Stäubli

Stäubli is a Swiss industrial technology group whose businesses combine mechanical engineering, electrical systems, fluid handling and automation. The company traces its origins to 1892, when Rudolph Schelling and Hermann Stäubli established Schelling & Stäubli in Horgen, Switzerland, as a workshop making dobby mechanisms for textile looms. Textile machinery remains one of the group’s four principal divisions, but the company has expanded far beyond its original market through internal diversification and acquisitions. The group’s modern portfolio is organized around Textile, Robotics, Electrical Connectors and Fluid Connectors. The Textile division supplies equipment for weaving and fabric preparation, including cam motions, dobby mechanisms, Jacquard systems, drawing-in machinery, leasing machines and warp-tying equipment. These products serve textile manufacturers that need precise control of yarn movement and increasingly automated production processes. Stäubli entered connectors in the mid-1950s, when it diversified into hydraulics and pneumatics and began making rapid-action couplings. The resulting Fluid Connectors business now covers quick-connect systems for fluids, gases and electrical power, as well as multi-coupling systems, tool changers, end-of-arm tooling and quick mold-change solutions. Its Electrical Connectors division provides connection technologies for industrial applications ranging from miniature contacts to high-performance systems. The division is also associated with the MC4 photovoltaic connector, which became widely used in solar installations. Automation and robotics became a further strategic direction in the early 1980s. Stäubli subsequently expanded its robotics capabilities through acquisitions and integration of established businesses, including Unimation in 1989 and the robotics division of Bosch Rexroth in 2004. Its robotics portfolio includes four- and six-axis industrial robots, systems for sensitive or controlled environments, collaborative robots, autonomous mobile robots and automated guided transport systems. This breadth positions the company across factory automation, electronics, automotive, life sciences, solar, food and other applications where repeatability, cleanliness or coordinated motion are important. Stäubli’s development has been international from an early stage. In 1909 it opened a manufacturing site in Faverges, France, and over subsequent decades it added operations and production capabilities in Switzerland, France, Germany, the United States, Italy, China and other locations. Acquisitions such as Erich Trumpelt, Verdol, Unimation, Zellweger Weaving Systems, Multi-Contact and the Bosch Rexroth robotics business broadened both its technology base and geographic reach. Multi-Contact became known as Stäubli Electrical Connectors in 2017, bringing the electrical connector business more visibly under the group brand. The company presents itself as a provider of integrated mechatronic and industrial solutions rather than as a single-product manufacturer. Its common themes are precision, reliability, modular connection, controlled motion and automation. Stäubli sells through international business units, production sites, subsidiaries and agents, serving industrial customers rather than primarily consumer markets. The group remains active and privately held, with its historic textile expertise now complemented by connector and robotic technologies.

Stäubli began in 1892 as a Swiss textile-machinery enterprise founded by Rudolf Stäubli. The company's early development was tied to the needs of textile manufacturers, particularly machinery for controlling and improving weaving processes. Its history therefore reflects the industrialization of textile production and the increasing importance of mechanical precision in fabric manufacture. Over the course of the twentieth century, Stäubli broadened its textile technology portfolio. The business developed equipment for shedding and jacquard control, enabling increasingly complex woven patterns and supporting the production of both conventional fabrics and specialized technical textiles. Textile machinery remained a central competence as the company expanded its international customer base and service presence. Stäubli later diversified beyond textiles into industrial connection technology. Its connector activities developed around the need for reliable, repeatable connections in industrial equipment and production environments. Quick couplings, multi-coupling systems, and electrical or fluid connection solutions allowed the group to serve machinery builders and industrial operators in sectors beyond weaving. This diversification gave Stäubli a second major technology platform based on precision components and industrial handling of power, fluids, and other media. Robotics became another important pillar of the business. Stäubli Robotics supplies industrial robot platforms and automation solutions for manufacturing applications, including articulated and SCARA configurations. The robotics business combines mechanical systems, control technology, software, application engineering, and service. It enables the group to participate in factory automation markets where customers require repeatable motion, high throughput, clean or controlled production environments, and integration with other equipment. The modern Stäubli group consequently operates across three principal fields: textile machinery, robotics, and connectors. Although these markets are distinct, they share an emphasis on precision engineering, reliability, motion or connection control, and long-term industrial use. Stäubli's international operations support customers through sales, engineering, commissioning, spare parts, maintenance, and technical service. The company continues to present itself as a privately held Swiss industrial group rather than as a consumer-facing brand or a listed conglomerate. Public reference material confirms the 1892 origin, the Swiss base, and the three principal business areas. A more detailed chronology of acquisitions, plant openings, leadership changes, and product-generation launches would require additional primary or archival sources and is therefore not asserted in this dossier.

1. 1892Stäubli is founded

   Rudolf Stäubli establishes the Swiss textile-machinery business that becomes the foundation of the Stäubli group.

   Source

A privately held Swiss engineering group positioned around precision industrial automation, textile machinery, and high-performance connector technology.

• TX2 seriesIndustrial robots

  The TX2 family comprises six-axis articulated industrial robots for automated handling, assembly, machine tending, packaging, and other manufacturing tasks. The range is designed for applications requiring repeatable motion, compact installation, and integration with industrial control and production equipment. Depending on configuration, TX2 robots can be adapted to different payload, reach, environmental, and application requirements.

• TS2 seriesSCARA robots

  The TS2 series consists of four-axis SCARA robots intended for fast, repeatable pick-and-place, assembly, packaging, and machine-loading operations. The platform is used where horizontal-plane speed and precise vertical movement are important. Stäubli supports the robots with controllers, software, accessories, and application engineering for integration into automated production cells.

• CombiTacModular connector systems

  CombiTac is a modular connector-system platform that allows different contact types and media connections to be combined in a customized unit. Depending on the configuration, systems can accommodate electrical, signal, pneumatic, hydraulic, and other industrial connection requirements. The platform is intended for machinery, testing, automation, energy, and other applications that benefit from rapid and repeatable connection.

• Textile jacquard systemsTextile machinery

  Stäubli's textile jacquard systems control individual warp threads or groups of threads to produce complex woven patterns. They are used in applications ranging from apparel and home textiles to labels, carpets, and technical fabrics. The systems form part of a broader textile-machinery portfolio that includes shedding, weaving-preparation, and production-support technologies.

• Quick-connect and multi-coupling systemsIndustrial connectors

  Stäubli supplies quick-connect couplings and multi-coupling systems for industrial applications involving fluids, gases, electrical power, signals, or combinations of these media. The products are intended to reduce connection time while maintaining secure operation and repeatable performance. Typical uses include manufacturing equipment, tooling, test rigs, automation systems, and other machinery requiring frequent changeover or service access.

1. Stäubli official website