History
In 1874, Franz Josef Forster opened a coppersmith’s shop producing hot-water bottles, cookware and other receptacles. The company changed its name to Hermann Forster AG in 1922. By this time, it was manufacturing steel tubes.
In 1904, Karl Schnitzler set up a factory to make heat exchangers under the Arbonia brand.
In 1954, Arbonia AG was established.
In 1973, the majority of the shares in Hermann Forster AG were transferred to Arbonia AG, which had been wholly owned by Jakob Züllig since 1959. The Arbonia-Forster Group comprised Hermann Forster AG (steel tubes technology, kitchens and refrigeration equipment), Arbonia AG (radiators and heaters), Asta AG (road transport) and Buhler-Regina AG (embroidery supplies).
In 1987, AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG was registered with the commercial register with CHF 30 million in share capital. A year later, the company was listed on the stock exchange.
In 1999, Jakob Züllig, majority shareholder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, died. Prolux Heizkörper AG was bought in the same year.
In 2001, AFG took over the German company Kermi GmbH, which provided a major boost for its radiator and shower stall business.
In 2003, the Züllig estate sold its majority interest to Dr Edgar Oehler, the new CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
In 2004, there were three acquisitions: Bruno Piatti AG, Dietlikon ZH (CH); EgoKiefer AG, Altstätten SG (CH); and Spedition Gächter GmbH, Stachen-Arbon TG (CH).
In 2005, there followed a further acquisition: in September, AFG acquired Miele Kitchens, based in Warendorf (D), from the German company Miele & Cie. KG, based in Gütersloh (D).
In 2006 the Group acquired Schmidlin ASCO Swiss AG, Zwingen BL. The company specialises in underfloor convectors which, alongside their conventional heating function, can also be used for cooling.
In 2007, AFG acquired STI Surface Technologies International Holding AG, Steinach SG (CH) and RWD Schlatter AG, Roggwil SG (CH). In September, AFG acquired the British company Aqualux Products Holdings Ltd.
2008 AFG took over Slovaktual s.r.o., Slovakia’s leading windows manufacturer. In October, AFG set up a new Asia Pacific regional branch with headquarters in Shanghai (CN).
In 2009, AFG presented its new Warendorf brand of kitchens. This represents the successor to the Miele Kitchens (Miele Die Küche) brand.
In 2010, shareholders at AFG’s ordinary General Meeting approved the abolition of the hitherto unequal weighting of registered shares and bearer shares, introducing a single class of registered shares.
In 2011, Edgar Oehler was succeeded as Chairman of the Board of Directors by Paul Witschi on 29 April and as CEO by Daniel Frutig on 1 June.
In 2012, AFG sold its transport and logistics business Asta, its British subsidiary Aqualux and the German company Warendorf. With the acquisition of the Polish window manufacturer Dobroplast, it focused on expanding one of its core business areas.
In 2013, AFG intensified its focus on its core business based on building envelope and interior. It sold off Forster Refrigeration Technology as well as Forster Precision Steel Tubes.
In 2014, the AFG kitchen business and the STI Group were sold. AFG acquired Sabiana, a market leader in commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning. Artemis Beteiligungen I AG, led by Michael Pieper, became AFG’s new main shareholder.
In 2015, the General Meeting elected Alexander von Witzleben as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors. In July, he also assumed the role of interim CEO. In August, the Board of Directors decided to relocate the production plants to other European countries as a result of significant pressure from competition. Eastern German window manufacturer Wertbau GmbH and Italian company Bloxer Ronchi were also acquired in August. As part of a capital increase carried out with the aim of strengthening the Group’s financial standing, Artemis Beteiligungen I AG reaffirmed its commitment to the Group and, by the end of the year, had increased its stake to just under 28 %.
In 2016, AFG acquired the Koralle Group, which specialises in sanitary facilities, from Geberit AG. The move represents a widening of the Building Technology Division product range and will help it enhance its position in the core markets of Switzerland, Germany and Austria with a lasting effect. To improve its value chain and market presence in France and Luxembourg, AFG took over Sabiana's French exclusive distribution partner Sabiatherm. In September, AFG announced the takeover of the Looser Group, which is also active in the building supply business and has areas that focus on doors (Prüm, Garant and Invado) as well as industrial services (Condecta). The takeover was successfully finalised in December by means of a public purchase and exchange offer to the Looser shareholders. This transaction represents an important step in AFG’s efforts to achieve its strategic goal of becoming a leading European building supplier. As part of the transaction, AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG was renamed Arbonia AG.