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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.
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 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 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
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