Terreal: The Biggest Acquisition in wienerberger’s History

What belongs together, is now growing together. On the one hand wienerberger, a company that in more than 200 years has established itself as a leading supplier of innovative, sustainable building materials and infrastructure solutions. On the other: Terreal. A producer of roof and photovoltaic solutions –with a history stretching back 150 years just as full of tradition and equally focused on sustainability. The takeover of Terreal’s business in France, Italy, Spain and the USA as well as of Creaton in Germany is the biggest acquisition in wienerberger’s history.

Roofs are becoming increasingly important and due to their available surface area have immense potential – in fields as diverse as rainwater management, solar power generation using photovoltaic systems and promoting biodiversity. wienerberger brings together solutions for all of them under one roof and with the acquisition of Terreal has expanded its integrated solutions competence for the entire building envelope.

The company wants to leverage this concentrated expertise to help create more affordable and attractive housing and drive forward the refurbishment and renovation of the existing building stock in Europe. This is a key step on the path to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and implementing the European Green Deal since old, uninsulated roofs can account for roughly 30 percent of the heat lost from a building. Beyond this, additional solutions for the facade and the production of solar energy on the roof also help increase a building’s energy efficiency and facilitate the transition to renewable energy.

“The acquisition of Terreal strengthens our position in a number of countries: We are entering the Italian, Spanish and US roof markets for the first time. With production facilities in central and southeastern France as well as northern and central Germany we are not just opening up new geographical areas. Terreal is also a leader in the field of photovoltaic systems, a segment that is becoming increasingly important and that will show sustained growth in future,” says Christian Reingruber, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Roof Solutions and Applications at wienerberger. He is responsible for the strategic direction of the roof segment with a focus on the further development of high-quality, innovative and sustainable roof systems and applications. Read more here: Sustainable Roof Systems: “From Protection to Multi-Function“.

A typical Mediterranean roof landscape is dominated by clay tiles in the warm hues of natural terra cotta. The traditional models manufactured by Terreal are now enriching the wienerberger product range as are its rainwater management and solar solutions and its roof accessories – from ridge rolls to flashings. Creaton is an established brand for clay roof tiles in Germany and its concrete roof tiles now also complement wienerberger’s pitched roof product range.

“We are an international company but one that has strong regional roots. This means: We offer all-in solutions that meet local needs and fit in well with the local building culture – while our nationwide sales teams ensure a strong customer focus combined with expert advice,” explains Christian Reingruber. 

From efficient rainwater management, refurbishment and greening to electricity production on the roof – all these trends open up growth potential. “The roof solutions from Terreal in France, Italy, Spain and the USA as well as Creaton in Germany are well established in their local markets. The newly acquired plants score high marks for the quality of their products which enjoy the trust of local customers,” says Franz Kolnerberger, Head of International Product Management Roof at wienerberger. This is also the reason these powerful brands are being retained.

It is anticipated that the combined pitched roof business will cover approximately 75 million square meters of roof surface per year in future. This is the equivalent of double the roof landscape of Paris. In addition, we will also strengthen services for our local customers in the regions. The additional plants will shorten distances between production and construction sites – thus helping to achieve wienerberger’s ambitious sustainability targets.

What is Franz Kolnerberger especially proud of? “In the last few months, I have had the opportunity to get to know new colleagues in France, Germany and Italy. It is truly inspiring to see how many of them are proud to be part of wienerberger, THE leading provider of innovative, ecological solutions for the entire building envelop and which has such enormous innovative capability in the roofing sector.“ The wienerberger family is growing by approximately 3,000 new members from Terreal and Creaton.

With their mix of tradition and modernity, local presence and ambitious sustainability goals, the two vibrant corporate cultures are an ideal match – which is why they are already growing together sustainably under the new, shared roof.