After starting in a small workshop in 1892, Stäubli has developed into a leading industrial partner for high-quality mechatronic solutions and technologies. With three dedicated activities – connectors, robotics and textile – Stäubli is valued by industrial customers worldwide for its high-quality products and cutting-edge technologies.
Two family threads came together at the end of the 19th century – the heyday of the Swiss textile industry – and were woven into a new corporate fabric: Rudolph Schelling and Hermann Stäubli, displaying both commercial acumen and technical skill, founded the company “Schelling & Stäubli” in the Swiss village of Horgen in 1892. At that time, this village on the shores of Lake Zurich – and on the silk road as well – was the site of many mills operating some 1,000 weaving machines. Hermann Stäubli had acquired his initial know-how by repairing these machines. After a short time, he set out to produce superior machinery. His credo from the start was the highest quality and a pronounced customer focus. He sought no less than to make the world’s best dobbies – with which weaving mills could achieve optimal results. Even in those early days, Stäubli set very high targets for efficient production; specifically, to weave more fabrics at lower cost, higher quality and with a greater variety of patterns.
Already in 1893, Schelling & Stäubli introduced their first dobby, designed and constructed in house. In 1900, they introduced the world’s first paper-card dobby, equipped with a warp-leasing system that is still widely used today. Following the death of Rudolph Schelling in 1909, the company was renamed Stäubli.
The Stäubli Group has grown exuberantly since 1892, in both technical and geographic terms. Already in 1909, Stäubli built its first factory in France, followed by additional production sites in other European countries as well as in the Americas and China.