Stahl history

Following the death of his partner Gustav Weineck, Rafael Stahl joined forces with Wilhelm Stücklen in 1880 to set up a round loom factory.

The two company founders achieved financial independence when they erected their own factory building in Feuerbach in 1886.

In 1893 R. STAHL's first lift was built.

In 1899, Rafael Stahl passed away.

When in 1926 R. STAHL customers, such as BASF, began demanding hoists and cranes to be suitable for areas in which hazardous gasses occur, the company began developing explosion-protected command and control equipment – and a new R. STAHL mission came to the fore.

In 1930, when Stahl was founded by Harry Stahl in Peabody, Massachusetts, USA. It wasn’t an easy time to start a business – it was the Great Depression – but he believed that a business rooted in strong family values would thrive.

Because of the war, electric hoist production had to be moved from Stuttgart to Künzelsau at the beginning of 1944.

1965 saw R. STAHL merge with A. Zaiser, a Stuttgart-based company with a long history.

R. STAHL brought its innovation and leadership to North America in earnest in 1979.

Another followed in 1983, this time in Japan. It has been listed on the stock exchange since 21st July 1997.

After the Group produced a loss in 2001, the Executive Board launched an extensive restructuring programme.

With the acquisition of Norwegian company Tranberg A.S. in 2006, R. STAHL was able to tap into the marine equipment industry.