Schneeberger celebrates its 100th anniversary

On March 1, 1923, Walter Schneeberger-Grütter founded a mechanics workshop in the middle of the village of Roggwil and developed and produced sharpeners for grinding knives and wood milling cutters. In one hundred years, the small mechanics company has become a leading provider in the field of linear bearings thanks to an innovative entrepreneurial spirit, constant further development of the company and the know-how of all its employees.

Pioneering invention 75 years ago

Innovation starts with recognizing potential customer needs and being receptive to them. When carbide tools were launched on the market in the 1940s, the Schneeberger mechanics company demonstrated its inventive spirit. To be able to grind these new types of tools, the company developed its own smooth-running slides with preloaded roller guideways. That was the very beginning of extremely precise linear bearings. "As an owner-managed company to this day, Schneeberger has always attached great importance to maximum precision, innovation and reliability," says Hans-Martin Schneeberger, Chairman of the Board of Directors and member of the founding family. "75 years ago, it made sense to continue the revolutionary development of linear bearings as an independent product line and to focus entirely on linear technology in the following years," Schneeberger adds. An important milestone emerged in 1992 when Schneeberger was the first provider to develop an integrated measuring system for roller-guided profiled linear guideways. Linear technology for hightech applications in promising sectors such as the semiconductor industry, medical technology and automation came into being.

Moving forward with innovative linear motion technology

Today, the Schneeberger Group is a pioneer in the field of innovative linear motion technology and a global leader in specific fields of application in the machine tool, solar, semiconductor and electrical industries, medical technology, handling, and robotics, among many others. With 1,400 employees working in the Group, the company will continue to passionately develop, produce and implement solutions of the highest quality as a competent industry partner for its customers. The development of system solutions with linear technology, metrology, ball screws and mineral casting machine beds promises further innovations for high-tech applications. This spring, Schneeberger AG Lineartechnik is launching another world first: The unique Schneeberger Absolute Measuring System (SAM) is another digital step for linear bearings in Industry 4.0, guiding and measuring are integrated in a system solution in the MINIRAIL miniature linear guideway. SAM is currently the smallest integrated absolute measuring system and features plug & play functions.

Anniversary book and exhibition

The 100 years of successful company history will be celebrated with the employees in all 13 sister companies worldwide over the course of the year. An anniversary exhibition with historical documents will be opened to the public on June 17 in the Kulturspycher Roggwil, and on the same day, the 100th anniversary book with interviews and exciting stories will be published.