50 years of Getzner Werkstoffe

Vibration protection experts celebrate anniversary

31.10.19

Buers (AT). Getzner Werkstoffe was founded 50 years ago and is today the world leader in vibration isolation and protection in the railway, construction and industry sectors. To mark the occasion, Getzner is taking a look back at a successful half-century and making ambitious plans for the future.

Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH was founded as Getzner Chemie GesmbH & Co. in Buers back in 1969. As a subsidiary of Getzner, Mutter & Cie., the company was initially responsible for the production of artificial leather and complemented the Holding’s textile business. While carrying out development work on artificial leather, Getzner also experimented with polyurethane foams. The results were so promising that Getzner completely turned its business model on its head. With the introduction of the material Sylomer®, which has been trademarked for years, the company finally turned to the development of vibration protection solutions in 1976/77. “Elastic bearings made of our materials protect tracks, trains, buildings and machines from shocks and vibrations. We’re proud that our high-tech solutions help to improve working conditions, travel experiences and overall quality of life,” summarises Jürgen Rainalter, Chief Executive Officer at Getzner.

Although Getzner no longer manufactures artificial leather, the company maintains strong links with the family company, via Getzner Holding, and they continue to work closely together. The innovative product range means that now even plots of land subjected to heavy vibrations can be developed and vibration solutions from Getzner have a positive effect on a building’s value. Trains can also travel along high-speed lines with lower maintenance costs while machines and industrial plants can operate without vibration.

Long-lasting solutions in use for forty years
“Right from the start, we had great success with our innovations and this still drives us today,” says Jürgen Rainalter. Getzner’s USP lies in its many long-term references. “As we have been in business for many years, we can point to projects where our solutions have been successful for forty years and more.” Half a century after it was founded, Getzner is still investing heavily in research and development. The company recently launched its g-fit range, which provides effective protection against noise and vibrations for fitness studios and gyms. The first projects are already underway, including in a crossfit studio in Zürich.

Quieter and better quality of life
In addition to the trademarked Sylomer®, Getzner also offers the materials Sylodyn®, Sylodamp® and the Isotop® product range, all developed at Getzner’s own facility. Applications have been optimised over the years, and these resistant and, in some cases, fire-retardant materials can be adapted for a wide range of customer requirements.

From Buers to the whole world
The company’s international success also began with Sylomer®. In 1983, Getzner Werkstoffe Deutschland GmbH was founded in Grünwald, Germany. An office was established in Jordan and another in Germany in 1994 and 1996 respectively. In the meantime, Getzner also opened further locations in Japan, India, China, the USA and France. Most recently, a production site was opened in Decatur (USA) in 2018.

Renowned references
A project is currently underway to provide vibration protection on the railway line from Sivas to Ankara in Turkey – Getzner was also recently awarded the contract for the second construction phase. Construction of this high-speed line, which will be bedded on Getzner materials, will reduce the journey time from twelve hours to two. Getzner is also involved in another impressive project at the Grandberry Mall in Tokyo: when the shopping centre was demolished, the elastic point bearings made from Sylodyn® that had been installed 14 years prior were also removed. As these still met the vibration protection requirements after such a long period of time, Getzner was awarded the contract to supply the new bearings when the shopping centre was rebuilt.

Ongoing optimisation work
Getzner invests not only in products and services, but also in optimising its own corporate structures. As part of the Operational Excellence (OPEX) project launched in 2018, interdisciplinary teams are continually identifying potential for increasing efficiency. Digitalisation plays a decisive role here. “We see this as not just an opportunity to increase efficiency, but also to optimise processes: from sales and production right down to the individual divisions. We are continually testing technological developments and exploiting the benefits they offer. This allows us to guarantee quality in the long term,” explains Jürgen Rainalter. The OPEX project encompasses all of Getzner's global locations.