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Quality starting in 1923

Today the picture at ROFRA is of state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, integrated into a family firm with rich traditions.ROFRA’s customers come from the pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industry, from the food industry, from both Germany and abroad. They all appreciate ROFRA’s many decades of experience in developing, producing and distributing primary packaging made of tubular glass.

1923

1923 saw the founding of Robert Franke’s glassware factory, in which the founder created apparatus to contain chemicals for industry and medicine, and specialist surgical equipment.

1963

As the founder passed the management of his company into the hands of his sons Wolfgang and Manfred, the status changed to KG and the name Robert Franke was compressed into ROFRA.At this time the first glass hair sprays and pocket-sized spray units were manufactured and assembled.

1968

1968 saw the first automatic glass-working machine brought into use.

1969

Another first came in 1969: the company invested in flat rolling machines to enable pill vials to be produced automatically.

1972

1972 was the year in which ROFRA KG was nationalised.The land on which the factory stood remained in the possession of the family.Wolfgang and Manfred Franke were allowed to continue managing the company.

1973-1990

In the years 1973 to 1990, there were a number of re-organisations: the names given to the company were VEB Glasverarbeitung, then GLAVA Cursdorf, then Glasverarbeitung Neuhaus BT Cursdorf.However, the changes of name did not alter the consistency of the product range.
Glass hairsprays remained a very popular product, as did powder sprays.
Even more pill vials and convex-based vials were produced for the pharmaceuticals industry.Miniature ampoules for the army, and phials to contain poultry vaccinations, were included in the range.

1990

1990 saw the return of the company to private ownership and the founding of ROFRA GmbH.

1991

Wolfgang Franke now restructured the company, appointing his daughter Heide-Marie Manthey and her husband Hans-Werner Manthey as managers under his managing directorship.

1992

New pharmaceutical guidelines were followed by installing state-of-the-art machinery to produce vials in tubular glass.

1993-1996

In these years, four further, state-of-the-art, computer-assisted manufacturing lines were installed.

1997

1997 saw the expansion of the factory.A new storage area was built and there was further investment in new machinery.

1998

In 1998, both raw materials and the finished product acquired new storage space.

1998-2001

Productivity was further increased by investment in automatic machinery.

31.12.2001

On the last day of 2001, Wolfgang Franke was able to take well-earned retirement.

01.01.2002

With the New Year, his son-in-law Hans-Werner Manthey became the Managing Director.

2003

2003 saw the closure of the flat rolling section and the re-organisation of the factory to accommodate the manufacture of sample containers (to hold 1 to 6 ml), required by the conventional and luxury food industry and for cosmetics.

2004-2006

Considerable extension of capacity – more investment in the machines and technology for pharmaceutical vials, with imaging and automatic measurement for quality assurance.

2007

Since 2007 ROFRA GmbH has been managed by Heide-Marie Manthey, granddaughter of  the founder.