of the central forces in the consolidation of Switzerland's brick industry. Between 1932 and 1941, additional works associated with the Schmidheiny industrial family were combined with Zürcher Ziegeleien. This expansion helped the company become Switzerland's largest brick producer and gave it a broader industrial base. During the twentieth century, Zürcher Ziegeleien expanded beyond conventional bricks. Its activities came to include concrete products, insulation materials, and lightweight construction blocks. By 1962, the group controlled 14 companies, operated 30 plants, and employed approximately 2,250 people. From the 1980s onward, it diversified further and developed into an industrial conglomerate with interests extending beyond construction materials. The downturn in the construction market during the late 1990s prompted a structural separation between the building-materials business and the rest of the conglomerate. In 1998, the construction operation ceased using the Zürcher Ziegeleien name and began trading as ZZ Wancor AG, while the remaining industrial group was later renamed Conzzeta AG. In 1999, Austria's Wienerberger AG acquired ZZ Wancor and combined it with the heavy-ceramics activities of Tonwarenfabrik Laufen and the concrete manufacturer ZZ Prebeton. The company moved its headquarters from Zurich to Regensdorf in 2000 and subsequently concentrated production at Laufen and Istighofen as other sites were closed. Under Wienerberger ownership, the business broadened its product and market reach. It developed facade products such as Urban for international applications, including Scandinavian markets, and introduced photovoltaic offerings including zzsunstar biuno and Unitas. After more than two decades as a Wienerberger subsidiary, the company was acquired by the Swisspor group in 2020. In 2021, it restored the historic Zürcher Ziegeleien name. Today, the company is positioned as a specialist Swiss supplier of durable clay construction products and complementary building-envelope technologies, serving the domestic construction market while retaining selected international exposure.
History
The origins of Zürcher Ziegeleien lie in the mechanization and consolidation of the Swiss brick industry. The Mechanische Backsteinfabrik, founded in 1861, was merged in 1912 with Albishof-Heurieth AG, which had itself been created in 1905 through the combination of two mechanical brickworks. This merger established Zürcher Ziegeleien as a substantial organized producer of clay building materials. The company expanded during the interwar period and the Second World War era. Between 1932 and 1941, several works associated with the Schmidheiny family and eastern Switzerland were brought together with Zürcher Ziegeleien. The resulting network made the company Switzerland's largest brick producer. Its range gradually expanded from bricks into concrete goods, insulation materials, and lightweight blocks, reflecting the increasing industrialization and specialization of building construction. By 1962, Zürcher Ziegeleien had become a sizeable corporate group, controlling 14 companies, operating 30 plants, and employing about 2,250 people. The company was publicly listed at that stage, although its strategic direction was strongly influenced by the Schmidheiny family. Starting in the 1980s, management pursued diversification beyond the traditional construction-materials sector, turning the business into an industrial mixed conglomerate. Weak conditions in the construction market during the late 1990s led to a major corporate reorganization. The construction-materials activities were separated from the rest of the group, and in 1998 the construction business began operating as ZZ Wancor AG. The residual conglomerate later adopted the name Conzzeta AG. In 1999, Wienerberger AG acquired ZZ Wancor and combined it with related ceramic and concrete operations, including the heavy-ceramics division of Tonwarenfabrik Laufen and ZZ Prebeton. The company moved its headquarters from Zurich to Regensdorf in 2000. Over the following years, manufacturing was concentrated at Laufen and Istighofen, with other facilities closed. As part of the Wienerberger organization, the business gained access to additional foreign markets, particularly in Scandinavia. It also developed newer building-envelope products, including the Urban facade tile and photovoltaic solutions marketed as zzsunstar biuno and Unitas. In 2020, Swisspor acquired the company from Wienerberger. The following year, the business restored the Zürcher Ziegeleien name, reconnecting the operating company with its historical identity. Its current activities center on clay-based construction products and related systems for roofs, facades, and energy-producing building envelopes.
- 2021
Historic name restored
[1]The business resumes the Zürcher Ziegeleien name.
- 2020
Acquisition by Swisspor
[1]Swisspor acquires the company after its period as a Wienerberger subsidiary.
- 2000
Move to Regensdorf
[1]The headquarters move from Zurich to Regensdorf.
- 1999
Acquisition by Wienerberger
[1]Wienerberger acquires ZZ Wancor and combines it with related Swiss ceramics and concrete operations.
- 1998
Construction business becomes ZZ Wancor
[1]The construction-materials operation drops the Zürcher Ziegeleien name during the separation of the group's businesses.
- 1980
Diversification beyond construction
[1]Zürcher Ziegeleien begins developing into a diversified industrial conglomerate.
- 1962
Large industrial group milestone
[1]The group controls 14 companies, operates 30 plants, and employs approximately 2,250 people.
- 1932
Consolidation of Swiss brickworks begins
[1]The company begins a period of combining additional works linked to the Schmidheiny industrial group.
- 1912
Zürcher Ziegeleien is established
[1]Mechanische Backsteinfabrik merges with Albishof-Heurieth AG, creating Zürcher Ziegeleien.
- 1905
Albishof-Heurieth AG is formed
[1]Two mechanical brickworks are combined to create another important predecessor of the later company.
Products and positioning
Regional Swiss building-materials specialist focused on clay construction products, roofing, facade systems, and integrated photovoltaic solutions.
Masonry materials
Structural clay bricks
Clay masonry units form the historical core of the company. The range supports structural wall construction and reflects Zürcher Ziegeleien's development from a group of mechanical brickworks into a large-scale Swiss producer. The company also developed lightweight building blocks and related wall materials as construction methods evolved.
Roofing materials
Roof tiles
The company produces clay roof tiles for pitched-roof construction and building renovation. Roof products sit within its broader building-envelope portfolio and are complemented by photovoltaic solutions intended for energy-generating roof applications.
Facade systems
Facade tiles
Facade tiles extend the company's ceramic expertise beyond masonry and roofing. The Urban facade tile was developed for international applications, including Scandinavian markets, and represents the company's move toward specialized architectural envelope products.
Building-integrated photovoltaics
zzsunstar biuno
zzsunstar biuno is a photovoltaic building product associated with the company's expansion into energy-producing building-envelope systems. It combines the traditional building-materials context of the business with solar generation applications.
Building-integrated photovoltaics
Unitas
Unitas is another photovoltaic product associated with Zürcher Ziegeleien's Wienerberger-era development of solar solutions for roofs and building envelopes.
Building materials
Concrete and insulation products
Historically, the group broadened its portfolio to include concrete goods and insulation materials, alongside lightweight blocks. These products supported its transformation from a conventional brick manufacturer into a more diversified building-materials group.
Brand decisions
2020
Transfer to SwissporM&ABackground
After more than two decades within Wienerberger, the Swiss building-materials business changed ownership.
Action taken
Swisspor acquired the company from Wienerberger.
Aftermath
The company returned to its historic Zürcher Ziegeleien name in 2021 and continued as part of the Swisspor group.
1999
Join WienerbergerM&ABackground
Following the separation of the construction business, the Swiss operation was positioned for ownership by an international ceramics and building-materials group.
Action taken
Wienerberger AG acquired ZZ Wancor and integrated it with the heavy-ceramics division of Tonwarenfabrik Laufen and ZZ Prebeton.
Aftermath
The transaction provided access to Wienerberger's international group structure and helped support later product development and foreign-market activity.
1998
Separate construction materials from the wider conglomerateStrategyBackground
A difficult construction market and the company's diversification into unrelated industrial activities created pressure to distinguish the building-materials business from the rest of the group.
Action taken
The construction operation was separated and began trading as ZZ Wancor AG, while the remaining conglomerate later adopted the Conzzeta name.
Aftermath
The reorganization ended the historical corporate use of Zürcher Ziegeleien for the construction business and prepared it for later acquisition by Wienerberger.
Recent events
- 2021
Historic Zürcher Ziegeleien name returns[1]
Leadership change
The business resumed use of the historic Zürcher Ziegeleien name following its acquisition by Swisspor.
- 2020
Swisspor acquires Zürcher Ziegeleien[1]
M&A
After more than twenty years under Wienerberger, the company was acquired by the Swisspor group.
- 2000
Headquarters move to Regensdorf[1]
Other
The company moved its headquarters from the city of Zurich to Regensdorf as production and corporate operations were reorganized.
- 1999
Wienerberger acquires ZZ Wancor[1]
M&A
Wienerberger AG acquired the Swiss construction-materials business and integrated it with ceramic and concrete operations including the heavy-ceramics division of Tonwarenfabrik Laufen and ZZ Prebeton.
- 1998
Zürcher Ziegeleien separates its construction business from the wider conglomerate[1]
Other
The construction-materials business adopted the name ZZ Wancor AG as the historic Zürcher Ziegeleien identity was discontinued during the group's restructuring.
Sources2 sources
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