Semperit
An Austrian industrial-materials group specializing in polymer and plastic products for industrial and medical applications.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
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.
History
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.
- 2023
RICO Group acquired
[1]Semperit acquired RICO Group, a specialist in liquid-silicone processing based in Upper Austria.
- 2022
Sempermed medical business sold
[1]The medical business Sempermed was sold as part of the group’s industrial refocusing.
- 2020
Industrial-sector strategy adopted
[1]Semperit formally adopted a strategic policy centered on its industrial business.
- 2015
Leeser acquired
[1]The company acquired Leeser in Germany, adding to its industrial product capabilities.
- 2012
Latexx Partners acquired
[1]Semperit acquired Latexx Partners in Kamunting, Malaysia.
- 2007
Chinese hose factory starts operations
[1]A new hose factory in China began operations, strengthening Semperit’s Asian industrial manufacturing base.
- 2001
Indian conveyor-belt investment
[1]Semperit acquired a majority stake in an Indian conveyor-belt plant.
- 2000
Belchatów plant acquired
[1]The company acquired a production facility in Belchatów, Poland.
- 1998
Odry plant acquired
[1]Semperit acquired a production plant in Odry, Czech Republic.
- 1996
Expansion into Thailand and China
[1]The company launched sites in Thailand and China as part of its international manufacturing expansion.
Products and positioning
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 fluid-handling products
Industrial hoses
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.
Bulk-material handling
Conveyor belts
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.
Engineered industrial components
Technical rubber and polymer 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.
Silicone processing · 2023
Liquid-silicone molded products
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.
Medical and protective products · 1920
Latex gloves
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 components
Bicycle tires
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.
Sporting goods · 1949
Hans Hass System swim fins
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.
Controversies
1938
Wartime production and forced labor
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.
Brand decisions
2023
Acquisition of RICO GroupM&ABackground
Semperit was seeking to expand its industrial polymer-processing capabilities and add higher-value technical applications.
Action taken
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.
2022
Sale of SempermedM&ABackground
The medical business was no longer aligned with Semperit’s stated long-term emphasis on industrial products.
Action taken
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.
2020
Industrial refocusing strategyStrategyBackground
Semperit reviewed its portfolio and identified industrial products as the core direction for the group.
Action taken
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.
1985
Exit from tire productionStrategyBackground
Semperit historically had a consumer presence in tires, including bicycle tires, but sought to concentrate on more specialized business activities.
Action taken
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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