ESAB
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA global industrial brand supplying welding, cutting, gas-control, automation, software, and protective-equipment technologies.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Overview
ESAB is an industrial technology company whose roots extend to Gothenburg, Sweden, where Oscar Kjellberg founded Elektriska Svetsnings-Aktiebolaget in 1904. The company developed around the practical and industrial use of electric welding and subsequently became an international supplier of welding and cutting products. Its name is associated with both welding consumables and equipment, including electrodes, welding wires, power sources, cutting systems, and related production technologies. The modern ESAB business operates across a broader fabrication-technology portfolio than its historical name alone suggests. Its products and solutions include manual and mechanized welding systems, welding consumables, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment, robotic and automated fabrication systems, industrial software, gas-control products, and personal protective equipment. A separate gas-control portfolio serves healthcare, industrial, and specialty-gas applications. These offerings are used in industries such as general metal fabrication, heavy equipment, shipbuilding, construction, infrastructure, energy, transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare. ESAB's ownership history reflects the consolidation of the international industrial-equipment sector. Charter International acquired the ESAB group in 1994. Colfax Corporation acquired ESAB on January 13, 2012, and ESAB subsequently operated within Colfax's industrial portfolio. Colfax later changed its corporate identity to Enovis. On April 5, 2022, ESAB Corporation was separated from Enovis through a distribution of all ESAB shares to Colfax shareholders, creating an independent, publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ESAB. Although its industrial heritage is Swedish, the independent corporation's principal executive office is in North Bethesda, Maryland, United States. The company has expanded through acquisitions and portfolio development. In 2018, ESAB acquired Sandvik's welding-wire business, including production operations in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Sandviken, Sweden, along with technical sales, product-management capabilities, and an agreement supporting future research and development. In October 2022, ESAB announced the acquisition of Ohio Medical, extending its activities in oxygen regulators and central gas systems for healthcare applications. ESAB is positioned as a professional and industrial fabrication partner rather than a consumer-facing brand. Its value proposition combines equipment, consumables, process expertise, automation, digital tools, and workplace protection. The company competes in markets where reliability, productivity, weld quality, process control, safety, and lifecycle support are important purchasing criteria. Its continued operation in Russia drew criticism in January 2024, when it was placed on Ukraine's list of International Sponsors of War; the listing concerned the company's continuing business activity and expansion in Russia.
History
ESAB originated in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1904, when Oscar Kjellberg founded Elektriska Svetsnings-Aktiebolaget. The business was established around electric welding and grew as welding became an essential production method in shipbuilding, construction, engineering, transportation, and other metalworking industries. Over time, ESAB developed a portfolio spanning welding equipment, welding consumables, cutting technology, and related industrial systems. The company's history is also a history of international expansion and industrial ownership changes. Charter International acquired the ESAB group in 1994. In the following decades, ESAB continued to operate as a global welding and cutting business serving professional and industrial users. Colfax Corporation acquired the group on January 13, 2012. Following the transaction, Colfax chief executive Clay Kiefaber moved to the president role at ESAB, while Steve Simms replaced him as Colfax's chief executive. Under Colfax ownership, ESAB broadened its product and manufacturing footprint. A significant step came in 2018, when ESAB acquired Sandvik's welding-wire business. The transaction included production units in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Sandviken, Sweden, as well as the relevant technical sales and product-management organization. It also included a multiyear strategic collaboration concerning research and development for future products. The corporate structure changed substantially in 2022. Colfax, which subsequently adopted the Enovis name, distributed 100 percent of ESAB Corporation's shares to Colfax shareholders on April 5, 2022. The separation was registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission through a Form 10-12B registration statement, and ESAB became an independent publicly traded corporation on the New York Stock Exchange. The independent company retained the ESAB industrial brand while operating from a principal executive office in North Bethesda, Maryland. After becoming independent, ESAB continued to expand beyond traditional welding consumables and machines. Its fabrication-technology activities include welding, cutting, gas control, protective equipment, software, and robotic equipment. Its gas-control portfolio also addresses healthcare, industrial, and specialty-gas applications. On October 17, 2022, ESAB announced the acquisition of Ohio Medical, a provider of oxygen regulators and central gas systems for healthcare customers. The company remains active internationally, combining Swedish industrial origins with a U.S.-listed corporate structure and a global operating footprint. Its business serves both discrete manufacturing and heavy industries, with solutions intended to improve weld quality, cutting accuracy, automation, operator safety, and production efficiency. In January 2024, ESAB faced geopolitical and reputational criticism after Ukraine placed it on its International Sponsors of War list over its continued operation and expansion in Russia.
- 2024
Ukraine lists ESAB as an International Sponsor of War
[1]Ukraine added ESAB to its International Sponsors of War list, citing continued business activity and expansion in Russia.
- 2022
ESAB becomes independently listed
[2]ESAB Corporation completed its separation from Enovis and launched as an independent, publicly traded company on April 5, 2022.
- 2022
Ohio Medical acquisition announced
[1]ESAB announced the acquisition of Ohio Medical on October 17, 2022, adding healthcare gas-control capabilities.
- 2018
Sandvik welding-wire business acquisition
[1]ESAB acquired Sandvik's welding-wire business, including production, technical sales, product management, and a future R&D collaboration.
- 2012
Colfax acquires ESAB
[1]Colfax Corporation acquired the ESAB group on January 13, 2012.
- 1994
Charter International acquires ESAB
[1]Charter International acquired the ESAB group as part of its industrial portfolio.
- 1904
ESAB is founded in Gothenburg
[1]Oscar Kjellberg founded Elektriska Svetsnings-Aktiebolaget in Gothenburg, Sweden, establishing the business that became ESAB.
Products and positioning
Professional and industrial fabrication technology focused on welding, cutting, automation, gas control, safety, and related process solutions.
Welding systems
Welding equipment
ESAB supplies welding power sources and complete welding machines for manual, mechanized, and industrial fabrication. The portfolio addresses varied processes and duty cycles, from general workshop work to demanding heavy-industry production. Products are sold with compatible torches, accessories, consumables, and process-support tools. The Warrior family is one of the product lines associated with the brand's welding-equipment offering.
Welding materials
Welding consumables
The consumables portfolio includes electrodes, welding wires, and related materials used in common arc-welding processes. ESAB's consumables business is historically important to the brand and includes the OK line of welding electrodes and other products designed for different base metals, processes, positions, and industrial applications. Consumables are supplied to fabrication, construction, energy, transportation, and maintenance customers.
Metal-cutting equipment
Cutting systems
ESAB offers plasma and oxyfuel cutting technologies for preparing and separating metal. These systems are used in manual shops as well as mechanized and automated production environments. The offering is connected with cutting consumables, gas management, software, and workflow equipment, allowing customers to configure solutions around material thickness, cut quality, throughput, and production scale.
Industrial automation
Automation and robotics
ESAB's automation activities include robotic welding equipment, mechanized fabrication systems, and associated software. These solutions are intended to improve repeatability, production speed, process monitoring, and labor efficiency in industrial welding and cutting. They can be integrated into dedicated production cells or broader fabrication workflows and are relevant to manufacturers seeking greater process control and consistency.
Gas-control equipment · 2022
Gas-control solutions
The gas-control portfolio serves industrial, specialty-gas, and healthcare applications. It includes equipment used to regulate, distribute, and manage gases in professional operating environments. The Ohio Medical acquisition expanded ESAB's healthcare exposure through oxygen regulators and central gas systems, complementing the company's existing industrial and specialty-gas activities.
Industrial safety equipment
Personal protective equipment
ESAB's fabrication-technology portfolio includes personal protective equipment for welding and related metalworking tasks. These products are designed to support worker protection against heat, sparks, radiation, fumes, and other hazards associated with welding and cutting. They complement the company's equipment and consumables by addressing safety requirements within the same fabrication environment.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2022
Separate ESAB from EnovisStrategyBackground
Colfax, later renamed Enovis, reorganized its businesses and prepared ESAB for independent ownership and public trading.
Action taken
On April 5, 2022, 100 percent of ESAB Corporation's shares were distributed to Colfax shareholders, completing the separation.
Aftermath
ESAB launched as an independent New York Stock Exchange-listed corporation with ESAB as its trading ticker.
2022
Acquire Ohio MedicalM&ABackground
ESAB sought to expand its gas-control portfolio into healthcare applications.
Action taken
ESAB announced the acquisition of Ohio Medical on October 17, 2022.
Aftermath
The acquisition added oxygen regulators and central gas systems for healthcare customers.
2018
Acquire Sandvik's welding-wire businessM&ABackground
The transaction strengthened ESAB's welding-wire manufacturing and technical capabilities.
Action taken
ESAB acquired Sandvik's welding-wire business, including units in Scranton and Sandviken and related commercial and technical organizations.
Aftermath
The deal also established a multiyear strategic collaboration for research and development of future products.
2012
Join the Colfax industrial portfolioM&ABackground
Colfax pursued the acquisition of ESAB as part of its industrial growth strategy.
Action taken
Colfax Corporation acquired the ESAB group on January 13, 2012.
Aftermath
ESAB operated within Colfax until its later separation into an independent public company.
1994
Accept acquisition by Charter InternationalM&ABackground
ESAB became part of Charter International during a period of consolidation among international industrial-equipment businesses.
Action taken
Charter International acquired the ESAB group.
Aftermath
ESAB continued as an international welding and cutting business before later changing ownership again.
Recent events
- 2022
ESAB Corporation launches as an independent public company[2]
M&A · Leadership change
ESAB completed its separation from Enovis, formerly Colfax, through a distribution of all ESAB shares to Colfax shareholders and began trading independently on the New York Stock Exchange.
- 2022
ESAB announces acquisition of Ohio Medical[1]
M&A
ESAB announced the acquisition of Ohio Medical, expanding its gas-control activities into oxygen regulators and central gas systems for healthcare applications.
- 2018
ESAB acquires Sandvik welding-wire business[1]
M&A
ESAB acquired Sandvik's welding-wire business, including production units in the United States and Sweden and associated technical and product-management capabilities.
- 2012
ESAB group acquired by Colfax Corporation[1]
M&A
Colfax Corporation completed the acquisition of the ESAB group, bringing the welding and cutting business into its industrial portfolio.
Sources4 sources
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