Story of the RAKO brand
History of the RAKO brand is not only a boring one-hundred-and-forty year passage. It is a collection of stories, the lives of generations of ceramists whose determination and skills mattered in every era.
History of the RAKO brand is not only a boring one-hundred-and-forty year passage. It is a collection of stories, the lives of generations of ceramists whose determination and skills mattered in every era.
With tradition, experience and courage, we are writing the next chapter.
It started with coal mining in Rakovník
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When the 1882 flood in the Rakovník region inundated and destroyed the entire system of promising coal shafts, no one could know that the famous Czech ceramic factories would be born from the disaster.
However, it soon became clear that there was shale hiding in the mullock piles. Production started in 1883, and the export of ceramic tiles reached throughout the world. Buildings and jewels were created that we still admire to this day.
The demand for ceramic tiles has been growing steadily since 1912, and 250,000 square metres are produced annually. A large part of that amount is exported, particularly overseas, and especially to the United States. For example, the Holland Tunnel, which connects Manhattan and New Jersey, is still lined with RAKO tiles today.
From 2018 to the present day, LASSELSBERGER has sold approx. 30 million square metres of ceramic tiles annually. To give you a better idea – the quantity of about 10 soccer fields comes out of our plants each day. And it has to be sold. It is a large volume, and the Czech market is small. There is a lot of competition. More than two thirds of the total production is exported. The company is represented in Europe – Germany and Austria, as well as France, the Benelux countries, Scandinavia and Poland are among the most important markets.
Post-war period
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After the war, in the mid-1920s, the factory senses the economic recovery, and the demand for tiles is big. Ceramic wall tiles find their distinctive application in modern functionalist architecture. In 1938, the company totals around 1,400 employees.
Today, as like almost one-hundred years ago, the same number of employees works across five production plants in the Czech Republic, namely in Chlumčany, Lubná u Rakovníka, Horní Bříza, Borovany, and Podbořany.
From the end of the 19th century, the factory employed a large team of specially trained wall and floor tile setters. The official credo of the whole enterprise was associated with them: A ceramic work is not finished when we produce a quality product; but a ceramic work is finished when it is well installed and lasts on the wall for 100 years without any failure. This fact is confirmed by the ceramic decoration of Café Imperial, where visitors from all over the world still not only enjoy Zdeněk Pohlreich's delicacies, but also the atmosphere of original ceramic interior.
Our RAKO SERVICE also has the golden Czech hands, which you can rely on during any installation!
With the Second World War came a reduction of the factory's production until 1946, when the sixth tunnel furnace was activated. In the 1950s the criteria for production success was measured by volume rather than quality. Better, quicker and more was the order of the day. The more technologically demanding production of wall and floor tiles, including reliefs and artistic mosaics, was replaced by basic 10 x 10 and 15 x 15 cm floor tile formats.
We were the leading company with our spray drying technology. In 1965, this “invention” spread throughout the world from the Czech Republic.
An important aspect of the ceramics industry development was also the advancement of technology and ceramic technology and, therefore, also the influence of the growing education and vocational secondary and higher education development in our countries.
Retro era
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In the first half of the 1970s, the technology of decorating tiles with screen printing was modernised... The Retro era arrived.
A centre with the first computer was set up in the company! An important milestone in the company's production technology was the construction of the first domestic roller electric furnace (Realistic) in 1982 and the conversion of the tunnel furnaces, which had previously burnt generator gas, to natural gas.
The story continues after November 1989
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The events of November 1989 set a new development course for the RAKO brand. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, people logically turned their focus to Western products, which had long been denied to them. Moreover, in these post-revolutionary years the economic imperative, which often also unfairly disqualified domestic production, dominated demand.
Gems of the RAKO brand
The RAKO brand belongs among the oldest brands in Czech industry, and is also one of the oldest ceramic tile brands in the world.
LASSELSBERGER takes over
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The Austrian company LASSELSBERGER has been operating in the Czech Republic since 1998.
The three largest manufacturers of floor and wall tiles (Chlumčany, Horní Bříza and Rakovník), these “once” competing companies have historically had common business activities and sales representation in Prague and around the world for decades. The plants went through various stages from private to socialist ownership and were finally privatised. Eventually, they all passed into Austrian hands and are engaged in the production of ceramic tiles and raw materials extraction.
Since 2002, after the new owner LASSELSBERGER bought and merged all of these Czech ceramics companies, it has been offering ceramic wall tiles under the RAKO brand.
Since 2006, there has been a substantial increase in the attractiveness of the offered portfolio and, thanks to dynamic technical and investment development, there has also been an increase in product quality, a shift to large tile formats up to 60 x 120 cm, and the use of new decorating and finishing technologies such as ABS, DryFix, HD Print, etc. The investment in production modernisation between 2016 and 2022 amounted to approximately CZK 2.5 billion.
"We drive technology with passion and conviction."
If you want to constantly develop yourself, you need passion, many years of experience and know-how as well as reliability and highest quality. These standards, our intensive research and the most modern processing methods make us to the leading provider of complete ceramic solutions for your project.
A look at history suggests that the long-standing tradition of the RAKO brand is based on quality, innovation and reliability. The comprehensive offer meets the current demand across the globe. RAKO supplies its products to almost all of the continents. In addition, we offer service and system solutions. This is a superstructure, a “tailor-made” solution.
"We stand for balance between functionality and design."
We are a diverse and passionate team that makes RAKO to what we are today. Creativity, enthusiasm and energy are our everyday effort. Our unique products are born from empowerment to come up with new ideas, through inspiration and innovation. And stories that inspire you.
Present
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Architecture creates spaces, we have been decorating them with our products for generations. With unique concepts for interiors and buildings. With products that inspire. We deal with the trends and topics of the future that have been shaping architecture for a long time. Because this is where our entire life takes place.
The LASSELSBERGER team creates new buildings, but we can build on and restore the original works by RAKO authors. The know-how of experienced professionals has been and is still our strength.
See the Colonnade in Luhačovice, Café Imperial in Prague or Villa Tugendhtat in Brno. A new era also brings modern, new references. We cooperate with key architects from across the globe. RAKO wall tiles are used in the buildings of famous names such as ŠKODA AUTO, Pilsner Urquell, IKEA, T-Mobile, Edeca, in Olympic stadiums, hospitals, swimming pools and the leading hotels of world capitals.
RAKO protects the environment
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Out planet is our home. Therefor we work persistently every day to change things reliably and proactively for the better. We take care of our natural resources. With developing environmentally friendly products and a sustainable CO² footprint.
Environmental protection affects us all. We vouch for her every day.
