Leister – Milestones on the way to success

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USA

Founding years

1949 - 1959

Karl Leister, 1992

1949	Karl Leister founded "Karl Leister Elektro-Gerätebau" in Solingen, Germany as a sole proprietorship.
1950	The first product: Leister FIX W200, handheld vacuum cleaner. With three employees, began production in the basement of his parents’ home.
1954	Karl Leister invents the Leister KOMBI, a hot-air tool for welding thermoplastics. First production building in Solingen.
1959	First Leister trade show booth at the 'K' fair, international plastics trade fair, in Dusseldorf, Germany.
1949 - 59	Expansion of sales network: ten countries in Europe and Australia.

First steps in Switzerland

1963 - 1993

1963	Opening of branch office in Kaegiswil/Obwalden, Switzerland with four employees; 30 employees in Solingen.
1966	New production building in Kaegiswil, Switzerland, with 50 employees.
1967	New Process Heat product line: Air heater with blower.
1960 - 69	Expansion of sales network in six countries in Europe, as well as the U.S.A., Canada, South Africa, Israel and Japan.

Leister First Steps in Switzerland — First Leister Blower, 1961

Leister becomes a Swiss company

1970 - 1979

1970	New production in Solingen, Germany with 45 employees.
1971	First production expansion in Kaegiswil.
1977	All business activities moved from Solingen to Kaegiswil. Second production expansion in Kaegiswil. Production in Solingen is shut down. The "Karl Leister Elektro-Gerätebau" company now has its new location in Switzerland with 100 employees.
1979	Own motor production founded.

Leister History - The Leister HOTWIND, 1971 — Leister HOTWIND, 1971

Growth and expansion

1980 - 1989

1980	A historic farm house is turned into offices in the production area in Kaegiswil. 150 employees
1984 - 89	Third and fourth production expansions in Kaegiswil. 200 employees
1980 - 89	Expansion of sales network in 17 countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Emergence into new business activities

1992 - 1999

Christiane Leister

1992	Last production expansion in Kaegiswil (Schwarzenbergstrasse 10) 220 employees Sales and service centers with sales partners in 41 countries.
1993	Christiane Leister takes over control of the company and executive management as a successor.
1997	New “Weldy” product line: Hot-air blowers for DIY and private label customers.
1998	New business activities: Axetris gas sensors and micro-optics. Acquisition of "Lemantech SA,” a start-up company from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland, as an entry into micro-technology. More history about Axetris New Leister product line: Laser systems for welding plastics. Laser Plastic Welding Product portfolio New company building with high-bay warehouse in Sarnen/Obwalden, Switzerland.
1999	Integrated clean room for Axetris in Kaegiswil production building. Leister Technologies GmbH Germany. 290 employees

Leister traveling to other continents

2000 - 2009

2000	Leister Technologies LLC, Itasca, Ill., U.S.A.
2004	Leister Technologies Ltd., Shanghai, China Production of Weldy hot-air tools—do-it-yourself and private labels―moves from Switzerland to China. More history of Leister China.
2007	Acquisition of "IR Microsystems SA" to expand Axetris product portfolio.
2008	Acquisition of a representative industrial building in Kaegiswil on Galileo-Strasse. The "Cockpit" becomes the company’s new headquarters.
2009	Leister Technologies KK, Japan.

From separate companies to consortium

2011 - 2018

2011	The separate companies—Leister Process Technologies, with Leister and Axetris business units, and the Leister subsidiaries abroad―are transformed into a corporate structure. Leister AG becomes the holding company for the Leister Group. 500 employees
2012	Leister Technologies Pvt. Ltd., India
2013	Leister Technologies Benelux Ltd. with locations in the Netherlands and Belgium Leister Technologies Italy S.r.l., Italy Weldy AG, Kaegiswil: Global distribution of Weldy products under the do-it-yourself and private labels.
2014	Acquisition of Seamtek, Inc., Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.A., to expand the Leister product portfolio with welders for film welding. 620 employees
2016	Weldy becomes a trademark of Leister. The Leister Group takes over long-time distribution partner, Klappenbach GmbH, Hagen, Germany.
2017	Leister invests 35 million Swiss francs in production line expansion and new clean rooms for Axeris AG. 800 employees
2018	Start of construction of the extension to Leister Technologies AG in Sarnen Expansion of the product range to include infrared systems through the acquisition of Krelus AG 880 employees worldwide, 580 of them in Switzerland

Leister SEAMTEK 36 — Leister SEAMTEK 36, 2014

Production with three employees in the basement of Karl Leister's parental home (1950)

First production building in Solingen, Germany (1954)

The first automatic welder - the Leister TRANSPORTER (1959)

The "Leister Family" (1963)

The first floor welder

Leister production building in Kaegiswil, Obwalden (1966)

Plastics trade show in Japan

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