History

The river is everywhere: Our company's history.

Every watercourse begins with a small spring that gradually expands into a wide river. Our company's history began in a very similar way. A small company for the distribution of water treatment products became a large manufacturing and research company. In our company, a total of over 700 people give their best every day and, together, generate around 150 million euros per year. Over the past decades, however, our core values have always remained unchanged: Responsibility for future generations and a corporate culture in which constructive cooperation plays an essential role. Learn about the most important stages in our company's history.

  • 1949
  • 1967
  • 1968
  • Employee participation in the company through the "social partnership" model

    Employee participation in the company took on a new and official dimension in 1968 with Grünbeck's "social partnership" model.

  • 1980
  • 1995
  • Certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001 and country-specific approvals

    In 1995 the company obtained the DIN EN ISO 9001 certification, as well as country-specific approvals, such as GOSSTANDART and UDT. The path to dynamic, international growth was clear.

     

  • 1997
  • 1998
  • Certification for medical devices

    1998 Grünbeck is granted the certification for medical devices. 

  • 2004
  • Certification according to the environmental management system

    Measures such as the certification according to the environmental management system in 2004 emphasise Grünbeck's transparency-based ambition to combine responsibility for people and the environment with efficient entrepreneurial action. Proof of this is also the award of 4 stars by the "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Partnerschaft in der Wirtschaft e. V." (AGP) (Working Group for Partnership in Business) for a real partnership-based corporate culture.

  • 2009
  • Distinction as “Beacon Project”

    In 2009, Grünbeck’s development project “Decentralised Water Supply for Brazil” was honoured as “Leuchtturmprojekt 2009” (Beacon Project 2009).

     

     

    Expansion to other European countries

    The company continued to expand in Europe with the foundation of Grünbeck Italia S.r.l. and the Dutch Grünbeck Waterzuivering B.V..

  • 2010
  • Setting up of the Loni and Josef Grünbeck foundation

    In 2010, the Loni and Josef Grünbeck Foundation was set up, which permanently ensures the independence of the Hoechststaedt-based company.

  • 2013
  • 2014
  • Top 50 in Germany

    The German pioneering spirit is famous: Grünbeck Wasseraufbereitung GmbH is doing its part. In April 2014, the company based in Hoechstaedt was voted one of the 50 most innovative medium-sized companies, by the trade journal "Wirtschaftswoche", from a total of 3,000 companies in Germany.


    Grünbeck is the only representative in the water treatment industry to be ranked 43rd in the Wirtschaftswoche ranking. Grünbeck thus underlines the importance of innovation work in the company, and not only with regard to products and a forward-looking, sustainable corporate strategy. This includes production, as well as social issues, such as the employee participation model.

  • 2015
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2021
  • 2022