History | how it all started
History
The name SEALABLE is „young “, however our employees and the history of our location in Waltershausen with its rubber industry possess a long tradition. Starting with the production of fire hoses, continuing with different ownerships (PHOENIX AG, ContiTech AG, DÄTWYLER Sealing Technologies Deutschland GmbH) and becoming an independent company through a management-buy-out in 2020. Read more about our interesting milestones below:
1805 - 1945
The beginning of the rubber industry
in our region
More than 200 years ago Johann Burbach established a hose factory in Hörselgau and laid the foundation of the rubber industry in our region. At first, leather buckets were produced that were initially rubberized in 1862.
Exactly 100 years after the foundation of the first hose factory in the surrounding area, August Kestner and Gustav Troch started the “Thüringer Schlauchweberei und Gummifabrik AG” at our current location in Waltershausen. Shortly after, the company employed around 400 workers to produce woven hoses and rubber products. In 1937 the first synthetic caoutchouc called “Buna” was developed and used for production.
1945 - 1950
Post-war period
After the second world war, Thuringia became Soviet occupation zone in July 1945. In 1946 the Potsdam Agreement determined that the capacity of German Industry should be systematically decreased.
In the Soviet zone the dismantling of important industry branches began quickly after the end of the war. Through that the “Thüringer Schlauchweberei und Gummifabrik AG” in Waltershausen was disowned and converted into a Soviet corporation (SAG).
From 1946 to 1950 the company produced as a SAG plant under the name of “Resinotechnika Erfurt
1950 - 1989
Rubber industry in the GDR
In the 1950s the SAGs were entered into possession of the German Democratic Republic. The so called “Thüringer Schlauch- und Gummiwerke Waltershausen” fastly developed into the biggest site of rubber industry in the GDR. Under the name of “Kowalit” and later “Pneumant” different products like bicycle inner tubes, tires, shopping baskets or balloons were produced.
The inner tubes from Waltershausen could also score on the 27th of September 1988 at the Olympic games, where Olaf Ludwig won the gold medal with a time of 4:32:22 hours.
1989 - 2004
Germany gets reunited
After the fall of the Berlin wall, the future of the rubber industry in Waltershausen was initially uncertain. After first dialogues with the Phoenix AG Hamburg in December 1989, the decision to merge the nationally owned enterprise and the Phoenix AG, was made in April 1990.
In May 1990 the “Gummiwerke Thüringen GmbH” was established which was shortly undertaken and renamed to “Phoenix Thüringen GmbH”.
During the following years the firm specialized in a variety of rubber-based products like extrudates and sealing technologies. In 1996 the anchored segment gasket for tunnelling was developed in Waltershausen. Already well before, Phoenix was a pioneer in sealing technologies. In 1969 their glued segment gaskets were firstly used in the Elbtunnel in Hamburg.
Up until the end of the 90s, many structural changes were undertaken. Through a divisional organization, the product groups were assigned to individual business branches. This organization was considered as the precursor to found legally independent companies, including the “Phoenix Dichtungstechnik GmbH”.
2004 - 2011
From Phoenix to ContiTech
Through the takeover of the Schaeffler group, a fusion between the ContiTech AG and the Phoenix AG, including all business branches of the location in Walterhausen, happened in 2004. Already four years later the ContiTech AG separated itself from the previously undertaken businesses and the “Phoenix Dichtungstechnik GmbH” was from there ownership-led.
2011 - 2020
Takeover of the Dätwyler AG
At the end of 2011 the company was transferred to the Swiss Dätwyler AG and became a subsidiary of the Dätwyler Holding. In this time many innovative projects like our Rail Comfort System were launched. This system is a new method of track isolation to eliminate stray currents, vibrations and noise in rail traffic.
In 2018 our “VeloGleis” won the Thuringian Innovation award in the category of Tradition and Future. Through high-quality elastomer profiles, bicycle accidents in coherence with tram tracks can be made a thing of the past.
since 2020
Now we are SEALABLE
Through a management-buy-out in May 2020 the SEALABLE Solutions GmbH was established. Therefore, the Know-How in sealing technologies and more than 180 jobs could be saved at our plant in Waltershausen.
We are looking back at a history of more than 200 years and can exhibit longstanding experience in the sealing industry. With respect to the future, we remain faithful to our history and prescribe ourselves to the continuous development of innovations and the advancement of our current products.
