Creaton

Creaton GmbH is a German manufacturer of clay roof tiles, based in Wertingen in Bavaria. It is the market leader in Germany for the traditional Biberschwanz (plain or beaver-tail) clay tile. The company's history starts in 1884, when Alois Berchtold founded a brickworks in Wertingen. Since 2024 Creaton has been part of the Austrian group Wienerberger.

History

• 1884: Alois Berchtold founds a brickworks in Wertingen.
• 1934: Anton Ott founds a works in Autenried.
• 1992: The Berchtold and Ott businesses merge as Creaton Berchtold & Ott GmbH.
• 1995: Conversion to a stock corporation and stock-market listing.
• 2005: The Belgian building-materials group Etex becomes majority shareholder.
• 2008-2009: The German Federal Cartel Office fines Creaton and other tile manufacturers a combined EUR 188 million for price-fixing.
• 2017: Delisting after a squeeze-out of minority shareholders.
• 2018: Conversion from an AG to a GmbH.
• 2020-2021: Combination with the French clay tile group Terreal.
• January 2023: The Federal Cartel Office clears Wienerberger's takeover of Terreal, including Creaton.
• March 2024: Wienerberger completes the takeover; Creaton's Polish and Hungarian plants are transferred to Swisspor.

Products

Creaton makes plain (Biberschwanz) tiles, which are laid in overlapping double or crown courses typical of southern Germany and Austria, as well as pressed single-lap clay tiles. Its range also covers concrete roof tiles, roof accessories, mounting systems for photovoltaic panels, and facade tiles.

Context

German pitched-roof practice relies heavily on clay and concrete tiles over battens with a secondary underlay, and the Biberschwanz tile is a defining feature of traditional Bavarian and Franconian roofscapes.