Hamberger Industriewerke GmbH

Hamberger Industriewerke GmbH is a German family-owned industrial group headquartered in Stephanskirchen near Rosenheim, Bavaria. Founded in 1866 by Franz Paul Hamberger, the company began as a sawmill, match factory and brickworks, and over more than 150 years evolved into a globally active group. Today its core businesses are the production of toilet seats and real estate management and development. The company is managed as a mid-sized family business and reports an export share of around 50%. Hamberger Sanitary is the group's best-known division and the largest manufacturer of toilet seats in Europe. It produces a broad range of toilet seats for private and commercial use, with over 350 models and a comparable number of fastening solutions forming a modular system that offers around 120,000 possible combinations. The company manufactures seats from duroplast and thermoplast, and has introduced innovations such as the patented SoftClose automatic lowering mechanism and TakeOff technology. Production sites for sanitary products are located in Rohrdorf (Germany), Sewliewo (Bulgaria), Kunshan (China) and near Cairo (Egypt). Historically, the group was also active in flooring through its HARO brand, which included parquet, sports flooring and laminate. In February 2026 the Hamberger Group announced the sale of its Flooring division to the Munich-based private equity holding Mutares, while the Sanitary division remains fully with Hamberger Industriewerke as a strategically relevant core area. The group also operates real estate management and development activities. Hamberger has built an international sales network with subsidiaries in Austria, France, Spain, Switzerland, India, the USA, Russia and Italy. Its long history includes the development of the HARO trademark (registered in 1927), the start of toilet seat production in 1912, and the expansion of production into Bulgaria, China and Egypt. The company remains headquartered at its traditional site in Stephanskirchen.

The company was founded in 1866 by Franz Paul Hamberger in the Stephanskirchen district of Ziegelberg. Alongside match production, a brickworks and later a sawmill were established, initially to cover the company's own needs. In 1908 Sebastian Hamberger went to Munich and founded a company on Orleansstrasse, from which the Hamberger wholesale market later emerged, in order to create sales opportunities for the matches. From 1868 into the early 1920s, the Hamberger oil factory produced wagon greases, technical fats and oils, as well as 'Hamberger Schuhwichse' shoe polish; this branch was discontinued in the inflation year of 1923. Hamberger hardwood clothes pegs were also produced at some point, though the exact period is unknown. In 1912 the company added toilet seat production as another business area. The HARO trademark, formed from HAmberger and ROsenheim, was registered with the German Reich Patent Office in 1927. In 1950 the multi-layer parquet business area was added and the 'HARO-Parkett' trademark was registered. In 1958 the flooring production was expanded to include sports floors, and in 1987 laminate flooring followed. In 1976 the first HARO DIY store opened at Ziegelberg, followed by two more stores in Rosenheim and Raubling in subsequent years. After a fire, the brickworks business was discontinued in 1968, and with the fall of the match monopoly in 1983, match production also ended. The existing hydroelectric power plant on the Sims was supplemented in 1935 by a steam power plant to cover energy needs; today two combined heat and power plants run on wood waste from the sawmill and flooring production, generating electricity and heat, with surplus electricity fed into the public grid (enough for about 20,000 households). A modern hydroelectric power plant was installed and commissioned in 2016. The softwood sawmill was rebuilt in 1936 and 1978 to increase capacity, converted to hardwood in 1998, and a second sawmill was opened in Kleinostheim near Aschaffenburg in 2007, but closed again in 2017 due to lower demand for domestic beech. In 1988 the company started its own production of toilet seats, and in 1995 it moved to a newly built site in Rohrdorf. In 1999 it began manufacturing toilet seats from thermoplast. In 2001 the company presented two successful innovations: the patented SoftClose automatic lowering mechanism and TakeOff technology. In 2003 production of toilet seats started at a second plant in Sewliewo, Bulgaria. In 2007 the company expanded production with its own hinge manufacturing. In 2017 the Sewliewo production site was expanded with a paint shop. In 2023 the toilet seat brand Pagette was acquired from the Japanese Toto group. As part of internationalization, sales companies were founded in Austria, France, Spain, Switzerland, India, the USA, Russia and Italy. Since 2003 Hamberger has operated a toilet seat production plant in Sewliewo, Bulgaria; since 2012 a toilet seat plant in Kunshan, China near Shanghai; and since 2025 another plant near Cairo, Egypt. Peter M. Hamberger left as managing director of the Hamberger Group on 30 June 2025. In February 2026 the Hamberger Group announced the sale of its Flooring division to the Munich-based private equity holding Mutares. Flooring production is to continue under Mutares at the Stephanskirchen and Sewliewo (Bulgaria) sites. The Sanitary division, with production sites in Rohrdorf, Bulgaria, China and Egypt, remains fully with Hamberger Industriewerke and continues to be managed as a strategically relevant core area.

• 2012

  Toilet seat plant opens in Kunshan, China.

• 2007

  Own hinge manufacturing expands production; second sawmill opened in Kleinostheim.

• 2005

  Toilet seat Malong wins Red Dot Design Award and DESIGN PLUS Award.

• 2003

  Toilet seat production starts at second plant in Sewliewo, Bulgaria.

• 2001

  Patented SoftClose and TakeOff technologies presented.

• 1999

  Start of toilet seat production from thermoplast.

• 1998

  Sawmill converted to hardwood.

• 1995

  Move to newly built site in Rohrdorf.

• 1988

  Start of own toilet seat production.

• 1987

  Laminate flooring added to flooring production.

• 1983

  Match production ends with the fall of the match monopoly.

• 1978

  Softwood sawmill rebuilt again.

• 1976

  First HARO DIY store opens at Ziegelberg.

• 1968

  Brickworks business discontinued after a fire.

• 1958

  Flooring production expanded to include sports floors.

• 1950

  Multi-layer parquet business area added; 'HARO-Parkett' trademark registered.

• 1936

  Softwood sawmill rebuilt to increase capacity.

• 1935

  Steam power plant added to the existing hydroelectric plant on the Sims.

• 1927

  HARO trademark registered with the German Reich Patent Office.

• 1923

  Oil factory branch discontinued during inflation.

• 1912

  Toilet seat production is added as a new business area.

• 1908

  Sebastian Hamberger founds a company in Munich on Orleansstrasse, later the Hamberger wholesale market.

• 1868

  Hamberger oil factory begins production (until early 1920s).

• 1866

  Franz Paul Hamberger founds the company in Stephanskirchen-Ziegelberg.

Europe's largest manufacturer of toilet seats, operating as a mid-sized family business with a strong export orientation and a diversified industrial heritage.

• Toilet seats

  Over 350 models and fastening solutions, with 120,000 possible combinations; made from duroplast and thermoplast.

• SoftClose

  Patented automatic lowering mechanism for toilet seats.

• TakeOff

  Patented technology for easy removal of toilet seats.

• HARO parquet

  Multi-layer parquet flooring under the HARO brand.

• HARO laminate

  Laminate flooring introduced in 1987.

• Pagette

  Toilet seat brand acquired from Toto in 2023.

1. 1HAMBERGER – WC-Sitze, Immobilienverwaltung und -entwicklung – Hamberger Industriewerke GmbH, Rosenheimhamberger.com
2. 2Hamberger Industriewerke GmbH - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Hamberger Industriewerke - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org