Grotrian-Steinweg

Current operations

In 1974, the Grotrian-Steinweg family built a new factory in northwest Braunschweig on Grotrian-Steinweg Street, very near Bundesautobahn 2, a major east–west highway. After Helmut and Erwin Grotrian-Steinweg supervised the construction they retired, leaving Helmut's son Knut in charge. This factory is the current location of Grotrian-Steinweg production. In 1999, Knut Grotrian-Steinweg stepped down from active supervision of the company, and put day-to-day control in the hands of Burkhard Stein, an industrial manager and piano builder. As of 2012, the Grotrian-Steinweg company was owned by the daughters of Erwin Grotrian, with sixth-generation Jobst Grotrian (b. 1969), Knut's son, a shareholder. In 2015, a majority interest in Grotrian-Steinweg was purchased by Parsons Music Group, a company based in Hong Kong. The Grotrian family will remain represented in the group of shareholders.

Annually, the company produces about 500 upright pianos in six sizes and 100 grand pianos in five sizes. Some 20 concert grands are made per year—each one requiring 8 months of manufacture. In 2010, the company issued a special 175-year anniversary model, a 46.5-inch (118 cm) upright called Composé Exclusif, of which 50 were produced.

In 2011, Larry Fine opined that modern Grotrian-Steinweg pianos are among the "highest quality"—on par with Bösendorfer, Hamburg-built Steinway and Fazioli, and of a higher quality than New York-built Steinway.

In 2017, Grotrian-Steinweg launched the Wilhelm Grotrian brand. Made for the entry-level piano market, these pianos are designed by Grotrian-Steinweg and built by Parsons Music Group in China.