Goebel Porzellan GmbH

Around 1905

Around 1905 The crown above the monogram “WG” marks the transition of the company to William Goebel in 1893. Germany celebrates its Kaiser era and Goebel is part of it. Luxury porcelain, the dream of many, is also sold in America. In Goebel’s impressive factory, small sculptures in Meissen Rococo style are also created. Animal figurines bring the ambience of nature and the exotic into the living rooms of many, while charming figurines of children bring a smile. Goebel also produces bowls, small censers and much more… always in tune with the lifestyle of the times.

1911

1911 Max Louis Goebel takes over the management of the factory. Educated in the booming metropolis of New York City, he, too, loves art…and knows how to combine this passion with business. Goebel becomes a place of innovations. By the year 1919, the luxury brand “Kunstwerkstätten Wilhelmsfeld” is evidence of this innovative spirit.

1921/1931

1921/1931 The Roaring Twenties make their entry at Goebel. Figurines and design elements in Art Deco style conquer the collection. On the occasion of the company‘s 60th anniversary in 1931, many factory modernizations are announced.

1935

1935 Grandson Franz Goebel also proves to be a man of vision. An exclusive agreement with Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel and the Convent of Siessen grants Goebel the exclusive right to adapt the artist’s drawings into three-dimensional porcelain figurines. The famous Hummel figurines are born and become a “million seller” in America. For many years Goebel has been known as the “Hummelwerk“.

1950

1950 Walt Disney, already famous for his legendary characters, also sits at the negotiating table with Franz Goebel. This is the year that Bambi and her friends enriched the Goebel collection.

1953

1953 Heinz Schaubach hands over to his friend Franz Goebel many of his designs. The “Schaubach-Kunst” becomes part of the Goebel assortment.

1971

1971 Goebel celebrates its 100^th anniversary. The highlight of the ceremonies is the unveiling of the larger than lifesize M.I.Hummel “Merry Wanderer“ figure which stands in front of the company building.

1977

1977 The Goebel Collectors‘ Club is founded in the USA, which is the first club of its kind worldwide. This marks a further milestone in Goebel’s success history.

1981

1981 With the “Goebel Galerie” the family-owned company inspires contemporary artists to create new works using porcelain. Unique, exciting pieces are the result of this daring experiment.

1993

1993 Establishment of the business division Gifts and Decorative Accessories. The close cooperation with new artists is continued and the product range enlarged. The foundation stone for today‘s assortment is laid.

2000

2000 By the turn of the millennium, Goebel is one of the most important porcelain brands, with pieces residing in many museums and collections worldwide. Within the following years extensive reorganisations take place which were the consequences of 11 September 2001 and the corresponding market warpings emerging from this.

2006

2006 The principal creditor bank Merrill Lynch refuses the continuation of financing and hence provokes the insolvency of the company.

2007

2007 The business activity of W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik is being continued by Goebel Porzellanmanufaktur GmbH, the shareholders are international investment companies.

2008

2008 Divestment of the M.I. Hummel division. The Hummel figurines are still crafted by hand with loving care by the company Manufaktur Rödental.

2009

2009 Return to the core business with “Gifts and Decorative Accessories” and thus back to the “white gold” (porcelain) for connoisseurs…that is, porcelain for those who want the very best. History becomes present… and future.

2010

2010 Goebel remains a family run business. Since September 1^st, 2010 Goebel Porzellan has a new owner, PM Kapital GmbH & Co. KG, Bad Staffelstein. This company has already been active in the ceramic industry for many years and is also shareholder of Kaiser-Porzellan in Bad Staffelstein.

Under the roof of PM Kapital, two companies are now united, both of which have a similarly long history in the ceramic industry of Upper Franconia. Goebel was founded in 1871 and Kaiser Porzellan in 1872. Both companies will, however, maintain their legal independence in the future.

“What comes together, belongs together,” says Hans-Peter Langsch, CEO, who has been with the Goebel company since 1993. He was the one who, at that time, was assigned by Wilhelm Goebel to establish the Gifts and Decorative Accessories division. Both companies are active in almost identical distribution channels, markets and technologies, but differ in their product alignment.

April 2016

April 2016 Hummel Manufaktur and Goebel Porzellan have agreed on a new marketing and sales cooperation. Goebel will be the M.I. Hummel distributor for Germany, Europe and Asia. The well-known M.I. Hummel figurines are still produced in the Hummel factory in Rödental. Product development and the M.I.Hummel Club remain in the hands of Hummel Manufaktur. This cooperation has meanwhile ended.

May 2016

May 2016 The complete administration of Goebel has moved from Roedental to Bad Staffelstein, the Goebel Factory Outlet remains in Roedental. The Goebel Showroom where regional in-house exhibitions and larger meetings take place was in Bad Staffelstein already for some time.

July 2020

July 2020 Goebel Porzellan under new management - Generation change in the management team of the traditional company from Bad Staffelstein

"It's time to transfer responsibility for the company's destiny into younger hands," says the previous managing director and representative of the company's general meeting, Hans-Peter Langsch, who joined the company in 1993 under the aegis of Wilhelm Goebel. The "newcomers" have also been associated with the company for many years and have proven in the second line that they have learned and understood their profession.

The previous sole responsibility will in future rest on three shoulders: marketing, product management and human resources will be the responsibility of Uwe Dzyck (50), who took over as head of the Marketing Services department in 2012. Sales and IT will be taken over by Markus Hofmann-Schneyer (40), who has been with the company in various sales positions since 2007 and took over overall sales management in 2019. Daniela Vetter (49), who started out as a purchaser at Goebel in 1998, will take over as head of the Sourcing department in 2011 and, since 2013, as managing director of the affiliated company, Global Supply Management GmbH, will head the Purchasing and Finance departments.

"I had the opportunity to get to know all three of them as competent, loyal and confident managers who have their hearts in the right place and have understood the general conditions of a medium-sized company that plays a significant role in Germany and international markets. They have not only accompanied the company's transformation from a supplier of decorative accessories with a focus on figurines - Goebel produced the Hummel figurines until 2007 - to a marketer of art-inspired lifestyle products, but have also played a decisive role in shaping it. They enjoy my full confidence and I am convinced that they will continue to successfully develop the spirit and tradition of the Goebel brand, both internally and externally, well beyond its 150th year", says the current managing director, who, like Wilhelm Goebel, will continue to support the company as an advisor.

Goebel today

Today, Goebel is active in more than 60 countries and supports more than 2,000 specialist retailers internationally. The collection consists of around 2,000 decorative and functional products, almost all of which feature works by living or classic artists. The spectrum ranges from classics such as Monet or Van Gogh to modern Pop Art artists such as Britto, Rizzi, Fazzino or Billy the Artist, who find their interpretation on a variety of products. The range includes key rings, high-quality Fine Bone China coffee mugs, bags and umbrellas. Art lovers are particularly interested in limited editions and sculptures, which are mainly sold in galleries. The popular Rosina Wachtmeister cats with their typical faces, the adorable Goebel Christmas angels and the Easter bunnies, whose origins go back to the 1950s, round off the portfolio.

Like Kaiser Porzellan in Bad Staffelstein, Goebel has been part of the PM Kapital Group since 2010 and employs around 80 people here in Germany, mainly in Bad Staffelstein, but also in the factory outlets in Rödental and Selb.