Founder Friedrich Glatz

 

 

Barge on the Vienna
Danube Canal


Konrad Glatz

Employees and Fleet

Discharging Barley
imported from the USA

 

Friedrich Glatz, Grandson of the
 Founder and 
  Jakob's Father


















Ernst Weiner, from 1933 until 2003 -
Apprentice to Director


Raimund Klotz handed his duties over
to his son after 50 years

1892 The wholesale trading company in cereals, grain products and animal feed was founded in Vienna by Friedrich Glatz, the great-grandfather of the present head of the company. Customers soon included not only retail and wholesale traders, but also bakers, farmers and country estates. Permanent representatives at the stock exchanges of Budapest, Prague, Breslau, Brno and Bratislava as well as imports from Hungary, Italy and Romania provide impressive proof of the successful development of the founder's business activities. His son Konrad, his grandson Friedrich and his great-grandson Jakob have to this day remained faithful to his tenets of customer care.

1914 With the outbreak of WW I the trade in cereals, flour, grain products and animal feed was taken over by the state-run "Kriegs-Getreide-Verkehrsanstalt", which assigned Friedrich Glatz and his employees the task of setting up its headquarters.

1921 The state relinquished its control over  the grain sector. Friedrich Glatz had managed to set up his company in such a way since the end of the war that it regained its former importance quickly. Imports dominated its business activities, not only from the countries of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy but also from France, Switzerland, Italy and Canada. During this time, the Glatz company was also the chief agency for the Concordia Mills of Budapest.

1930 Konrad, the founder's son, joined the company, which he took over as managing partner after his father's death in 1934. During this time, long standing connections to the Balkan states resulted in investments in two companies, the "Cerealcomert S.A.R." in Braila, Romania, and the "Donau-Cereal A.G." in Belgrade.

1945 Immediately after the end of the war, the company used its so-called "Maria-Theresien-Berechtigungsschein" –a licence to trade in goods of all type – to do just that: everything from shoe polish to brooms, cakes, almond paste, liquid soap to needles was sold. This was also the time the US aid programs were brought into being: UNRRA, Marshall Plan and ERP. At the initiative of the Glatz company the distribution of aid packages was organized together with ERWIG (the Vienna Bakers' Industrial and Provident Society). Since coupons were mandatory, a sizeable administrative effort became necessary. A truck fleet was also required, at first equipped with US and British Army surplus vehicles in Austria. In 1947, Ernst Weiner, then only 28 years old, was granted full power of attorney, in recognition of his performance and loyalty. He had joined the company in 1933 as an apprentice taking the company's future into his own hands immediately after the war and leading the company successfully through the first years of peace after the war.

The 50s were the years of large grain imports, which were awarded via a system of tenders. Up to 900 000 tons a year were imported into Austria during this period. Konrad Glatz, the company's dynamic owner, took over the task of dealing with suppliers abroad, and he travelled as far as to North America, China and the USSR.

In the 60s the rise in domestic production caused imports to decrease, while in the 70s some types of grain were already being exported. In the mid-sixties a department for consumer goods  such as dried fruit, rice and tinned goods was established, which in the 1980s would provide a quarter of the total turnover.

In 1971 Konrad Glatz died in an accident at the age of 65. His son, Friedrich Glatz, took over the company, having already gained experience during the 60s in internships in London, Hamburg and the US. When he took over, Director Ernst Weiner proved again to be helpful and loyal. In 1971, Director Weiner was Vice-President of the Stock Exchange for Agricultural Products in Vienna and provided the company with valuable insight.

In the Mid-80s the Austrian grain exports increased up to 1.2 m tons per yearin 1988, only to decrease in the following years due to the cultivation of alternative products. In the past 20 years, the animal feed department has evolved into an efficient department that processes around 10% of Austrian soya meal imports. In the last few years, we have also started to market protein substances produced in Austria.

1991 the consumer goods department was spun off and the Friedrich Glatz Lebensmittel GmbH was founded, which has been developed successfully as an affiliated company under the same roof.

1994 Austria joined the European Union. The impact of the European market on Austrian agriculture was enormous and required an adjustment at all levels of the market.

1996 After the takeover of business operations of the Hermann Oder KG, mosta great part of the employees were able to continue working in their areas of expertise. In the 80s and 90s Oder KG dealt successfully in substrates, turf and flower earths (as exclusive representatives of the companies Klassmann and Neuhaus).

1998 the company re-entered the Hungarian market by investing in what was to become F. Glatz Kft. and thus gained access to a neighbouring country and a future EU-partner.

2000 Establishment of the subsidiary Friedrich Glatz KFT (Produce Trade) in Hungary

2002 Sudden death of Friedrich Glatz and transfer of the time-honoured company to the fourth generation of the family:  to Jakob Glatz.

2004 Creation of a horticulture division in Linz with the corresponding logistics department. Creation of a subsidiary in Italy (Fertlogistik s.r.l.)

2005 Creation of a branch office in Graz, Styria..

2006 Fertlogistik s.r.l. begins independent trade in Italy.

2009 Incorporation of the Agrar-Speicher-Betriebs-GmbH with ca. 100.000 tonnes storage capacity into Glatz GmbH & Co KG ( Graz office) and relaunch of the Glatz Handels GmbH & Co KG .

Long standing and intensively cultivated customer relations as well as committed and competent employees have always been a tradition at the company. The advancement of his employees was already very important to Konrad Glatz, sports and professional development being of equal importance to him. This tradition of generations following one another in the company can sometimes also be found among the employees: Raimund Klotz joined the company in 1914 as an apprentice, then shaped the organizational structure and the accounting department of the company and in 1964 he turned over the management of the department to his son Peter. The Upper Austrian branch was handed over by Mr. Josef Planer to his son Michael after over 40 years’ service without interruption.
The involvement in the trade with agricultural products for over 30 years now brought direct contact to the farmers and therefore an understanding for the special problems facing the agricultural sector. This understanding provides the basis for a positive and forward-looking cooperation with customers and suppliers. 

The future: world-wide overproduction, cultivation of products for foodstuff production and protein products for animal feed, grain as the raw material for renewable energy raw material and the enlargement of the EU are only a few keywords to describe the challenges facing the agricultural industry and its partners in the future. All of us at the company are convinced that together, we will master all the challenges,  chances and risks successfully.