Staubli Robotics Company Profile: History, Ownership, Structure, Products and Leadership
Updated: 7 days ago
Staubli is a Swiss, family-owned mechatronics group with about 6,000 employees and revenue of more than CHF 1.6 billion, and Robotics is one of its four divisions. The company entered automation in 1982 and bought the American robot pioneer Unimation in 1989. It has no stock listing. This profile sets out its history, ownership, divisions, production sites, robot range and leadership.
Staubli at a Glance
Fact | Detail |
Company | Staubli International AG; parent company Staubli Holding AG |
Founded | 1892 in Horgen, Switzerland, as Schelling and Staubli |
Founders | Rudolph Schelling and Hermann Staubli |
Headquarters | Pfaffikon, canton of Schwyz, Switzerland |
Employees | About 6,000 |
Revenue | More than CHF 1.6 billion |
Divisions | Textile, Fluid Connectors, Electrical Connectors, Robotics |
Robotics since | 1982 |
Ownership | Family-owned; not listed |
Group CEO | Gerald Vogt |
Head of the Robotics Division | Christophe Coulongeat |
Company History
Staubli was founded in 1892 as a small workshop in Horgen, on Lake Zurich, under the name Schelling and Staubli. Its first business was textile machinery, and it still makes dobbies, Jacquard machines and weaving systems. The company diversified into automation and robotics in 1982. Seven years later it took over Unimation, its American competitor, from Westinghouse, and in 2004 it acquired the robotics division of Bosch Rexroth and integrated those products into its own line.
Key milestones
1892: Schelling and Staubli founded in Horgen.
1982: Diversification into automation and robotics.
1989: Takeover of Unimation from Westinghouse.
2004: Acquisition of the robotics division of Bosch Rexroth.
2016: Gerald Vogt becomes head of the global Robotics business.
2021: Gerald Vogt becomes group CEO on January 1, succeeding Rolf Strebel, and Christophe Coulongeat takes over the Robotics Division.
Ownership and Corporate Structure
Staubli describes itself as a diversified, family-owned company. It is organized as a Swiss stock corporation under the parent Staubli Holding AG, but its shares are not publicly traded. When the current chief executive was appointed, the group reported operations in 29 countries and agents in 50 countries on four continents, with North America and Asia named as growth priorities.
Divisions
Textile: dobbies, Jacquard machines and weaving machinery, the original business.
Fluid Connectors: quick couplings, robot tool changers and quick mold-change systems.
Electrical Connectors: electrical connectors, including the original MC4 connector for photovoltaic systems.
Robotics: four-axis and six-axis robots, cobots and mobile robots.
Production sites
Staubli's production network includes Allschwil and Sargans in Switzerland; Faverges, Lyon and Hesingue in France; Bayreuth, Chemnitz, Essen and Weil am Rhein in Germany; Carate Brianza in Italy; Hangzhou in China; and Duncan, South Carolina, in the United States.
Staubli Robotics' Product Range
Category | What it covers |
SCARA and six-axis robot arms | Industrial robots for automation across industries, in standard and specialized ranges |
Cleanroom robot arms | An ultra-high-performance line for semiconductor applications |
Mobile robotics | Platform series, forklift and mobile pharma robots for material flow |
Automatic tool changers | Modular tool-changing systems in customizable configurations |
Digital solutions | Software to monitor, analyze and optimize equipment and reduce downtime |
Collaborative robots | Cobots for work alongside people |
Staubli product reviews on All Things Cobots
Leadership and Management
Name | Role |
Gerald Vogt | Group Chief Executive Officer since January 1, 2021 |
Christophe Coulongeat | Head of the Robotics Division since January 1, 2021 |
Gerald Vogt is a Franco-German engineer and business economist who had been with Staubli for almost 20 years when he was appointed. He led the Robotics division in North America, headed development in Faverges and ran Staubli Robotics in Bayreuth before taking global responsibility for robotics in 2016. His predecessor, Rolf Strebel, was chief executive for 14 years. Christophe Coulongeat had been deputy head of the Robotics Division since 2018. Yves Serra was chairman of the board at the time of the appointments.
Can You Invest in Staubli?
No. Staubli is family-owned and has no publicly traded shares. It also publishes little financial detail beyond headline revenue and employee numbers.
Strengths and Challenges
Strengths
Independence and long-term ownership.
Robotics combined with in-house tool changers and connectors.
Specialized cleanroom and pharmaceutical robot lines.
Production in Europe, China and the United States.
Challenges
Limited financial transparency for customers and partners who want to assess the business.
A smaller scale than the largest robot makers.
Competition from lower-priced SCARA and six-axis suppliers.
Outlook
Staubli's stated growth focus is North America and Asia. In robotics, its recent emphasis is on mobile robots, semiconductor cleanroom arms and digital monitoring tools around its SCARA and six-axis range.
Current Catalogue Coverage
Catalogue checked on 15 October 2026: 25 associated product records. The links below are representative entries, rather than a claim that every historical model is currently available.
Staubli Robotics FAQ
Who owns Staubli?
Staubli is a family-owned company under the parent Staubli Holding AG.
Is Staubli publicly traded?
No. Staubli has no stock listing.
When was Staubli founded?
In 1892 in Horgen, Switzerland. It entered automation and robotics in 1982.
When did Staubli acquire Unimation?
In 1989, from Westinghouse.
Who is the CEO of Staubli?
Gerald Vogt has been group CEO since January 1, 2021. Christophe Coulongeat leads the Robotics Division.
Where is Staubli headquartered?
In Pfaffikon, in the Swiss canton of Schwyz.
Sources
Staubli Robotics: products
Association for Advancing Automation: Gerald Vogt becomes new CEO of the Staubli Group
Wikipedia: Staubli
