Stabilus

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Stabilus SA

logo
legal form Société Anonyme
ISIN LU1066226637
founding 1934
Seat Luxembourg , Luxembourg
management
  • Michael Büchsner (CEO)
  • Mark Wilhelms (CFO)
Number of employees 5,964
sales EUR 910 million (2017)
Branch Automotive supplier
Website www.stabilus.com
As of December 31, 2017

The Stabilus factory in Koblenz-Neuendorf

The Stabilus SA is a listed manufacturer of gas springs (short: gas springs), hydraulic dampers and electromechanical drives (also damper actuators ), based in Luxembourg and headquarters in Koblenz . The company was founded in 1934 and employs 6,200 people worldwide. The 17 production sites are spread across nine countries around the world.

Foundation and company history

1930s

Stabilus emerged from the Hanko company (founded in 1924), which imported American cars. Since the road holding of these cars was not satisfactory, the first hydraulic lever shock absorbers were developed and manufactured from 1928.

In 1934 the stabilizer department became independent, the name Stabilus (derived from stabilizer) was created. In 1936 - for the Olympic Games - many foreign visitors came with their own cars. Hanko Berlin and Hanko Koblenz took over the technical service and recommended that their customers equip their vehicles at Stabilus with shock absorbers and stabilizers in order to increase driving comfort. This made the company known abroad as well.

In order to increase the demand, a manual operation had to be converted to industrial production. However, since the land west of the Rhine was a military catchment area, no new permits for industrial operations were issued. This was circumvented by relocating the Hermann Wolf company from Aachen to Koblenz in 1937 . This was a move to the western restricted area and not a new establishment requiring approval. The workforce of the company Wolf including the entire machine park was taken over.

1940s

In 1939 Stabilus, like almost all German industrial companies, was declared a military enterprise. The 60-hour week was introduced in order to achieve the prescribed production target. In 1940, most of the production facilities had to be converted to the production of shells and bases for grenades for the 8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun. A new, modern factory hall was set up in mid-1940. While the previous machines were driven by transmission , each machine now had its own motor. In order to avoid the shortage of raw material, the two-tube shock absorber that had been manufactured so far had to be redesigned into a single-tube shock absorber in 1941.

In 1944 the administration building was completely destroyed during the air raids . The plant in Koblenz-Neuendorf was damaged by incendiary and high explosive bombs. When Koblenz was captured by US Army units in 1945, this meant the temporary end of the Stabilus company. The first orders in the second half of the year consisted mainly of repair work for companies in Koblenz. Gears, pinions, shafts and bearings were manufactured. At the beginning of 1946 shock absorber production was resumed.

1950s

The mono-tube shock absorber was further developed and increasingly used on motorcycles and scooters. From 1955 this damper was also used as a steering damper z. B. used in the VW Beetle . The first in-house hard chrome plating line was set up in 1956. During the construction of a new workshop in the spring of 1958, a Roman military cemetery was found. The objects found were processed and handed over to the State Museum of Rhineland-Palatinate .

1960s

In the 1960s, further types of shock absorbers were developed - e.g. B. on struts with a larger stroke and better suspension comfort. In this device, a gas cushion was used instead of the mechanical spring normally used. The first dampers for use in washing machines and for engine vibration damping in cars were ready for series production.

In 1965 Fichtel & Sachs took over Stabilus as a 100% subsidiary.

The product Lift-O-Mat reached series production in 1962 and the Bloc-O-Lift in 1965.

1970s to 1990s

In the 1970s, production was expanded. There was a targeted change from manual production to machine production. The manufacturing facilities required for this are largely designed and built in-house to this day. The gas springs for stepless seat height adjustment Stab-O-Mat and Stab-O-Bloc were ready for series production in 1972.

In order to meet the growing demands of foreign customers, plants were established all over the world: Gastonia , United States (1972); Lezama, Spain (1981; plant closed in 2011); Dingley, Australia (1985); England (1988, plant closed in 2003); Ramos Arizpe , Mexico (1994); Villar Perosa , Italy (1994, plant closed in 2009) and Itajubá , Brazil (1997). In 1999, the 1 billionth gas spring was produced.

2000s

The stepless door check “Dorstop” was ready for series production in 2001, the flap opening and closing system “Powerise” (formerly called Stab-O-Focs) in 2002. The company, which has been part of Demag Holding / KKR since 2002 , was acquired by the private equity fund Montagu in 2004 sold.

Further plants were founded: Auckland , New Zealand (2000); Suwon- si, Korea (2003); Changchun , Brașov , Romania (2005); Changzhou , China (2007) and start of production at Powerise Automotive in Mexico (2009). With the establishment of the plant in Romania, the production of the Stab-O-Mat and Stab-O-Bloc products was completely relocated there. The machinery required for production was also relocated from the Koblenz plant to Romania.

At the beginning of 2008, Montagu sold Stabilus to Paine & Partners, a US investment company, for 525 million euros. Furthermore, it was decided to take over the chair gas spring area of ​​the company Suspa (tools, sales and customer contacts). This makes Stabilus the only manufacturer of chair gas springs in Europe. At the end of 2008, Stabilus also acquired the majority in LinRot, a manufacturer of electromechanical drives. LinRot was renamed 'Stabilus Powerise GmbH'.

2010s

The private equity company Triton Partners acquired the majority stake at the beginning of 2010 via a debt -to-equity swap. Production of the Powerise started in 2011 at the plant in Romania.

Stabilus SA has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since May 2014.

In June 2016, the acquisition of the SKF companies ACE, Hahn Gasfedern and Fabreeka / Tech Products was completed.

Stock exchange listing

On May 23, 2014, the Luxembourg holding company went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the Prime Standard of the regulated market and was included in the SDAX in September 2014. Management holds less than 0.5% of the shares. The free float is over 99% (as of September 30, 2017).

Locations

Europe
  • Stabilus SA in Luxembourg : headquarters of the holding company
  • Stabilus GmbH in Koblenz, Germany: headquarters of administration, development and production
  • Stabilus SRL in Brașov , Romania : Production
  • Stabilus España in Derio , Spain : sales office
  • Stabilus France Sarl in Poissy , France : sales office
  • Stabilus Italia in Turin , Italy : sales office
  • Stabilus UK in Banbury , England : sales office
America
Asia / Pacific

Products

The best-known product of the Stabilus company is the Lift-O-Mat, which is mainly used for tailgates and bonnets of cars. In addition, the company also manufactures the following products:

  • Lift-O-Mat INOX LINE - stainless steel gas spring for use in medical and rehabilitation technology and in areas at risk of corrosion (e.g. seafaring)
  • Lift-O-Mat PV (formerly Hydro-Lift) - use e.g. B. in market stalls to keep flaps open even under load (snow or the like)
  • Inter-Stop - manual stopping is possible in an intermediate position through different stroke ranges
  • Stab-O-Mat, Stab-O-Bloc - for (office) chair height adjustment
  • Bloc-O-Lift - stepless adjustment of seat and backrests in swivel chairs, hospital beds, tables, etc.
  • Stab-O-Shoc - used, for example, in diesel pumps in cars
  • Engine vibration damper, steering damper
  • DORSTOP - for stepless door locking in cars
  • POWERISE - electromechanical flap opening and closing system (e.g. tailgate)
  • Hydro-Lift - hydraulic cylinder, use e.g. B. in the convertible top

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tino Böhler: Auto supplier Stabilus brings Michael Büchsner from ZF. In: automobil-produktion.de, March 27, 2019 (accessed March 27, 2019).
  2. ↑ a b c Stabilus Annual Report 2017. (PDF) Stabilus SA, December 15, 2017, accessed on December 15, 2017 (English).
  3. ^ Stabilus SA: Stabilus homepage. Retrieved February 24, 2018 .
  4. ↑ SKF sells Kaydon velocity controls business for $ 339m , Drives & Controls, April 28, 2016
  5. ↑ Stabilus SA: Annual Report 2017 . Ed .: Stabilus SA S. 32 .

Web links

Coordinates: 50 ° 22 ′ 31 ″  N , 7 ° 36 ′ 10 ″  E