It all started in the Middle Age...
Our manufacturing roots go all the way back to the middle ages. The brickworks and brick making have in 800 years become one of the oldest and biggest industries in Denmark.
Monks from Italy on their missionary travels brought the skills and knowledge of clay burning and bricklaying to Denmark all those years ago.
Wherever they could find sufficient quantities of clay they would establish their communities, building Churches and Monasteries. One such place was the beautiful area around Egernsund in the Southern part of Denmark. Until 1920 the brick industry was the largest industry in the Egernsund area and in 1925 half of the entire labour force of the area was employed within the brick industry.
Our own history can be traced back to as far as 1880, when in connection with the creation of the Kiel Canal a massive building programme saw a huge demand for clay bricks for factories and houses etc. Following the completion of the canal in 1894 Egernsund Tegl was formally established with approximately 40 brickwork factories, employing more than 700 workers.
The brick industry continued to expand until the reunion following the First World War when in 1920 we were split into two separate companies.
- VZ - Vereinigte Ziegeleien
- DFT - A/S De forenede Teglværker.
Over the years the brickworks have remained privately owned being passed on generation to generation. Although in order to be able to remain competitive over the intervening years, especially against the use of concrete as a growing industry during both the 60’s and 70’s they have had to implement substantial rationalization programmes in order to compete.
Back in 1894 there were 33 brickworks under Egernsund Tegl, today there are 5 left but we now produce 170 million bricks per year as apposed to the 53 million back then.
In the year 2000 the company changed to a cooperative, changing our name from De forende Teglvaerker back to our original name, Egernsund Tegl.
Today, product development, quality, technical advice and guidance as well as a clearly defined focus towards quality customer service are all important areas for us.
Fundamentally however the product, clay brick, still looks the same but with all the expected qualities associated with its aesthetics, technical and durability aspects.