For more than 165 years, Marabu has been shaping the world of colors and printing technologies. What began in 1859 as a small manufactory has grown into a global player, delivering solutions that combine creativity and precision.
Our history is more than a timeline of dates, it’s a story of pioneering spirit, bold ideas, and a commitment to staying one step ahead.
Extensive modernization of the printing ink production site in Tamm. Marabu invests over €10 million in expanding and upgrading its facilities, reinforcing its long-term commitment to Made-in-Germany.
Introduction of the new Marabu Corporate Design to strengthen global recognition of the Marabu brand. Learn more about our vision and strengths in our company video. Watch our story here.
Marabu celebrates its 150th anniversary. In 2009 the company employs over 400 people and has sales partners in over 80 countries worldwide. Rolf Simon (left) is the fifth generation to lead Marabu as managing partner. Standing to his right is Roland Stählin, former managing director of printing inks.
Marabu opens the new creative colors factory in Bietigheim-Bissingen. The building follows the newest enviromental, technical and employee-friendly standards. Today, 90 people work here in production, logistics, and administration. The factory produces all Creative Colors and water-based Printing Inks.
Marabu launches it's first digital printing ink. Digital printing technology continues to grow rapidly, thanks to new innovations in graphic and industrial printing. Today, Marabu's portfolio includes more than 20 digital printing ink series.
Marabu fun & fancy Window Color is the most successful product in the history of creative colors and dominates the market for many years. The product is still very popular today and is available in many different versions, such as individual colors or sets for adults and children.
Since 1995, Marabu has continuously strengthened its quality and safety standards.
ISO 9001 certification in 1995 and ISO 14001 certification in 2003.
Marabu has been part of the Responsible Care Initiative since 1998.
Receiving of the SGIA Sustainability Award in both 2011 and 2014.
Since 2015, all inks series have been labbelled according to CLP (GHS) guidelines, underscoring our commitment to product and user safety.
2024 Greenguard Gold Certification for all Digital Graphic Printing Inks
Learn more about our commitment to product and user safety.
Marabu was one of the first companies to provide UV-curable screen printing ink. Compared to ceramic baking inks, curing the ink with UV light requires very little energy. Today, our most successful ink series are UV- or LED-curable and our UV/LED portfolio has grown to more than 40 ink series for screen, pad, and digital printing.
Launch of the allround screen printing ink Mara® Star SR. Over the years, there have been changes to the formula to make it safer and more sustainable, which is why the ink system is still popular worldwide today.
The first steps into the hobby and leisure sector, which will be of long-term significance for the business. One of the first products is the fabric painting and printing color "Hobbytex".
Marabu opened its first foreign subsidiary in Paris. Today, Marabu France employs 24 people. Marabu is now represented in 16 countries worldwide, making the world more colorful. Ten of these locations are in Europe. Additional locations are in Asia and North and South America.
The M stands for the brand name. The circle and square represent drawing instruments, and the red dot represents colors. With only a few changes, the logo remains valid today. It was developed by the renowned typographer and designer Prof. Kurt Weidemann, who also created or redesigned the corporate identities of many well-known companies, including Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Deutsche Bahn, Zeiss, and Merck.
There was no more space for the expansion of Marabu's production facilities in the center of Stuttgart, so the decision was made in 1914 to relocate the company headquarters to Tamm. Due to World War I (1914–1918), the move could not take place until 1919. At that time, Marabu employed 76 people. The new company premises, a former oil plant, were modernized and a right of first refusal secured for surrounding properties. Over the following years, the site grew. Today, more than 250 employees work here.
Eberhard Martz (grandson of Albert Martz) registered the trademark “Marabu” with the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin in 1909. It is not known whether the unattractive bird Marabou was chosen as the namesake. Rather, the family was looking for a name that contained the first letter of their own name. Bird names were popular at the time because many other companies in the paint industry also used birds in their names, such as Pelikan, Uhu, and Schwan-Stabilo.
The company's early development was characterised by constant growth. In 1870, Albert Martz expanded the company's activities from distribution to production. The first products were water-based artists' paints. In the same century, he began manufacturing drafting utensils for technical drawing. As these were the tools of their trade, engineers and architects were in great demand for drafting boards and drawing sets at that time.
Albert Martz opens an "Artist paint and Material" store in Stuttgart. Initially, he sells paints, printing inks, and decorative paints. In the same year, he adds paint boxes, easels, and canvases to his range. Martz's customers include architects and artists in particular.
