125 Years Of Innovation: The Hansgrohe Journey Through Design, Comfort And Sustainability

Since 1901, the company has been developing products that make life in the bathroom and kitchen more comfortable

Hansgrohe Celebrates 125 Years of Company History

What began in a small workshop in Germany’s Black Forest now shapes the shower experience from Miami to Shanghai. Hansgrohe has turned engineering into a tactile experience – and sustainability into a promise. One hundred and twenty-five years after its founding, the company is not merely developing prototypes, but market-ready innovations that redefine comfort while conserving water. Anyone who has once showered with a Hansgrohe product will instinctively look more closely in hotels or private homes to see what is installed in the bathroom – and very often, it is a product manufactured by the Black Forest-based company.

“125 years of Hansgrohe not only represent millions of showers and faucets sold. Nor are they defined solely by design awards or recognition for patents and sustainability strategies,” says Hans Jürgen Kalmbach, CEO of the Hansgrohe Group since 2018. “Above all, they are a testament to the people who have developed these products, who always keep our customers in mind and who have remained loyal to our company for many years – sometimes even across generations. And even though the Klaus Grohe family is no longer involved in day-to-day operations, we all know what we owe them: an outstanding corporate culture that recognises and values each individual, their commitment and their passion, and an entrepreneurial spirit that is always looking ahead.”

From a Small Workshop to a Global Market Leader

The foundation was laid in 1901 by company founder Hans Grohe in his small workshop in Schiltach in Germany’s Black Forest. He specialised in metal products for the sanitary sector and recognises the growing importance of the private bathroom early on. His groundbreaking inventions continue to shape shower culture to this day: in 1928, he developed the Hansgrohe hand-held shower for serial production, offering a comfortable alternative to the fixed overhead shower. In 1953, at the age of 82, he invented the height-adjustable wall bar for hand-held showers – now a standard feature in European bathrooms.

His son Klaus Grohe joined the company in 1968 and assumed overall responsibility for the business in 1975, a role he held until 2008. Under his leadership, the Hansgrohe Group evolved into an internationally recognised premium manufacturer of showers and faucets. He introduced the brand name, hansgrohe, founded the design brand, AXOR, in 1993, and firmly embedded sustainability into the company’s DNA. As early as 1992, he had what was then Germany’s largest roof-integrated solar power system installed at the company’s site in Offenburg. In 1995, Hansgrohe became the first company in the sanitary industry to be certified under the EU Eco‑Audit Regulation.

Innovation as a Tradition

Hansgrohe’s innovative strength has long been reflected in pioneering technologies such as the Selecta hand-held shower (1968), featuring adjustable spray types and selling more than 30 million units, and the Select technology (2011), which enables intuitive water control at the touch of a button. Hansgrohe has also set production-related global firsts – including a recycling process for electroplated plastics introduced in 2023, developed in cooperation with a specialised engineering partner. With technologies such as EcoSmart, AirPower and CoolStart, Hansgrohe supports building developers and private households alike in achieving their sustainability goals. By 2030, as part of the company’s internal “ECO 2030” initiative, all water-bearing products will be equipped exclusively with water-saving technologies.

Around 200 employees work in research and development, as well as innovation management, alone. Prototypes for all new AXOR and hansgrohe products are created in innovation centers in Germany’s Black Forest and, since 2023, also in Shanghai. In this way, Hansgrohe is further advancing the localisation of its products and brands in China and across the Asia-Pacific region. A key prerequisite for successful product design is adopting the customer’s perspective and understanding their needs. New products – defined as design and development concepts introduced within the past three years – account for around 30 percent of total sales.

A Successful Dual-Brand Strategy

In 1977, the company name Hans Grohe was transformed into the wordmark and figurative brand “hansgrohe.” Today, the brand stands for holistic bathroom experiences that combine water- and energy-saving technologies, intelligent functions and long-lasting quality. Launched in 2025 and presented at the world’s leading trade fair ISH, the hansgrohe Raindance Alive, delivers an exceptional shower experience, created by spray types such as, RainAir and PowderRain, and developed within the company’s own spray laboratory. The premium brand’s products are also featured in landmark projects – including the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Since 1993, the design brand, AXOR, has been expanding the company’s portfolio with exclusive design collections. Over 30 years of collaboration with world-renowned designer Philippe Starck, as well as partnerships with famous architects and interior designers such as, Antonio Citterio, Patricia Urquiola, Jean‑Marie Massaud and Barber Osgerby, have resulted in iconic faucet and shower collections. These products define luxury environments around the world – from prestigious hotels such as, The Bulgari Resort in the United Arab Emirates, to yachts and high-end private bathrooms.

Award-Winning Sustainability

As early as the late 1980s, Hansgrohe appointed an environmental officer. Since 2020, an expert team within the Corporate Sustainability department has been working on the implementation and further development of the company’s sustainability objectives, closely aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition, the Public Affairs team is actively engaged at EU level to advocate for the protection of water as a vital resource.

In 2024, the Hansgrohe Group received the German Sustainability Award in the category Energy, Water and Sanitary Technology. With the EcoVadis Platinum Medal, the company ranks among the top 1 percent of all 130,000 companies assessed worldwide. These awards recognise the company’s consistent sustainability strategy – ranging from resource-efficient production and water-saving technologies to its “local for local” approach, with production sites in Germany, France, China, the United States and, since 2023, Serbia.

High Employee Loyalty

Employees are at the heart of the Black Forest-based company. “I am always deeply moved when we bid farewell to retirees after 45 or even 50 years at Hansgrohe – while, at the same time, so many young people choose to begin their careers through an apprenticeship at our company,” says Sandra Richter, Chief People Officer of the Hansgrohe Group. Each year, around 50 apprentices and dual-study students start their professional journey at Hansgrohe. Since 1924, the company has trained more than 1,000 skilled professionals. In 2024 alone, the company’s in-house learning platform CAMPUS hosted several hundred training sessions with a total of 16,000 participants. This strong commitment to employees pays off: Hansgrohe is characterised by high employee loyalty and low staff turnover – and it is not uncommon for several generations of the same family to work for the company.

Anniversary Year 2026 – a Celebration for Everyone

The 125th anniversary is celebrated under the motto “Setting the Beat of Water. Since 1901.” This reflects what Hansgrohe stands for: innovative technologies and design around water, combining engineering excellence with experience and lifestyle. Highlights of the anniversary year include a large summer celebration for employees and their families at the company’s headquarters in Schiltach, as well as the reopening of the exhibition area dedicated to the company’s history in the Aquademie.

“For 125 years, we have been a pace‑setter in the world of water — and we won’t stop in the decades to come,” says Hans Jürgen Kalmbach. “As a pioneer in shaping the modern bathroom, we continue to drive innovation — from contemporary design to technological and digital solutions to sustainable materials. Our goal is to keep redefining the bathroom as a living space, delivering maximum user comfort, while ensuring the responsible use of resources.”

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