The originator of the factory was merchant Adolf Höhn, who was looking for partners for the porcelain factory. He eventually found the brothers Rudolf and Robert Metzler from the town of Sonneberg. The Höhn & Metzler company was founded in 1873 in Ilmenau, Thuringia, but the first few years were so difficult that Adolf Höhn withdrew from the business in 1875 and was replaced by Hugo Ortloff.
The situation of the Porzellanfabrik Metzler & Ortloff porcelain began to improve from 1875 onwards. They initially produced tableware, apothecary utensils, figurines, dolls, and doll parts.
In 1900, Hugo Ortloff, the son of the company founder, joined the company. He studied chemistry and art history, which helped him to improve the technology of porcelain mass, glaze, and firing and to introduce a new range of products: figurines, candlesticks, and bowls.
The First World War was a difficult time for the company. The first years after the war were characterized by the protests of the employees. An even tougher situation was during the Great Depression. Production was temporarily halted in 1929 and improvement was slow until the Second World War.
After the Second World War Metzler & Ortloff found itself in communist East Germany. They mainly produced export items but the planning authority ordered them to refocus production on the domestic market. In 1959 the factory was nationalized.
In 1968 the company was handed over to the Lichte porcelain factory. The factory was closed in 1975.
