From ski wax inventor to surface specialist
Loba, Ditzingen
Loba was founded in 1922 by Dr. Max Fischer and Wilhelm Hornung as "Vereinigte Wachswarenfabriken AG". Initially, floor stains, leather greases, shoe polishes and household candles were produced.
Dr. Fischer also developed the world's first ski wax. It became world-famous under the illustrious brand name "Holmenkol" and for decades it was the undisputed number one in winter sports. Legendary is the color coding of the different ski waxes invented by Loba, with which the skis, depending on snow and weather conditions, could be prepared. Although the Holmenkol brand has since been sold by Loba, the color classification remains the market standard.
The world's first composite thermal insulation system was also developed by Loba. In 1959, long before the oil crisis in the 1970s, it was presented under the name "Dryvit" and made a significant contribution to energy savings. This branch was also sold later.
Michael Fischer, the current owner, is the son of the company's founder. He has been managing the company since 1990 and has driven the environmentally conscious manufacture of the products from the very beginning. Years ago, the production of highly solvent-based parquet coatings was stopped. The company consistently relies on water-based and low-emission products. Last but not least, this orientation has given Loba a further competitive advantage: the water-based two-component systems developed in-house for parquet sealing are an unrivalled standard on the market to this day. The latest product is an invisible sealant for parquet and wooden floors. The wooden floors look like untreated, but are as easy to clean as painted surfaces.
A side effect of these water-based products is that they are very environmentally friendly, but of course they are no longer indefinitely durable in the storage tanks. This is where Speidel comes in: When expanding production capacity, operations manager Volker Riexinger was looking for high-quality industrial tanks that were easy to clean. However, the existing offers did not really appeal to him. Out of a gut instinct, he therefore did extensive research and finally landed with Speidel. He had an offer made for four large stainless steel tanks and finally decided to use Speidel.
A side effect of these water-based products is that they are very environmentally friendly, but of course they are no longer indefinitely durable in the storage tanks. This is where Speidel comes in: When expanding production capacity, operations manager Volker Riexinger was looking for high-quality industrial tanks that were easy to clean. However, the existing offers did not really appeal to him. Out of a gut instinct, he therefore did extensive research and finally landed with Speidel. He had an offer made for four large stainless steel tanks and finally decided to use Speidel.
In his own words, he has never regretted this decision. "We've only seen benefits so far," he says. A quick offer, expert construction and competent service – that's how Riexinger has experienced the cooperation so far.
The price-performance ratio is also good for Riexinger. The first four large tanks had already paid for themselves after four years. Capacity has now been increased by a further 13 Speidel tanks. Some mixing tanks will be added soon. Mr. Riexinger's gut feeling is obviously still good.
