Ziegelei Girnghuber (GIMA)

Ziegelei Girnghuber, trading as GIMA, is a German brickworks and manufacturer of ceramic building products headquartered in Marklkofen in Lower Bavaria. The company produces clinker and facing bricks for facades, paving bricks and large-format terrace slabs for ground surfaces, and masonry and clay bricks for the shell-construction segment. It describes itself as the only manufacturer that makes almost all ceramic building materials, and it produces its clinker on a project-specific basis so that it can respond fully to the wishes of planners and architects. The business was acquired in 1903 by Therese Girnghuber, great-grandmother of the present managing director Claus Girnghuber, after the bankruptcy of the previous owner Josef Buchner. It has remained in family ownership ever since and is now run in the fourth generation. Over the twentieth century the works at Marklkofen were modernised and expanded, and from 1992 the company produced roof tiles for the Erlus AG rather than under its own name. Claus Girnghuber took over the operation in 1996. Today the Girnghuber GmbH is the parent company of the Girnghuber group, which also includes ERLUS AG, a leading German maker of roof ceramics and chimney systems, and Moeding Keramikfassaden GmbH, which develops facade systems using large-format, individually designed clay panels. The group's ceramic products have been used on prominent architectural projects, including the Tate Modern in London, the Vitra Schaudepot in Weil am Rhein, the Küppersmühle museum extension in Duisburg, the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte in Regensburg, 1865 Broadway in New York, Malmö Live and the Kuggen in Gothenburg. The company also makes traditional hand-moulded bricks used in heritage restoration, for example for the Frauenkirche in Munich. It employs around 315 people in administration and production and is one of the main employers in the municipality of Marklkofen in the Dingolfing-Landau district.

The Girnghuber brickworks traces its origins to 1903, when Therese Girnghuber, great-grandmother of the current managing director Claus Girnghuber, acquired the Ziegelei at Marklkofen at auction after the bankruptcy of the previous owner, Josef Buchner. This purchase laid the foundation for the family business. In 1923 the works passed to her son Ludwig Girnghuber senior. At that time all bricks were still made by hand. Ludwig Girnghuber developed the 'Marklkofener Ziegelstadel' into a significant and modern brickworks, expanding the workforce from about 12 to 70 employees. In the 1950s his son Ludwig Girnghuber took over the business and continued to expand it. His mother Amalie Girnghuber supported him until 1972, being responsible for commercial matters while Ludwig handled the technical side. In 1992 the Girnghuber GmbH began cooperation with Erlus AG in the roof-tile sector; from then on all roof tiles at Marklkofen were produced not under the company's own name but for Erlus AG. In 1996 Claus Girnghuber, son of Ludwig, took over the operation, although Ludwig Girnghuber remained active in the company afterwards. The decline of coarse-ceramics works in southern Germany had reduced the number of brickworks from an original 350 to only 14 by 1962, with one works remaining at Marklkofen. Today the Ziegelei Girnghuber is among the leading clinker manufacturers in Germany and is the only clinker works in Bavaria supplying national and international large-scale projects such as the Tate Modern Museum in London and the Gasteig in Munich. The Girnghuber GmbH currently employs 315 people in administration and production, making it one of the main employers in the municipality of Marklkofen in the Dingolfing-Landau district. The Girnghuber group comprises the Girnghuber GmbH (also known as GIMA), ERLUS AG and Moeding Keramikfassaden GmbH. The individual companies of the group maintain a long tradition in the manufacture of clay building materials. The Girnghuber GmbH is the group parent company and concentrates on the production of clay building materials for facades (e.g. clinker), the ground sector (e.g. paving clinker) and the shell-construction segment (e.g. masonry bricks). ERLUS AG is one of the leading manufacturers of roof ceramics and chimney systems in Germany. Moeding Keramikfassaden GmbH develops facade systems with large-format, individual clay facade panels. The company produces traditional hand-moulded bricks used in restoration and heritage conservation; for decades it has supplied hand-moulded bricks for the restoration of the Munich Frauenkirche. It is also involved in the facade design of modern buildings, including the Tate Modern Project in London (planned by Herzog & de Meuron), the Vitra Schaudepot in Weil am Rhein (Herzog & de Meuron), the Küppersmühle museum extension in Duisburg (Herzog & de Meuron), the Stadtbibliothek in Dornbirn (Dietrich Untertrifaller Architekten), the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte in Regensburg (Wörner Traxler Richter), 1865 Broadway in New York (SOM Architects), Malmö Live (schmidt hammer lassen architects) and the Kuggen in Gothenburg (Gert Wingårdh). Over the decades the company and its family members have received numerous awards. Amalie Girnghuber received the Verdienstkreuz am Bande of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1974 for services in the care of architectural heritage. Ludwig Girnghuber received the Denkmalschutzmedaille of the Bavarian state government in 1993 for pioneering work in heritage conservation, the Bundesverdienstkreuz in 1996 for expanding the brickworks and for voluntary engagement, the Staatsmedaille for special services to the Bavarian economy in 2005, and the Bayerischer Gründerpreis in 2017 for his life's work.

• 2017

  Ludwig Girnghuber receives the Bayerischer Gründerpreis for his life's work.

• 2005

  Ludwig Girnghuber receives the Staatsmedaille for special services to the Bavarian economy.

• 1996

  Claus Girnghuber takes over the operation; Ludwig Girnghuber remains active in the company.

• 1996

  Ludwig Girnghuber receives the Bundesverdienstkreuz for expanding the brickworks and for voluntary engagement.

• 1993

  Ludwig Girnghuber receives the Denkmalschutzmedaille of the Bavarian state government for pioneering work in heritage conservation.

• 1992

  Girnghuber GmbH begins cooperation with Erlus AG in roof tiles; all roof tiles at Marklkofen are thereafter produced for Erlus AG.

• 1974

  Amalie Girnghuber receives the Verdienstkreuz am Bande of the Federal Republic of Germany for services in the care of architectural heritage.

• 1962

  Following the decline of coarse-ceramics works in southern Germany, only 14 brickworks remain from an original 350, with one works at Marklkofen.

• 1950

  Ludwig Girnghuber (junior) takes over the brickworks and continues to expand it; his mother Amalie supports him until 1972.

• 1923

  The brickworks is handed over to son Ludwig Girnghuber senior, who modernises it and expands the workforce from about 12 to 70.

• 1903

  Therese Girnghuber acquires the Marklkofen brickworks at auction after the bankruptcy of Josef Buchner, founding the family business.

Traditional family brickworks with maximum product diversity and innovation, producing project-specific clinker and the only manufacturer of almost all ceramic building materials; supplier to major national and international architectural projects.

• Klinker & Fassade

  Facade clinker solutions, produced project-specifically to meet planners' requirements.

• Pflaster & Boden

  Paving bricks and large-format terrace slabs for ground design.

• Mauerziegel & Rohbau

  Masonry and clay bricks for shell construction, from insulated exterior walls to filigree ceilings.

• CERPIANO+

  A product line shown on the GIMA website.

• Fire Glazed

  A clinker finish shown on the GIMA website (colour: Portland).

• Handschlagziegel

  Traditional hand-moulded bricks used for restoration and heritage conservation, e.g. for the Munich Frauenkirche.

1. 1GIMA - Qualität aus Ton | Klinker, Pflaster und Ziegelgima-ziegel.de
2. 2Ziegelei Girnghuber - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Girnghuber (GIMA) - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org