For over 60 years the name Dorf has been a leader in the Australian tapware market. It's the one name tradespeople and consumers look for when it comes to quality, originality and reliability.

 

In 1948 Keith Hooper, a former toolmaker started a tap manufacturing business in the stables of a dairy in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern. Needing a short, sharp company name, and being an ardent admirer of Henry Ford as a dynamic go-getter, he reversed the D and F in Ford and “Dorf Taps” was born.

 

Two other companies which were to play an important role in the development of Dorf began that same year, 1948. Roy Shallcross, an accountant, started the Prefect Trading Co, supplying plumbing fittings from his garage, and Bob Cole, a toolmaker, began Rosmear Engineering, a small business manufacturing showers in Alphington, Victoria.

 

After moving to a new factory in Clayton, Dorf was taken over by the Hardware Company of Australia in the late 1950s. Prefect moved to the stables of a disused bakery in Oakleigh and then to a factory in Huntingdale, before settling in a new factory located, co-incidentally, in the same Clayton street as Dorf. The Hardware Company of Australia bought Prefect in 1964 and shared its general manager with Dorf.

 

In 1973, the Hardware Company of Australia bought Rosmear and moved to the Prefect factory. Together, the three companies were manufacturing a complete household lot – taps, showers and plumbing fittings – so the trading names were consolidated and Dorf Industries was formed.

 

Later in 1973, Dorf came under new ownership, when National Consolidated Ltd (NCL) bought Hardware Holdings Group. In 1978, rapid growth saw Dorf begin to manufacture in Malaysia, followed by the establishment of Dorf New Zealand in 1979.

 

In the same year, Dorf bought Reizenger Plastic’s injection moulding business in Huntingdale, Victoria, which allowed it to control the manufacturing of all its plastic componentry.

 

By 1989 all sales offices and the national warehouse was under one roof in Oakleigh South. The acquisition of Myttons Stainless Steel Division followed in 1991. To complete this remarkable journey, Email bought NCL’s building products division, including Dorf in 1993.

 

In 1999 GWA International Limited purchased Email Kitchen and Bathroom Products Division, which included the Dorf, Donson and Clark brands. At the same time, the name was changed to Dorf Clark Industries.

 

Caroma Dorf was formed in 2006 by GWA International Limited as the Bathroom Fixtures and Sanitaryware business, which is now home to a number of well-known brands including Dorf, Caroma, Fowler, Irwell, Stylus, Clark, Epure and Radiant.

 

From small beginnings and relatively primitive manufacturing processes, the Dorf story is an example of forward-looking Australian ingenuity, innovation and product development. Some 60 years on, Dorf is still a market leader in taps, mixer taps and showers, with an impressive range to suit all tastes and budgets.

 

 

Product innovation and keeping abreast of new technologies and design trends have been key factors in Dorf’s success story.

 

A major advance seen in the early 60’s was the introduction of coatings for finished tapware, especially powder coatings. This took tapware beyond being a necessary, practical commodity, into the fashion end of the market. Chrome-plated tapware with plastic coloured handles, such as the Dorf Booster style, dominated the market.

 

The 1970s saw a rainbow of ‘edible’ colours, such as avocado, peppermint, orange and lemon. The El Toro cross handle design was also released to the market in the 1970s. along with the later introduced Lever handle design, the El Toro range remains a dominant range in today’s market.

 

Pastel colours such as grey and apricot came to the fore in the 1980s. The Manor House tapware range was a major product developed in the early 1980s and has continually been adapted and upgraded with new technologies to still be a major selling Dorf tapware range.

 

Durable metallic finishes appeared in the 1990s, with the up-market look of chrome, gold, and chrome with gold trim. There was also big changes in tapware valve mechanisms since the early ‘spindle and stuffing box’. Ceramic disc technology was also introduced and was gradually gaining popularity.

 

The new millennium has seen a moving trend to chrome-plated tapware instead of coloured, for a timeless finish. Traditional three piece tapware is also being replaced the more popular mixer tap, a trend started by the original Dorf Flickmixer sink mixer tap.

 

Water saving taps, mixer taps and showers have also been a strong focus in the new Millennium and all Dorf tapware has been at the forefront of product innovation, reducing water usage whilst increasing performance.

 

Today, Dorf continues its proud history of product innovation with the introduction of new innovative and designer products including the Jovian, Minko and Arc mixer tap ranges.