From classic dressing materials to modern therapy and care systems, Lohmann & Rauscher (L&R) offers high-quality medical products and services. The roots of its success story go back to the 19th century: the Austrian company “Rauscher” was founded in 1899 and was a leading supplier of dressings in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Initially, Rauscher had changing locations in Vienna, later Graz was added. In 1956, the company finally moved to Lower Austria: a wool weaving mill in Schönau an der Triesting was taken over and absorbent cotton, gauze, elastic bandages and feminine hygiene products were produced. Step by step, all production processes were finally relocated to Schönau - and the site was massively expanded. In the 1990s, the warehouse in Lower Austria was then expanded to become the central warehouse for Austria, Southern and Eastern Europe.
In 1998, the merger of “Rauscher” with the German company “Lohmann” led to the founding of Lohmann & Rauscher (L&R). The success story of L&R continued steadily, says Thomas Menitz, CEO of the L&R Group: "From then on, we grew in every respect. We founded numerous subsidiaries, took over companies, expanded our product portfolio, launched the L&R Academy as a further training institution for employees and customers and expanded our supplier and distributor network.”
In recent years, the company has also focused primarily on measures for greater sustainability, digitalization including artificial intelligence, profitable growth and functional process excellence.
“And last but not least, we invest in our employees so that they can unleash their full potential,” says Menitz. Today, L&R, with its rich history, is an international company with more than 5,700 employees. In 2024, L&R generated a global turnover of 813 million euros.
Research and development centers for more innovation
But L&R is more than just a manufacturer and provider of high-quality medical products and services. The company has its own research and development centers in five countries, including one in Schönau. Through the collaboration of international, intercultural and interdisciplinary teams, with partners from the supply chain, research institutions and users, new and further developments are constantly being made. "We launch between 10 and 15 new products and further developments every year and have an extensive patent portfolio. Our most important goal is for our solutions to help improve healthcare in the long term and make the work of medical staff and the lives of patients easier," says Menitz.
One of these innovative developments was also recently awarded the “Lower Austrian Innovation Prize”: The “Suprasorb CNP endo” total therapy system for endoscopic negative pressure therapy in the oesophagus and rectum. "Medical technology - including Suprasorb CNP endo - can save patients' lives. The Lower Austrian Innovation Award recognizes our innovative achievements, which we bundle in medical technology in Schönau," says Menitz.
Thomas Menitz is also particularly proud of the tireless commitment of all employees - which he does not take for granted: "These people are our strongest asset. We have so many clever, innovative and motivated employees at L&R. Prizes, such as the Lower Austrian Innovation Award, don't fall from the sky. Products don't make themselves, nor are they magically brought to the customer or sell themselves. It's all down to the work of our employees. The last few years in particular have been very challenging due to events such as the Covid pandemic or the war in Ukraine and its consequences. “But we stick together, work hard, go the extra mile when necessary and at the same time enjoy what we do,” says Menitz happily.
Working together against obstacles and difficulties
Menitz emphasizes that sticking together is also important in view of the current developments on the global market: "For every company, but also for every person, the current developments are anything but pleasant or reassuring. Among other things, we also have a subsidiary in the USA that imports L&R products and also produces them there itself. We are monitoring the situation very closely, there are changes almost daily when I think of the tariffs.” Together with the medical technology industry associations, L&R is working to ensure that medical products and their essential components are exempt from US tariffs or any EU countermeasures. This is because: "These threaten the provision of reliable and affordable patient care - precisely by jeopardizing the availability of vital products. As essential humanitarian goods, medical devices must never be the subject of trade policy disputes," emphasizes Menitz.
Nevertheless, he is positive about the future: "We know what our customers need and are doing everything we can to meet or even exceed their requirements. This applies to products as well as services, such as training courses. In addition to high-quality products, knowledge transfer to stakeholders in the healthcare system is very important in order to improve healthcare in the long term. Internally, too, we are always striving to improve ourselves and our work processes”
INFOBOX - FIGURES, DATA, FACTS
L&R is an international company with more than 5,700 employees, more than 50 Group companies and shareholdings and more than 140 partner companies in 120 countries. In 2024, L&R generated global sales of 813 million euros.
In Austria, L&R employs more than 670 people, around 470 of whom work in Schönau. Production in Schönau an der Triesting comprises four departments: Three for medical products (wound care/dressings, bandages, and negative pressure therapy) and one area for hygiene products (tampons). The production area covers around 12,000m2, the warehouse for raw materials another 12,500m2. Production for medical products runs in two and three shifts, and 250 different products are manufactured at the site. In addition to production, Schönau is also home to a research & development center, quality assurance, technology, strategic purchasing of raw materials, production control and planning, the core team for sustainability plus a large logistics center with 22,000 m2 of space from which Austria, Slovakia, Italy and Croatia are supplied.