ORAFOL celebrating 35 years in free world

On November 9, 1989, one of the darkest eras of European or the world history came to an end when the Berlin Wall started to be dismantled, leading to the re-unification of Germany as a free, democratic and progressive nation. Amidst the confusion and sometimes chaos that followed, a materials company owned by the former GDR State doggedly pursued its independence and position in the newfound free world. ORAFOL was thus re-born. It was a freedom 35 years ago when the Berlin Wall fell and a new era for ORAFOL began. The ORAFOL story is one of remarkable survival, determination, discipline and pursuit of excellence.

ORAFOL is the largest industrial family business in Eastern Germany. The path from a GDR company to a global player was rarely smooth, but was always characterised by courage, technology and a clear vision for the future. ORAFOL’s roots go back to 1808, when Richard Wibelitz laid the foundations for the manufacture of chemical products in Oranienburg over 200 years ago as the exclusive manufacturer of postmark inks for the Kingdom of Prussia. Over the course of a century, the Wibelitz-Farbenwerkstatt in Berlin developed into a renowned manufacturer of paints and varnishes. A groundbreaking step followed in 1919: the Berlin site was abandoned and the company moved to Oranienburg in Brandenburg. Today, almost 3,000 employees work for the ORFAOL brand worldwide, 1,300 of them at the headquarters in Oranienburg.