theceomagazine.com | 51
T
here’s nothing quite like a steamy, candle-lit
bath to soak away the troubles of the day.
This emotional and physical sigh of relief
is something Duravit has pursued for more
than 200 years in creating high-class sanitary
ware and luxurious bathrooms you can’t
wait to come home to. What started as a small earthenware
factory in Hornberg, Germany has expanded to become
a manufacturing giant operating across 130 countries,
with 35 subsidiaries and 12 production plants, and a global
workforce of more than 6,000. From ceramics and
bathroom furniture, to bathtubs, wellness systems, shower-
toilets and faucets, Duravit’s international offering claims a
40 per cent share in the high-end sanitary product market.
With manufacturing sites in Germany, Egypt, France,
India, Tunisia and Turkey, Duravit’s success in China goes
back to 1997, where it began as a new subsidiary in
Shanghai, with its first factory opening in Chongqing
six years later. The company’s R&D departments are
located at its Hornberg headquarters and the Duravit
Sanitary Ware Technology Centre was built in Shanghai
in 2011. Inside these creative hubs, Duravit innovates »
FOUNDED IN GERMANY IN 1817,
DURAVIT HAS GARNERED AN
INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION FOR
HOLISTIC DESIGN AND ETHICAL
PRACTICES IN CREATING DESIGNER
BATHROOMS. MANAGING
DIRECTOR OF DURAVIT CHINA,
PETER BROMBERGER DISCUSSES
HOW THE REGION WILL SOON
BECOME THE COMPANY’S LARGEST
AND MOST SUCCESSFUL MARKET.
WORDS HOLLY JOHNSON • IMAGES DURAVIT CHINA