Milestones of Schwan-STABILO

Our own solar system is connected to the grid: we rely on green electricity: generated here - consumed here

Thanks to the new photovoltaic system at our company headquarters in Heroldsberg, we generate a third of our total electricity requirements on site ourselves

Since construction began in June 2023, a large part of our parking lot has been covered with almost 5,000 solar modules and around 30 km of cable has been laid The system was connected to the grid in August 2024: the sun is now producing powerful, carbon dioxide-free and free electricity

Over the year, we can supply around 1/3 of our total electricity requirements at the site with green electricity generated by us: generated here - consumed here

We are thrilled about this further milestone on our way to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future!

Necessary renovation work on the administration building at the company headquarters, which was built in the 1990s, opened up the opportunity to redesign the office landscape. With the involvement of the employees, a new conceptual and spatial working concept was developed to replace the traditional individual and open-plan offices with fixed workstations. In smartly planned open-plan concepts including retreat and meeting rooms, employees now work together in different areas. Open lounge areas support networked working. All of this requires a "clean desk" principle: a space that is no longer needed is tidied up and made available as a free workstation for colleagues. Even if not all areas are ready yet: our new working environments reflect the diverse requirements of modern working in the best possible way and support exchange, flexibility and networking.

Anke Buttler (51) has been the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Schwan-STABILO Group since January 1. and is part of the group management alongside CEO Sebastian Schwanhäußer. With a degree in business administration, she brings with her more than 20 years of experience from international companies.

Schwan Cosmetics had leased four mobile heating units as a precautionary measure against possible energy shortages. In view of the energy infrastructure in Ukraine, which has been destroyed in many places, CEO Tomas Espinosa quickly decided: "We can do without one of the four heating power plants and thus help people in need quickly and noticeably,". The volunteer team of #peaceandlovetansports took over the transport of the specially purchased heating and power plant to Ukraine.

Schwan-STABILO Group and German sustainability start-up Doghammer focus on joint footprint.

Cult highlighter celebrates its 50th birthday
Millions of schoolchildren, students and professionals all over the world know and love the STABILO Boss Original highlighter. The highlighter revolutionised the world of education and work 50 years ago. Today, there is hardly a pencil case or office without one.
From the first day it was introduced in 1971 until today, the “BOSS” has been produced exclusively at the German production facility in Weißenburg (Middle Franconia). In 1986, due to increased sales volumes for the Boss, investments were made in a new production and assembly hall. The production facility has continuously been expanded and improved since. The ink production alone produces 1.2 million litres of ink per year and is state-of-the-art in terms of environmental protection and employee safety.

Almost 4.74 of these highlighters are sold worldwide per second. Since the start of production in 1971 at the Weissenburg plant in Central Franconia, Germany, around 2.6 billion units have been produced.

At the beginning of the year, Schwan Cosmetics, solution provider for color cosmetics, has unveiled its new brand identity and logo. The launch marks the introduction of a new brand purpose called Mindful Beauty. The new positioning represents the company’s mindset and wholistic approach towards connecting consumer and market needs into meaningful solutions. With its new visual identity, Schwan Cosmetics presents itself as modern and authentic. The new logo in red embodies a visual connection to the Schwan-STABILO Group.

STABILO has received the Bavarian Innovation Award 2020 for its digital pen, the STABILO® EduPen®. It uses sensors to measure students’ handwriting during writing lessons and transfers this data to an app. The information resulting from the writing speed, pressure, rhythm and legibility is collected and compiled into a skills profile for the child. This allows the teacher to easily understand the aspects the child needs to work on.
The prize is an award for outstanding innovative achievements and underlines the innovative strength of the global, family-owned company from Heroldsberg. The EduPen also shows that handwriting and digitalisation can be complementary. STABILO is in this way making an important contribution to digitalisation finding its way into the classroom in an uncomplicated way.

Great start for 23 Apprentices – and a different kind of photo shoot The first day for the 23 new apprentices at Schwan-STABILO's Weißenburg and Heroldsberg sites began with a drone photo shoot – for coronavirus distancing reasons, of course! That didn't change the warm welcome!

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The coronavirus situation changed our social and economic life from one day to the next. At Schwan-STABILO, the group-wide “Corona Health” coordination team has been analysing the situation on a daily basis since March 2020 and advising on specific protective and preventive measures in close cooperation with experts. Together with the company’s own occupational health service, around 40 members from the most diverse areas of the company are busy with the rapidly changing regulations and their implementation. The first point of contact, especially for the two German production sites in Heroldsberg and Weißenburg is the Corona Reporting Centre, which can be reached around the clock.

The Schwan-STABILO Group is setting the course for its future and restructures its management. Sebastian Schwanhäußer, former executive shareholder and member of the founding family, is appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company Group. As Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Group Management Board, Martin Reim has a new area of responsibility. With the restructuring, the company is giving even more weight to the Group prospects. The subgroups will continue to operate independently under their own management.

Schwan-STABILO receives the renowned international Award “Prix Leonardo da Vinci” as a particularly innovative, value-oriented and sustainably managed family company.

Industry 4.0 is already a reality at Schwan-STABILO. In order to bring all employees along on the road to the future, the group has launched an extensive qualification programme and trained the first “Digital Transformation Managers”.

Schwan-STABILO opens its own crèche, “ColorLand”. The crèche offers 24 childcare places very near to the parents’ workplace. It has a main room with plenty of toys and a ball pool. Outside there is a slide and a nest swing. In the large, shady garden, the children can play and explore to their hearts’ content.

The acquisition of the Maier Sports group in July 2015 expands the Outdoor portfolio, adding the Maier Sports and Gonso brands. Up until now, the Outdoor division of the Schwan-STABILO group has been made up of the backpack specialist Deuter and the mountain sports brand ORTOVOX.

Grand opening of the new STABILO CUBE building and commissioning of the new cosmetics manufacturing facility in the USA. The acquisition of the Maier Sports group expands the Outdoor portfolio, adding the Maier Sports and Gonso brands.

Schwan Cosmetics lays the foundation stone for a high-tech site in the U.S. state of Tennessee. In September 2015, both American companies are brought together at the new U.S. head office in Murfreesboro with a centre for excellence in decorative cosmetics.

The group acquires the company ORTOVOX-Sportartikel GmbH, a pioneer in the avalanche safety industry and expert in functional mountain sportswear using wool, and continues the expansion of its outdoor division.

In 2010, Schwan Cosmetics GmbH & Co. KG acquires American cosmetics manufacturer Cosmolab based in Lewisburg, Tennessee. With this move, Schwan Cosmetics enhances its international presence in this region, adding to existing subsidiaries in the USA and Mexico.

Acquisition of backpack manufacturer Deuter. The outdoor trend is still on the rise. Nevertheless, both family and management have the courage to take a decisive step. The group's structure is expanded by a third division with its entry into the outdoor sector.

Move to the new head office in Heroldsberg near Nuremberg, and re-structuring of the company as a holding company.

1977–1992: In this period, Schwan Cosmetics releases numerous product innovations that pave the way for modern cosmetic pencils: the first twist mechanisms (cosmetic pencils that no longer need to be sharpened), a completely new generation of sharpenable pencils, and liquid eyeliners all begin their success story at Schwan-STABILO – and are now considered an essential item in every cosmetic bag.

With internationalisation and the following separation of the Writing Instruments and Cosmetics business units, Stabilo enters boom times as a globally successful company and Schwan Cosmetics is developed and expanded to become today’s leading private label producer for all renowned cosmetic brands, worldwide.

Sales hits STABILO BOSS and STABILO point 88 fineliner are launched. At the same time, the previously small cosmetics division becomes a second mainstay for the group.

Schwan-STABILO was the first German company to invest in Malaysia with a Joint-Venture. What began at Johor Bahru as a small factory with attached retail outlet and a workforce of 20 people, soon developed into a booming business. Until today it’s an an important location in Asia.

The company had been rebuilt out of the ruins of war into a modern and functioning enterprise in the center of Nuernberg.

Lirola – this lipstick in a matchbook was very popular among women, who wanted red lips even in bleak post-war Germany.

The British bombed the greater Nuremberg area for the first time in August 1940. The final blow came on 2 January 1945 when several hundred bombers hit Nuremberg and the factory, leaving extreme destruction in their wake. The historic city centre was in ruins and Schwanhäusser’s factory had been heavily damaged. Further air raids followed until the city was taken by American troops on 16 April 1945. After twelve years of Nazi rule, the city of Nuremberg and the pencil factory were in ruins.

A mishap occurs in the factory when pencils with a white undercoat pass through the coating tunnel – they are not completely coated, leaving the hexagonal pencils with distinctly white edges. Thus the edge stripes are “invented” and a trade mark is born.

The first eyebrow pencil is created from a “dermatograph”, which surgeons use in operations to mark the skin. The first delivery of eyebrow pencils to the USA lays the foundations for the later cosmetics business. Max Factor dealt personally with the Schwanhäussers.

A pencil with an extremely sturdy lead is created for the first time. The STABILO brand is launched.

Gustav Adam Schwanhäusser lays the foundations for the success of Schwan-STABILO, purchasing pencil company Grossberger und Kurz with a great deal of personal commitment. The company is still owned by the family, and is now in the fifth generation.

WHY A SWAN?
The swan has been part of the company's logo ever since the company was founded. It not only symbolises part the family name, but also represents the values of purity and beauty.

Georg Conrad Grossberger and Hermann Christian Kurz began mechanical production of pencils in 1855. There was no question that the global development of industry, art and science provided good conditions for the business. However, just ten years later, the company was in such financial trouble that it went up for sale.