Initially only specialized in ceramics, DORST TECHNOLOGIES has turned over the years and decades into a leading provider of machines and complete production systems for the production of ceramic and powder metallurgy products.
For almost 160 years, the company was directed by the Dorst family. On April 1, 2019, the charitable DORST-LÖCHERER foundation became the sole shareholder with the head of the foundation's Board of Directors being Mr. Hubert H. Löcherer. An executive management team manages everyday operations.
The company's roots date back to 1860 when Georg Dorst opened a production facility in Oberlind near Sonneberg in Thuringia for producing simple machines for the ceramics industry—then still primarily an artisan trade.
The catalog from the year 1897 comprises 80 pages, listing more than 150 different machine types. Around the turn of the century, the company was converted into a family-owned corporation, which continued to prosper and thrive until the outbreak of World War II.
Presses built by DORST TECHNOLOGIES at the time proved to be a game-changer for the manufacturing of certain types of ceramic products. In terms of wall and floor tiles, DORST TECHNOLOGIES had a virtual monopoly in world markets.
After the war, the company was expropriated by the Soviets and turned into a socially owned enterprise, forcing the Dorst family to leave their company and the zone then occupied by the Soviets. Yet, their entrepreneurial spirit and vision still lived on.
In 1949, it was possible to acquire a vacant factory property in Kochel am See - today's head office and administrative center. Rebuilding the company started in the summer of 1950 with just 18 employees.
The following years saw a rapid comeback. In addition to the head office in Kochel am See, important productions and subsidiary companies were established in Bad Kötzting, the USA and in China as well as a series of distribution and service branches in different parts of the world.
DORST TECHNOLOGIES is emerging as the global technology and market leader for powder metallurgical and ceramic shaping.
The high level of consulting expertise - from the material to the finished technical solution and individual, customer-specific services become the signature of the company.
Innovative strength and a broad diversification characterize the steady success of the company under the aegis of the charitable DORST-LÖCHERER-STIFTUNG.
With highly specialized production systems, automation and new digital services for powder shaping, we are facing up to technological change and the challenges of the future.
