About the Schildkröt history
Traditional and century-old Schildkröt brand. In 1889, the business man Friedrich Bensinger, the bankers Hohenemser and the Lenel brothers established the”Rheinische Gummi und Celluloid Fabrik“ in Mannheim-Neckarau. They developed and pioneered the blowing-pressing method with which they started manufacturing dolls’ heads and later table tennis balls from celluloid and which is until today used as the established production method worldwide. The turtle brand was registered in 1889 as a legal trade mark. The turtle shell resembles the shading and pattern of the celluloid products and was henceforth used until today as the international trade mark for a variety of products, however mainly for dolls and table tennis products. The famous Schildkrot balls always represented worldwide a symbol for high quality and performance in every aspect.
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At the beginning of the 1980's, the only remaining products of the Schildkröt product range, were the famous dolls and the table tennis products, which were subsequently taken over by different companies. In 1984, Hans-Hubertus von Keller and his partner took over the table tennis part and established in 1989 the first western table tennis manufacturing plant in China, which is still one of the largest table tennis factories worldwide and which produces the world-famous Schildkröt products. Schildkrot table tennis products are today exported to over 70 countries. As a result of the increase in manufacturing costs in China, the factory underwent a systematic modernisation and automation process, which brought it to an unsurpassed technical standard. The factory is the first Chinese factory to meet the high European manufacturing standard BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative). This initiative of the European retailers, requires socially and environmentally compatible working conditions, according to the western standards. Since 2012, the factory is also licensed for the use of FSC® certified environmentally compatible wood, from specially selected plantations.
