The company's roots began in extractive metallurgy, smelting base metal from ore and forging hammer and nails out of a hammer mill. During the Industrial Revolution the company was transitioned by CEO Michael Flürscheim from forging nails to producing farming machinery. By the 1880s the company became enamel specialists and at the turn of the century began producing bicycles and cast products under the brand name Badenia.
It is currently a subsidiary of Bosch-Siemens Hausgeräte (BSH Hausgeräte). In 2008, the company won the IF Design Awards in every category in which it had nominations.[2]
History
1683 to 1900
Gaggenau Hausgeräte was founded in 1683 in the Black Forest region of Germany by aristocrat Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden. In 1873 Michael Flürscheim became the company’s CEO, and affiliated Gaggenau Hausgeräte with the German railway network. The company also diversified; Flürscheim liquidated the nail forging business and switched to producing farming machinery in response to the Industrial Revolution. In 1879, the inventor and entrepreneur Theodor Bergmann joined the company, which he expanded through a range of products including enamel. By the 1880s, the company ran a successful business producing hardwearing advertising signs for companies such as Odol, Maggi and Stollwerck. In 1893, Bergmann left the company and the company started focusing production on bicycles and cast products (such as coal and gas-fired stoves) under the brand name Badenia.[3]
1991 to 1998
From 1991 to 1998, Timothy Jacob Jensen served as Gaggenau Hausgeräte’s chief designer, creating and developing a range of products including ceramic hobs, built-in ovens, extractor hoods, dishwashers, washing machines, and tumble dryers. These include the EB900 Built-in oven and CK494 Glass ceramic hob. In 1995, Gaggenau Hausgeräte was acquired by Bosch-Siemens Hausgeräte (BSH Hausgeräte).[4]
^Landesarchivdirektion Baden-Württemberg, Landkreis Rastatt und Landesmedienzentrum Baden-Württemberg (Hrsg.): Kreisbeschreibungen des Landes Baden-Württemberg – Der Landkreis Rastatt. Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgart 2002. Band 2, ISBN3-7995-1364-7, S. 60 f.
