Natural stone since 1761
Shock in the Altmühltal: Johann Stiegler KG, one of the oldest family businesses in the natural stone region, is insolvent. Is the end of 257 years of company history looming? Insolvency administrators are trying to avert the worst.
Solnhofener Platten is a cult brand among German natural stones, so how can a material with such a long processing tradition no longer be profitable? Since 2003, cheaper ceramic imitations have been forcing their way onto the market, and according to Ludwig Stiegler, the company’s authorized representative, sales of Solnhofener limestone have since fallen to just a fifth of the record year 2001. The weakening of the famous product is probably the main reason for the misery. Stiegler operates quarries in Solnhofen and Rothenstein, but in addition to Solnhofener slabs and Jura limestone from its own quarries, the product range also includes natural stone imports and ceramics.
Despite the boom in the German construction industry, the cheaper and increasingly sophisticated imitations were no longer available and the order books were simply not full enough. The 80 employees of the family-run company, now in its eighth generation, were informed of the bad news at a works meeting on October 31 and were promised that their outstanding wages could be paid out in a timely manner via insolvency pre-financing.
Silver lining on the horizon?
The hope that operations can continue remains for the time being. Following the family business’s application on October 30, the competent court in Ansbach immediately appointed Eisner Rechtsanwälte as insolvency administrators, who are endeavoring to find a constructive solution. Their managing director, Dr. Helmut Eisner, confirmed to the online daily newspaper Nordbayern.de (Nürnberger Nachrichten/Nürnberger Zeitung): “We are a law firm that always tries to ensure economic operation.” He also described the situation as “difficult, but not hopeless”. There were initial talks at the weekend and he is still in the process of gaining a serious overview of the situation. All possibilities are to be exhausted in order to continue the business in the long term. A takeover of Stiegler KG by a competitor from the region cannot be ruled out.