With the goal to create a diamond for everyone, Daniel Swarovski laid the cornerstone of his crystal empire in 1895 in Wattens, Austria.

Patrick Moessner

11.02.2019

With the goal to create a diamond for everyone, Daniel Swarovski laid the cornerstone of his crystal empire in 1895 in Wattens, Austria.

 

He had invented an electric machine that allowed him to cut glass far more precisely than it was possible by hand. By developing and manufacturing the tools necessary to grind the glass jewellery, Swarovski was also able to build up a vast knowledge of grinding. Only 24 years later – on 13 February 1919 – the company TYROLIT was registered, named so for a mineral of the same name found in the region.

 

Quickly realising the potential of the innovative industrial grinding tools beyond self-provision, TYROLIT soon supplied manufacturers in Austria as well as in Germany, Italy and Russia with grinding wheels. In 1950, TYROLIT management decided to move headquarters to the neighbouring city of Schwaz, to allow the business to grow and develop independently. With the completion of the first factory buildings at the new location, customer demand grew significantly. And as TYROLIT started to produce bigger grinding tools and acquired more and more customers in many countries, production capacities soon had to be expanded. Within a few years, the company had established itself as a global brand in 54 countries all over the world.

Over the course of the following years, the high level of expertise in grinding and a dedication to technological innovation resulted in the development of numerous products and solutions that had a lasting impact on the international abrasives market. For example, the “Secur-Extra” grinding discs, which were available from 1959, provided unprecedented grinding performance. At the same time, TYROLIT pushed into new industry segments and was able to make significant contributions to a large number of high-precision grinding processes. After about 40 years, TYROLIT products were already available in 67 countries.

 

In 1962, TYROLIT grinding tools were part of a very special combination of Tyrolean tradition and international recognition when Heinrich Harrer – a known Austrian alpinist and explorer – brought TYROLIT sharpening stones on his expedition to New Guinea. With 31 first ascents, the expedition was a success, and the natives were impressed with the sharpening stones.

 

In the following years, TYROLIT added more and more products for surface treatment and processing – among them saws and drilling equipment for the construction and stone industry – to the already extensive product range. Not only were customers’ demands for more flexibility met, but also the performance of the tools, and consequently their economic efficiency, was increased. In 1973, TYROLIT tools made it possible for the first time to grind with 100 m/s, instead of the usual 80 m/s. These higher cutting speeds brought significant advantages that benefitted all TYROLIT customers.

1975 saw TYROLIT expand their global position as an international industrial group even further. With the expansion to the Middle East, two locations in Argentina as well as acquisitions in the Czech Republic and North America, new strategic markets were developed with their own sales and production sites. Ongoing investments in the expansion of existing infrastructure and additional acquisitions in the 2000s strengthened the position in the key markets of North America and Europe. As of 2014 TYROLIT was also represented with their very own production site in Africa – and therefore on all continents. In the same year, TYROLIT life entered the consumer market and now offers a century’s worth of experience in grinding in the form of various everyday products.

Exactly 100 years ago, on 13 February 2019, TYROLIT was founded. In this time, the company was able to grow from a local expert in grinding crystals to an internationally successful industrial group with subsidiaries all around the world. Today, the TYROLIT group has more than 4,600 employees and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of grinding and dressing tools as well as a system provider in the construction industry. The 29 production sites manufacture more than 80,000 products, which are sold through 37 sales companies and distributors in 65 countries all around the world.