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Ecology 2024

Ecology 2023

Ecology 2024

Ecology 2023

International leader with deep regional roots since 1919

We strive to impress internal and external target groups and to cultivate fair, long-lasting cooperation based on partnership. To this end, we continually optimise the quality of our products and services, and constantly adapt our business processes to the changing demands of the market.

Our global supply chain management ensures on-time delivery of our products to customers around the world. Investments in research and development, in training our employees and in technological improvements are integral parts of our corporate culture.

The sustainable handling of resources, the guaranty of a safe working environment and compliance with legal requirements have contributed to the company’s positive development since 1919.

100+
countries within our reach
30+
global production sites
80,000+
standard products
500+
patents worldwide
4,400+
valued employees
730+
million Euro turnover

Executive Board

Since 2022, Tyrolit is managed by an Executive Board of four members who share the values lived by the founding Swarovski family and carry their vision into the world. In its more than 100 years of history, the internationally leading and modern company has more than met the demands of the market time and again with its innovative spirit and know-how.

Thomas Friess

CEO

The Tyrolit success story began on 13 February 1919: The brand has been registered in the companies register. The desire of the company's founder, Daniel Swarovski, to no longer have to rely on a supply of basic tools to manufacture glass decorative discs was the spur for producing grinding wheels. But things didn't end with self-sufficiency. Gradually, the company began to supply neighbouring businesses with the grinding wheels under the name "Tyrolit".

A success story began to take shape.

In 1952, two years after the opening of the new site in Schwaz, Tyrolit launches the first cut-off and rough grinding wheels with glass fibre reinforcement – the Secur wheels – on the market.

These wheels also represent the consignment to history of the paper insert. Instead, a glass fibre reinforcement holds the wheel together and stops it separating into individual components – and endangering the operator – if used incorrectly. This wheel lays the cornerstone for Tyrolit's growth.

Diamond is gaining in importance as an abrasive for tungsten carbide. This prompts Tyrolit in January 1967 to start the production of resin-bonded diamond grinding tools. In addition, the company publishes its first diamond catalogue with recommendations on how to use the new diamond grinding wheels. Interest in the new products is high – a reprint of the catalogue is required.

Innovating new products is traditionally one of Tyrolit's strengths. In addition to the existing Bakelite-bonded and vitrified-bonded tools, the company adds elastic grinding and polishing tools to the range in 1976. A new product group is born: Tyrolit Elastic. Working on hard-to-reach workpiece shapes becomes easier. This makes Tyrolit one of the few companies around the world to offer both conventional and elastic grinding tools.

In a high-tech industry like the abrasives industry, it is necessary to be able to react to new developments. Work processes continued to be developed and new products came to the market. Tyrolit seized the opportunity and developed diamond wall saws in 1981.

In addition to lower noise pollution and more precise cutting, they particularly allow for more efficient work on construction sites, in power station construction and in repair work.

Tyrolit starts mass producing laser-welded diamond tools in 1984. These are beneficial in the stone industry in particular, since they can process extremely hard stone with ease. These laser-welded tools have a much better bond that the previous brazed ones. This also means increased safety for the operator.

For many years, wire saws have been used to extract and machine blocks of marble. However, these wire saws quickly wear out, so diamond wire was used for the first time in the 1960s. But they only had a limited field of application.

As a result, Tyrolit pursued a consistent further development process which was completed in 1990: A new diamond wire saw from Tyrolit came to the market. Whether in structural and civil engineering or the machining of natural stone, the saws have a variety fields of application. Its special production process ensures overall great flexibility and very good protection.

Tyrolit launches a new vitrified-bonded CBN grinding wheel onto the market in 1994. This wheel is the first of its kind to be approved by the Deutscher Schleifscheibenausschuss (DSA) for an operating speed of 200 m/s. The new wheel's vitrified bond offers significant advantages, such as greater dimensional stability and temperature resistance and more favourable dressing behaviour.

In 2014, Tyrolit decides to apply its industrial expertise and around 100 years of experience in the development of market-leading grinding solutions to daily life with the establishment of Tyrolit life. The aspiration is ambitious: use the existing expertise to manufacture high-quality products and combine them with an elegant design. This has already been successful with the first product – a knife sharpener that impresses experts and users alike.

The increasing demands of industry and the resulting changes in the market demand an extremely close relationship with customers. This gives rise to an innovative solution from an employee in 2017. Bent Ankersen from Denmark comes up with the idea for the new product TYROLIT POWER.

This is a combination of natural-hair brushes and a grinding layer made from netting with diamonds. It enables a controlled surface finish in the shortest time. It also significantly reduces costs and machining times compared to conventional tools. A great idea that helps the customer to achieve the desired result in a quarter of the time.

13 February 2019 marked the 100th anniversary since Tyrolit was officially founded.

During this period, based on its expertise in grinding crystal for Swarovski in Wattens, the company has developed into an international group with subsidiaries all over the world.

Today, the Tyrolit Group is one of the leading suppliers of high-quality grinding solutions in various industries.

Sustainability as part of our core values

Tyrolit is committed to sustainability as part of its core values. As a Group, we believe that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability are critical to our success. We strive to ensure that all our activities have a positive impact on people, the environment and society as a whole.

Our goal is to be a productive and responsible member of society. In doing so, we focus on respect for human rights and the careful use of resources. We attach great importance to providing our customers with high-quality and safe products and services as part of a sustainably optimised value-added chain. Active sustainability is a key focus for all internal and external stakeholders and creates the basis for a strategic sustainability policy in all business units.

To this end, we work throughout the Group with long-standing and reliable suppliers who share our values, as well as with responsible, qualified employees and with customers for whom sustainable action and quality are important.