ZAPF has stood for quality, innovation, and sustainability in garage construction for over a century. With our decades of experience and a clear view of the future, we develop high-quality prefabricated garages that set new standards in terms of design, functionality, and environmental friendliness.
What drives us
We believe that a garage can be more than just a parking space. That’s why we focus on sophisticated solutions that perfectly combine comfort, safety, and design. With sustainable production methods, state-of-the-art technology, and a dedicated team, we are actively shaping the future of garage construction.
1904
founded
Germany-wide
active with production sites and service locations
400+
Committed employees
450.000+
produced garages
Then until today
From the first garage solutions to the ultra-modern production technology of today, ZAPF has always stood for innovation and quality. What began as a small craft business has developed into a strong manufacturer of prefabricated garages in Germany.
1904 Adam Zapf founds the construction business of the same name.
1927 Werner Zapf Sr. founds his concrete factory. Concrete products are manufactured in a small, old stonemason’s hut on Prieser Straße (Kreuzstein).
1928 Werner Zapf Sr. takes over his father’s company. Submission of the first specifications to the City of Bayreuth. ZAPF is awarded the contract to build the two municipal swimming pool gyms.
1934 In its 30th year, the company has around 100 employees. Construction of the Rotmainhalle in Bayreuth.
1937/38 In addition to the two mainstays, “concrete plant” and “building construction company,” a third division, the “civil engineering department,” is founded. Railroad and bridge construction are soon among the tasks of the new department.
1961 The first precast garage is produced at the Bayreuth plant on Nürnberger Straße and presented at the Upper Franconia Exhibition. The company changes from a construction company to a precast concrete plant.
1963 Ground-breaking ceremony for the precast plant in Weidenberg. Factory halls, crane runways, silo and mixing plants, storage areas and much more follow by the end of the 1990s.
1966 Werner Zapf Jr. takes over the management of the company. The company is now called “ZAPF-BETON.” ZAPF is now a construction company with precast element production in Bayreuth and operates a gravel plant with a concrete mixing plant as well as a plant for the production of pipes and precast elements in Weidenberg.
1968 Werner Zapf Jr. develops the first one-piece garage and applies for a patent for the process. The new development is presented at the Upper Franconia Exhibition in Bayreuth in the same year.
1969 Prestressed concrete girders are produced at the Weidenberg plant – the foundation of the Industrial Construction division.
April 1973 The newly developed ZAPF terraced house—type – type 630 – is presented to the public: a complex of 17 units in Donndorf near Bayreuth. In the same year, 68 ZAPF terraced houses with flat roofs are built in Nuremberg-Langwasser.
1982 ZAPF establishes a sales office in Ebenhausen in order to be more present on the southern Bavarian market. The company changes its name to “Werner Zapf KG”.
1988 The first umbrella strategy – a marketing concept for Werner Zapf KG – is developed together with managers. An innovative approach for a company in the construction industry at the time.
1994 ZAPF receives the 1994 Prefabricated Garage Architecture Prize.
1996
“Aktion Junges Bauen”: local authorities provide inexpensive building land, and ZAPF builds affordable terraced homes. Pilot project: Bayreuth Glockenstraße. The first show home in Bayreuth Wolfsbach is opened by Federal Building Minister Prof. Klaus Töpfer.
1999 Deutsche Beteiligungs AG from Frankfurt, together with the management and Schmidt Bank KGaA, acquires all the shares in ZAPF GmbH from Werner Zapf.
2000 The water technology division becomes an independent company: ZWT. The exterior design division in Ebenhausen supplies the paving for the new Munich Airport Center. The exterior design division leaves the Stein & Design Group and cooperates with the EHL group of companies from Kruft. The result is EHL & ZAPF GmbH & Co. KG, based in Bayreuth. The paving production part of the Ebenhausen plant is taken over by EHL-Baustoffwerke.
2003 The KonzeptBau division becomes a subsidiary of ZAPF GmbH: KonzeptBauZapf GmbH. ZAPF sells its stake in EHL & ZAPF GmbH to the company EHL.
2004 ZAPF GmbH celebrates its 100th birthday
In November, ZAPF-Young, ZAPF’s trainee company, wins the nationwide “Super Training Team” competition. The award is presented to the trainees in Berlin by the Federal Minister of Economics, Wolfgang Clement.
April 2006 There is a change in the shareholder structure. Deutsche Beteiligungs AG from Frankfurt and Delmora Bank GmbH have transferred 100 percent of their shares in ZAPF to international investors. In the future, the French property development group Les Nouveaux Constructeurs SA (LNC) Paris will hold 50 percent of the shares. Other shareholders are the financial investors Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank AG London, and Lone Star.
August 2006 Start of construction work on Germany’s largest housing project. ZAPF is realizing the Netzaberg Housing Area, which comprises a total of 832 houses, including the outdoor facilities and the complete infrastructure of a new city district. The Danish company Nordica is the investor in the largest contract in ZAPF’s history, worth 200 million euros, and the tenant is the Federal Agency for Real Estate. The occupants of the houses will be US Army soldiers and their families stationed at the Grafenwoehr military training area.
October 2008 Ceremonial completion of Germany’s largest residential construction project: the Netzaberg Housing Area is officially opened with a number of high-ranking politicians in attendance. The new district of Eschenbach i.d.Opf. It comprises 832 houses and the complete infrastructure. ZAPF completed the Netzaberg project as general contractor in just 25 months.
April 2009 The French property development group LNC S.A. Paris acquires the shares in ZAPF GmbH.
October 2010 ZAPF GmbH acquires the garage production of Classic Garagen GmbH in Neuenburg / Breisgau as part of a partial sale of the company. In the future, the Neuenburg production site will supply garages to southwest Germany, France, and Switzerland.
October 2011 Following the successful start of production at the fifth garage plant, the former Estelit plant in Dülmen, ZAPF is significantly expanding its presence in central Germany and thus its market volume in the prefabricated concrete garage sector. ZAPF expands to become Germany’s best-selling garage and now also serves our neighboring European countries.
September 2013 On September 21, 2013, the ZAPF plant in Weidenberg celebrates its 50th anniversary. With around 7,000 prefabricated garages produced, 150 prefabricated houses, and many prefabricated parts, it is the largest garage plant in Europe at this time.
2015 The ZAPF-Bau division is closed. In the future, ZAPF will focus on the core areas of garages and garage modernization.
2016 ZAPF gets a new look. With a new logo and new ZAPF colors, the company has been present to the public since mid-2016.
Expansion of the Dülmen garage plant into one of the largest and most modern production facilities for prefabricated concrete garages in Europe.
March 2017 Change in the management team. Katrin Grunert-Jäger, who joined the company as an interim manager in 2013, is leaving the management team. Her successor is Jörg Günther, who is responsible for production and logistics. Emmanuel Thomas remains Chairman of the Management Board.
April 2019
Inauguration of the new factory hall in Baar-Ebenhausen. In addition to the construction of the new hall, existing production facilities were also expanded and modernized. A total of around 5 million euros was invested in the entire project during the ten-month construction period.
January 2020 The company name of our parent company, LNC (Les Nouveaux Constructeurs), will be changed to BASSAC on January 1, 2020.
February 2024 With the new AR app from ZAPF, garage planning becomes an experience: simply view the garage virtually in its original size at the desired location.
November 2024 ZAPF GmbH has stood for quality and consistency for 120 years.
January 2025 ZAPF redefines digital garage planning with the new 3D garage configurator.
August 2025 For the fifth time in a row, ZAPF Garagen is awarded the CrefoZert for its excellent credit rating – a strong sign of reliability and financial stability.
ZAPF News
Read news and press releases about ZAPF. Stay informed about important company developments, exciting projects, and current events.
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02.05.2022
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