More than 130 years of history. Our milestones from 1889 to today.
Since 1889, customers have appreciated the high quality products of Robert Thoma & Co - back then they were still made of wood. Since 1986, the Swiss company Rotho Kunststoff AG has been creating a wide range of unique, designer and user-friendly products for the kitchen, home and pet sector. The materials may have been improved over time, but we remain true to our high quality standards.
How it all started...
1820 - Adam Thoma is a master carpenter in the traditional village of "Holzschneflerdorf" in Bernau in the Black Forest and runs a small workshop.
1864 - Robert Thoma, founder of Rotho, was born in Bernau and later took over his father's carpentry workshop.
1889 - Robert Thoma invests in a generator so he can expand the small production of small furniture, planers and other wood products. Robert Thoma & Co. is founded.
1925 - Robert Thoma Junior (1901-1962) takes over his father's plant and expands it into a small industrial woodworking facility.
1950 - Beginning of plastic processing in Bernau and St. Blasien: Robert Thoma & Co. and its 15 employees switch production of wooden drawers for office furniture to plastic drawers.
Handing over the company to three sons - Edwin, Franz and Walter Thoma, who run it until the 1980s.
1955 - A plastic vegetable peeler with a steel blade is created, and today it is the oldest and virtually unchanged product in Rotho's range.
1981- Purchase of Fixit AG and founding of Rotho-Fixit Kunstoffwerke in Neuenhof, Switzerland. Ro and Tho are the initial letters of company founder Robert Thoma's first and last name.
1985 - Acquisition and expansion of baby products division, founding Rotho Babydesign GmbH in St. Blasien, Germany.
1990 - Name change from Rotho-Fixit Kunststoffwerke to Rotho Kunststoff AG.
1993 - Winfried Köbel takes the chairman's seat at Rotho Gruppe and contributes to the company's international success.
1995- Construction of a brand new factory in Würenlingen, Switzerland, and concentration of all operations at this new location.
2005 - In view of the company's international success, production in Würenlingen is expanded in 2005 to include an additional module.
2007 - The new logistics center has a highly automated picking line and a partially automated pallet warehouse.
2010 - Rotho Professional GmbH was founded by Pablo Kaplan and Winfried Köblel It specializes in professional waste systems for the service, food service and hospitality sectors.
2011 - Görwihl in the Black Forest becomes the center of all distribution action in and for Germany.
2016 - Rotho Ltd. is a new company with a modern location. It will serve as a base for further expansion of the Rotho Group.
