The FROER Group - A company of traditions

Portraits of Werner Froer, Ingeborg Froer und Ursula Lehmann
Portraits of Werner Froer, Ingeborg Froer und Ursula Lehmann

Since the establishment in 1951 by Werner Froer, originally as dental laboratory, the FROER company group constantly developed in the areas of dental technic, plastic injection molding and toy manufacturing. The greatest strengths within the FROER company group are synergies and versatility through the three companies within the FROER group with the field of activities in surface coating, plastic technology and mold construction.

In 1960 besides the dental laboratory there was already an in-house plastic injection molding manufacturing and in 1961 the company owner counted on an in-house tool manufacturing. Therefore knowledge grew in combination with the sizes of the machinery and the claim on complex parts. In the 60s, 1964, the first beverage crates were produced and rolled off the belt, which needed to push against the in-time used wood crates. At that time beverage crates made out of plastic were anything but established, but pioneer spirit paid off.

In the following decades out of the originally company Werner Froer, two new companies emerged: Kunststoff Froer GmbH, established in 1974 and FVT GmbH (Froer packaging and logistics) established in 1984. A sign for enormous success of both business branches.

The establishment of Plaho GmbH took place ten years later, in 1994.  The name differentiate from the German word “Plastik“(eng. plastic) and “Holz“ (eng. wood) and reminded on the manufacturing of wood toys as it was produced over there. This production was stopped due to low demands in the mid-90s and was given new focuses in the field of medical technology.

1996 with the establishment of the clean-room production, especially for the production of packaging and plastic parts for medical technology, the next steps towards production technic were made. The portfolio of the company group was extended with manufacturing of thin-wall technic since 1997 and the In-Mold-Labeling since 2004.

The company does not only takes care of the ongoing development of the quality and service standards after DIN ISO 9001:2008 and DIN ISO 13485, but also of a resource-friendly production. Since 2010 Froer Kunststofftechnik GmbH actively participates in this with the certification after QuB. For the procurement of goods, from production up to transport logistics, the FROER Group always takes the environmental idea as an important role into consideration.

In 2012 the production of toys at the branch Steinach was definitively stopped and the entire production chain as well as employees were combined in the field of surface finishing. Today’s opportunities guarantees efficiency and reliability in transaction of medium and big sized orders of coating and gives Froer Plaho Tec GmbH the place as an important contract coater within the region.

History of the company

1951 Establishment of the company Werner Froer (dental laboratory) by Werner Froer
1957 Purchasement of first injection molding machine
1960 New construction of company building in Schornbaumstraße in Erlangen and moving in of dental laboratory as well as plastic injection molding
1961 Establishment of in-house tool manufacturing
1962 Start of the production of shoe soles
1964 Expansion of production area (500 sqm). Starting point of production of beer crates with an injection molding machine of 800 tones
1969 Expansion of production area to 2,000 sqm. in the Schallershofer Straße 106 in Erlangen
1974 Establishment of the company Kunststoff Froer GmbH
1979 Inauguration of an additional warehouse
1980 Establishmet of the company Froer Spielwaren GmbH
1982 New construction of mold construction in Schallershofer Str. 84 in Erlangen
1984 First two-color-injection-molding machine
1984 Establishment of the company FVT GmbH (Froer packaging and transport logistics)
1994 Establishment of the company Plaho GmbH in Steinach / Thuringer
1996 Introduction of clean-room and beginning of production of medical technology products
1997 Introduction of thin-wall production within the area of packaging
2000 Certification after ISO 9002
2001 New construction of mold construction in Schallershofer Str. 106 in Erlangen
2004 In-mold-labeling-production for beer crates with integrally molded soft handle 
2004 Certification of entire group after ISO 9001:2000
2006 Certification after ISO 13485
2007 Entry into "Bavarian Environmental Pact"
2008 Death of company founder Werner Frör at the age of 80
2011 60 years of company „Werner Froer“ 
2014 Conclusion of the expansion in the areas of cold construction and crototype construction
2014 Death of company founder Ingeborg Froer at the age of 86
2015 After a long illness the owner Ursula Lehmann died at the age of 58
2015 Takeover of management by Johannes Lehmann and therefore the third generation
2015 Change of name of the company Kunststoff Froer GmbH into Froer Kunststofftechnik GmbH
2017 Expansion of production at Plaho Tec by several new production areas
2018 Investment into new machinery and expansion of assembly in Thüringen
2019 The Founder Award 2019 of the IHK (Chamber of Industry and Commerce) is awarded to Johannes Lehmann for the successful takeover by the 3rd generation