Ceramics Laufen

What Ceramics Laufen does

Ceramics Laufen, operating commercially as LAUFEN, is a Swiss sanitary ware manufacturer founded in 1892 in Laufen, Basel-Landschaft, and wholly owned by Spain's Roca Group. The company designs, produces, and distributes ceramic bathroom products including washbasins, WCs, bidets, urinals, bathtubs, and shower trays, complemented by faucets, bathroom furniture, shower toilets (Cleanet line including Cleanet Auria), accessories, and behind-the-wall installation systems (INEO/INEOLINK). Its technology stack rests on proprietary materials — Saphirkeramik enabling thin-walled ceramic designs, Vitreon Steel for enameled-steel durability, and LAUFEN Clean Coat surface treatment — and on a Smart Bathroom IoT platform comprising Bluetooth-configured electronic faucets and controls (CURVETRONIC, TWINTRONIC, SHOWERTRONIC), the Smartcontrol app, the LAUFEN Dashboard cloud solution, and a Gateway for building management integration.

LAUFEN manufactures in five countries (Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria) and sells through sales subsidiaries and dealer showrooms in more than 40 countries, with a Swiss/Liechtenstein-exclusive direct e-commerce channel and an 800 m² LAUFEN Forum flagship showroom at headquarters. The business model is predominantly one-time hardware sales priced in Swiss Francs (e.g., INEO actuation plates CHF 61–CHF 738; INEOLINK washbasin installation elements CHF 198–CHF 313), with go-to-market layered across (a) sales-led B2B specification targeting architects, sanitary installers, and facility managers, (b) channel-partner distribution via global dealers, and (c) showroom-led residential and commercial demand generation. Design collaborations (notably Kartell●Laufen and products by Philippe Starck and Peter Wirz) reinforce premium positioning.

Customer segmentation spans private residential buyers seeking design-oriented coordinated bathrooms and public/commercial facility buyers requiring durable, hygienic, IoT-monitored sanitary solutions; secondary personas include architects/planners (BIM, technical documentation), sanitary installers (INEO pre-fabricated systems), and facility managers (remote monitoring dashboards). Compliance with BASPO, SVGW, SIA 181, DIN 18040, and SIA 500 standards, plus UN Global Compact membership since 2021, support public-sector and sustainability-oriented specification.

Name

Ceramics Laufen

Legal name

LAUFEN Schweiz AG

Website

https://laufen.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

LAUFEN is a Swiss sanitary ceramics manufacturer (founded 1892) producing washbasins, WCs, faucets, bathroom furniture, shower toilets, and IoT-enabled smart bathroom solutions under Roca Group ownership, serving residential and commercial customers in over 40 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sanitary Ceramics and Fixtures: Core revenue from manufacturing and selling bathroom ceramics including washbasins, WCs, bidets, urinals, bathtubs, and shower trays. Revenue generated through one-time product sales to dealers, installers, and project customers.
2. Faucets and Fittings: Revenue from bathroom faucets, kitchen faucets, and accessories including mixer taps, bidet mixers, bath mixers, and shower mixers
3. Bathroom Furniture: Sale of bathroom furniture including washbasin pedestals, mirror cabinets, storage elements, and coordinating accessories
4. Smart Bathroom Solutions: IoT-enabled products including smart faucets (CURVETRONIC, TWINTRONIC), shower controls (SHOWERTRONIC), and urinal controls with associated gateway and cloud dashboard services
5. Installation Systems: INEO and INEOLINK installation elements including WC elements, washbasin elements, shower tray elements, actuation plates, and accessories for professional installers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Ceramics Laufen (LAUFEN Schweiz AG) manufactures and sells sanitary ceramics, bathroom furniture, fittings, bathtubs, shower trays, shower toilets (Cleanet), and installation systems through dealer showrooms, project business, and a Swiss webshop. The portfolio spans complete bathroom collections, kitchen faucets (VARA), and IoT-enabled smart bathroom products backed by proprietary materials including Saphirkeramik and Vitreon Steel.

Product overview

LAUFEN is a Swiss bathroom ceramics and fixtures manufacturer with nearly 170 years of history, producing at its headquarters in Laufen, Switzerland and in Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, and Bulgaria under the Roca Group. The product portfolio is organized as a multi-layered offering centered on ceramic sanitary ware (washbasins, WCs, bidets, urinals, bathtubs, shower trays), complemented by a full range of bathroom furniture (BASE 2.0, ARUN, Lani, Frame25, BASE), designer complete bathroom collections (MEDA, Kartell ● Laufen, VAL, Moderna R, PRO S, PRO, PRO X, IlBagnoAlessi, Ino, Lua, The New Classic, Florakids), and kitchen/faucet solutions including the VARA multi-water-type kitchen faucet and VARA Business. The INEO (INEOLINK) installation system line provides behind-the-wall solutions (WC elements, washbasin elements, shower tray elements, actuation plates) for efficient installation. A distinct smart/IoT product line covers electronic faucets (CURVETRONIC, TWINTRONIC), SHOWERTRONIC shower controls, and urinal controls, managed through the Smartcontrol Bluetooth app and LAUFEN Dashboard cloud platform with Gateway connectivity to building management systems. The proprietary Saphirkeramik material enables thin-walled ceramic designs, while LAUFEN Clean Coat surface treatment and Vitreon Steel (enamelled steel) represent key material innovations. The product line also encompasses the Cleanet shower toilet range (including Cleanet Auria), bathroom accessories, and specialized products for public and accessible bathrooms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cleanet: Product line of shower toilets (Dusch-WCs) including models such as Cleanet Auria, Cleanet Sit, and related accessories for advanced bathroom hygiene.
• INEO / INEOLINK
• Smartcontrol
• VARA
• Vitreon Stahl
• Kartell ● Laufen
• swissSTAPI

Products and services

• INEO Installation System Pre-fabricated behind-the-wall installation system made in Germany, offering pre-fitted, intelligently designed parts (WC, washbasin, urinal, bidet, and shower tray elements plus actuation plates) for quick and easy installation in new builds and renovations.
• VARA Kitchen Faucet Kitchen faucet that delivers seven different types of water at the push of a button, including filtered pure water, directly at the kitchen sink. Designed for residential kitchens with Swiss precision engineering.
• VARA Business Business-oriented variant of the VARA kitchen faucet system, offering multi-water-type delivery for commercial or professional kitchen environments.
• Cleanet Shower Toilet Line Product line of shower toilets (Dusch-WCs) including models such as Cleanet Auria and Cleanet Sit, combining intimate water cleaning with advanced comfort features continuously optimized through technological development.
• Cleanet Auria Flagship model in the Cleanet collection, redefining luxury and personal well-being in the bathroom through a multisensory experience combining cutting-edge technology with timeless, understated design.
• CURVETRONIC Smart washbasin solution featuring touchless, electronic faucet control for public and private bathrooms, with IoT connectivity for integration into LAUFEN's smart building ecosystem.
• TWINTRONIC Smart electronic faucet solution with IoT capabilities, part of the LAUFEN smart bathroom product line for public and private facilities.
• SHOWERTRONIC Electronic shower control system with IoT connectivity for intelligent water management in showers.
• MEDA Bathroom Collection Complete bathroom program designed by Peter Wirz of Vetica design studio with characteristic forms and maximum modularity, created with the concept 'Made for Life' to adapt to any bathroom environment and style.
• Kartell ● Laufen Collection Complete bathroom collection resulting from the design collaboration between Italian design brand Kartell and LAUFEN, combining design excellence with LAUFEN's sanitary ceramics expertise.
• VAL Bathroom Collection Minimalist complete bathroom collection known for its clear, reduced design language.
• Moderna / Moderna R Collection Ceramic bathroom collection with a contemporary design approach.
• Lua Bathroom Collection Complete bathroom collection with its own distinct design character.
• PRO Bathroom Collection Functional and aesthetic bathroom ceramic series with over 20 years of design heritage, predecessor to PRO X and PRO S.
• PRO S Bathroom Collection Functional and aesthetic bathroom ceramic series building on the PRO design heritage.
• PRO X Bathroom Collection Classic PRO collection updated by designer Peter Wirz with clearer, more delicate, and versatile forms, building on over 20 years of PRO's functional and aesthetic heritage.
• IlBagnoAlessi Collection Design-oriented bathroom collection featuring the design heritage of Alessi for the bathroom.
• The New Classic Collection Complete bathroom collection bridging classic design traditions with contemporary bathroom needs.
• Florakids Collection Bathroom collection designed specifically for children's bathrooms, combining playful design with functional requirements.
• ARUN Furniture Collection Furniture collection inspired by warm colors of early morning sky, using wood, marble, and stone materials to create a natural, cozy aesthetic with a wide color palette, reflecting sustainable craftsmanship.
• BASE 2.0 Furniture Collection Redesign of a timeless bathroom furniture design with rounded corners, integrated J-profile handles, anthracite interior, full-extension soft-close drawers, and a practical drawer organization system.
• Ino Bathroom Collection Compact bathroom collection designed for smaller spaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products comply with BASPO and SVGW standards for public buildings
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Roca GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021LAUFEN operates under the brand roof of the Roca Group, one of the world's largest bathroom product manufacturers. As part of the group, LAUFEN benefits from global scale while maintaining its Swiss identity and precision manufacturing heritage.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Duravit: German bathroom manufacturer with a near-identical product portfolio — ceramic sanitary ware, bathroom furniture, bathtubs, shower trays, and wellness systems — serving premium residential and project segments.
• Geberit: Swiss sanitary technology leader offering installation systems, bathroom ceramics, and piping — a directly comparable Swiss premium sanitary peer with overlapping product categories and similar European manufacturing heritage.
• Villeroy & Boch: German bathroom ceramics and tableware manufacturer with comparable heritage, design-led collections, and complete bathroom solutions targeting residential and hospitality customers.
• Dornbracht: German premium design faucet and shower manufacturer — a smaller but design-led peer competing for the same high-end residential and architectural project specification work as LAUFEN.
• Grohe: German faucet and shower systems specialist (LIXIL subsidiary) with overlapping premium faucet offerings and similar design-driven approach to bathroom and kitchen tapware.
• Hansgrohe: German premium faucet and shower manufacturer with a directly overlapping faucet product range and similar premium design positioning targeting residential and project customers.
• Toto: Japanese sanitary ware leader with a strong smart bathroom technology franchise (Washlet) directly comparable to LAUFEN's Cleanet shower toilet line, plus global premium ceramic and faucet offerings.
• Ideal Standard: European bathroom brand with comparable residential and commercial focus, offering ceramic sanitary ware, faucets, and bathroom furniture across European and Middle Eastern markets.
• Kohler: US-based global bathroom fixtures leader with a broad portfolio across ceramics, faucets, smart bathroom, and furniture — directly competing in premium residential and hospitality segments worldwide.

Broad incumbents

• Roca: LAUFEN's parent company and a direct global competitor with a broader product portfolio across more price tiers and a much wider geographic footprint — overlapping in ceramics, faucets, and bathroom furniture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LaufenSchweiz
• Facebookfacebook.com/LaufenSwitzerland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/keramik-laufen-ag
• Instagraminstagram.com/laufen.ch
• Pinterestch.pinterest.com/laufench

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ceramics Laufen