Rivagips BG Ltd

History

1949 Friedrich Karl Rogge establishes Odenwald Faserplattenwerk in Amorbach and starts to manufacture wood fibre insulation boards.

1952Production of the first acoustic ceiling tiles from wood fibres.

1960 Whilst visiting the USA, F.-K. Rogge becomes aware of ceiling tiles made from mineral wool – a material that facilitated the manufacture of fire protection ceilings which would bring about the development of new ceiling systems of crucial meaning. One year later he acquires the European manufacturing licensing rights.

1961 In November 1961, the first mineral wool ceiling tiles leave the Amorbach factory – ceiling tiles with the brand name OWAcoustic^® that has now, through continuous development, become one of the leading names for ceiling systems in Europe.

1977 – an investment was made in an installation to manufacture mineral wool, substantially increasing production. It produced a „black wool“ from basalt – an individual raw material that became an identity feature for OWAcoustic^® tiles for 20 years.

1997 OWAcoustic^® tiles are switched to „white wool“ – a Bio-degradable product which fulfils all German and European regulations on health conformity of mineral wools.

2001 The first OWA ceilings were delivered in September for RIVAGIPS BG LTD., in that time under the private label „Artfix“ and later on with the brand name „OWAcoustic“.

2006 On 26th October 2006 Odenwald Faserplattenwerk GmbH (OWA) celebrated the inaugeration of a new production installation at their Amorbach manufacturing plant. Using the most modern technology, wet felted mineral wool boards are formed and dried in the length of a new 210 metre long production installation. A particular main focus of this latest investment in Amorbach is the saving of energy. The new installation has in excess of 20% lower energy consump-tion than the conventional manufacturing technology.

With an investment of approximately 17 million Euros OWA has confirmed its faith in the conservation and optimization of Amorbach as a production location. In the last 10 years alone approximately 65 million Euros has been invested in the Amorbach manufacturing facility.

OWA is the market leader for mineral wool ceiling tiles in Germany and has for several decades been an established world-wide supplier of ceiling systems. At the present time approx 75% of the pro-duction is exported to 78 different countries. OWA ceiling tiles fulfil numerous technical building standards. So they can serve as components for structural fire protection as well as providing the highest standards of optimal area acoustics (for example in school class-rooms and office areas) and special requirements in hygiene and clean room areas.