Wienerberger

In 1819, Wienerberger was founded in Vienna by Alois Miesbach and got its start making use of clay deposits in the Wienerberg area of Vienna. The company embraced innovations such as circular kiln designs, allowing it to have near-continuous production and achieve early success. Miesbach continued to increase manufacturing capacity as the business grew, and by the time of his death in 1857 the company had nine factories, a clay plant, and multiple coal mines. Miesbach's nephew, Heinrich Drasche, took over the company and maintained its dominant position. Starting in 1869, the company traded on the Vienna Stock Exchange.

For the next hundred years, Wienerberger was the market leader in Austria. They branched into other related industries, such as ornamental sculptures, roof tiles, and architectural terracotta. After World War One and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire Wienerberger lost many of its foreign operations and rebuilt around its core Austrian businesses.

The company began using mechanical presses for brick production around the 1920s, allowing them to produce perforated bricks. Advanced tunnel kilns were adopted during the 1950s, which led to increased manufacturing efficiency. The firm purchased Bramac, a concrete roof tile manufacturer, in 1973.

Starting with its purchase of Germany's Oltmanns-Gruppe company in 1987, Wienerberger expanded into other regions of Europe and entered the plastic pipe business.

In December 1998, Wienerberger acquired a 30 percent stake in the UK-based brick manufacturer Ibstock plc, leading to speculation that it may subsequently purchase the whole company. In 1999, the company acquired the United States-based company General Shale in exchange for $260 million; this transaction brought Wienerberger into the US market for the first time, as well as making it the world's leading manufacturer of bricks.

In April 2000, the Dublin-based building materials supplier CRH plc was reportedly mulling making a bid to acquire Wienerberger. In 2001, the UK-based firm Hanson Plc sold its brick interests on continental Europe to the company for £39.3 million. In October 2004, Wienerberger acquired the UK-based supplier Thebrickbusiness in exchange for £90 million, increasing the company's market share in Britain.

During 2007, Wienerberger competed with the British brick producer Michelmersh Brick Holdings over the ownership of another British-based brick company Baggeridge Brick; Wienerberger ultimately came out on top after increasing its offer to 247p per share and purchasing the majority of the shares in the firm.

In 2009, in response to the outbreak of the Great Recession, the company issued a profit warning, shuttered multiple of its plants and permanently closed two others, resulting in the loss of 80 jobs. During the following year, Wienerberger opted to extend its existing loans and enacted a 15 percent price increase across its product range.