SFS Group
SFS Group is a Swiss industrial technology company supplying precision components, fastening systems, quality tools, and procurement solutions.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
SFS Group is a Switzerland-based industrial supplier whose products are integrated into customers' manufacturing, construction, mobility, electronics, medical-device, aerospace, and other technical applications. The group develops and manufactures application-critical precision components and assemblies, mechanical fastening systems, and related processing technologies, while also operating a distribution and logistics business focused on quality tools, fasteners, industrial supplies, and procurement services. The company's roots extend to a hardware business established in Altstätten, Switzerland, in 1928. A branch opened in nearby Heerbrugg in 1949. Persistent supply shortages encouraged Josef Stadler and Hans Huber to establish their own screw-manufacturing operation, SFS Presswerk AG, in 1960. That manufacturing base became the foundation for the later group, which expanded its trading and industrial activities over subsequent decades. From 1971 onward, SFS developed an international network of sales organizations, gradually moving from a primarily regional Swiss business toward a global supplier serving industrial customers. SFS consolidated its activities under SFS Holding AG in 1993. The group adopted the SFS Group AG name in 2014 and was listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange on 7 May of that year. Its expansion has combined organic development with acquisitions that added technologies, geographic coverage, and customer relationships. The 2008 acquisition of GESIPA gave SFS an entry into blind-riveting technology. In 2012, the acquisition of Singapore-based Unisteel Technology Group broadened its miniature-fastener activities for applications such as smartphones, lifestyle electronics, and hard-disk drives. Medical technology became more important through acquisitions in Switzerland and Tegra Medical in the United States in 2016. In 2021, SFS acquired its long-standing German partner Hoffmann SE, strengthening the group's industrial distribution and quality-tools activities and enabling a broader international trading platform. SFS Group organizes its business into three segments. Engineered Components develops and manufactures customer-specific precision components, assemblies, and fastening solutions. It serves automotive, electronics, medical-device, aerospace, and general industrial customers, using technologies including cold forming, deep drawing, injection molding, riveting, secondary operations, and fastening technology. Fastening Systems supplies application-specific mechanical fastening solutions, particularly for construction and related building applications. Distribution & Logistics provides quality tools, fasteners, other C-parts, and procurement solutions for industrial manufacturing customers. Brands and business platforms associated with these activities include SFS, GESIPA, UNISTEEL, Tegra Medical, TFC, HECO, Hoffmann Group, GARANT, and HOLEX. The group's business model is based on close technical cooperation with customers. Rather than selling only standardized catalog products, SFS commonly supports the development, production, and delivery of components or systems designed around a customer's application, production process, and quality requirements. Its distribution activities complement this manufacturing capability by supplying tools, fasteners, and industrial consumables through logistics and procurement services. SFS reported sales of CHF 3,056.6 million and approximately 13,600 full-time-equivalent employees for the 2025 financial year, with around 150 sales and production locations in 35 countries. These figures and the breadth of its industrial portfolio position SFS as a multinational business-to-business technology and supply partner rather than a consumer-facing brand.
History
SFS Group's origins lie in the Swiss hardware trade. A hardware store was established in Altstätten in 1928, followed by a Heerbrugg branch in 1949. The business initially operated in a commercial environment, but shortages of externally supplied screws and other hardware encouraged Josef Stadler and Hans Huber to develop manufacturing capabilities of their own. In 1960 they founded SFS Presswerk AG and established a screw-manufacturing facility in Heerbrugg. This move created the industrial foundation from which the later SFS Group developed. During the following decades, SFS expanded both its trading activities and its manufacturing operations. The company built expertise in precision metalworking and fastening-related processes, while also increasing its ability to serve industrial customers with application-specific products. Beginning in 1971, it created an international network of marketing organizations. This network allowed SFS to work more closely with customers outside Switzerland and supported the group's gradual evolution into an international supplier. In 1993, SFS consolidated its activities under SFS Holding AG. The group continued to develop a portfolio spanning engineered components, fastening products, and distribution. A major technological expansion occurred in 2008, when SFS acquired GESIPA in Germany. GESIPA brought established expertise in blind-riveting technology, including blind rivets, blind rivet nuts, and the tools and systems used to install them. The transaction broadened SFS's fastening-system capabilities and strengthened its access to industrial and trade customers. SFS continued its international expansion in Asia through the acquisition of Unisteel Technology Group on 1 September 2012. Based in Singapore, Unisteel specialized in miniature fasteners used in products such as smartphones, lifestyle electronics, and hard-disk drives. Its additional manufacturing operations in Malaysia and China gave SFS a stronger presence in Asian electronics supply chains and added a specialized product platform to the group's engineered-components activities. The company reorganized its identity as SFS Group AG in 2014 and became listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange on 7 May that year. Public ownership marked a new phase in the group's development while preserving its industrial and business-to-business orientation. SFS subsequently expanded into medical technology. Acquisitions in Switzerland and of Tegra Medical in the United States in 2016 added capabilities and customers in the production of components for medical devices. Another strategic step came in 2021, when SFS acquired Hoffmann SE, a long-standing partner headquartered in Germany. Hoffmann strengthened the group's distribution and logistics platform, broadened its international trading activities, and supported a leading position in quality tools. The combined business includes brands and platforms such as Hoffmann Group, GARANT, and HOLEX alongside SFS's manufacturing and fastening businesses. Today, SFS Group operates through Engineered Components, Fastening Systems, and Distribution & Logistics. Its technology base includes cold forming, deep drawing, injection molding, riveting, secondary operations, and fastening technology. The group serves automotive, construction, electrical and electronics, aerospace, medical-device, and general industrial markets. The company reports approximately 150 sales and production locations in 35 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America. Its 2025 financial-year figures were CHF 3,056.6 million in sales and approximately 13,600 full-time-equivalent employees, reflecting the transformation from a regional hardware business into a diversified international industrial supplier.
- 2021
Hoffmann SE acquired
[1]The transaction expanded SFS's international distribution, quality-tools, and procurement activities.
- 2016
Medical-technology expansion
[1]SFS acquired businesses in Switzerland and Tegra Medical in the United States.
- 2014
SFS Group AG name adopted and shares listed
[1]The company changed its name to SFS Group AG and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange on 7 May.
- 2012
Unisteel Technology Group acquired
[1]SFS expanded its miniature-fastener business and Asian manufacturing footprint.
- 2008
GESIPA acquired
[1]The acquisition added blind-riveting technology and related tools and systems.
- 1993
Activities consolidated under SFS Holding AG
[1]The group's activities were brought together under the SFS Holding AG umbrella.
- 1971
International marketing network initiated
[1]SFS began building an international network of marketing organizations to support overseas growth.
- 1960
SFS Presswerk AG founded
[1]Josef Stadler and Hans Huber established SFS Presswerk AG and began manufacturing screws in Heerbrugg.
- 1949
Heerbrugg branch opened
[1]The business opened a branch in Heerbrugg, which later became the group's headquarters and industrial center.
- 1928
Hardware business established in Altstätten
[1]The earliest recorded predecessor of SFS began as a hardware store in Altstätten, Switzerland.
Products and positioning
A technically integrated B2B partner combining precision manufacturing, fastening technology, industrial distribution, and procurement logistics for demanding applications.
Precision components and assemblies
Engineered Components
Engineered Components is SFS's customer-specific manufacturing platform. It produces precision parts, assemblies, and fastening solutions for automotive, electronics, medical-device, aerospace, and industrial customers. Its process portfolio includes cold forming, deep drawing, injection molding, riveting, secondary operations, and related finishing or assembly work. The offering is oriented toward components that are integrated into a customer's product or production process and therefore require consistent tolerances, repeatability, and application-specific engineering.
Mechanical fastening systems
Fastening Systems
Fastening Systems provides application-specific mechanical fastening products and systems, with a particularly strong presence in construction-related applications. The portfolio is associated with the SFS, TFC, and HECO brands, among others. Products are designed to join, secure, or install materials in demanding building and industrial environments, combining fastener design with the requirements of the intended application rather than treating individual screws or fastening elements as isolated commodities.
Blind-riveting technology
GESIPA
GESIPA supplies blind rivets, blind rivet nuts, and the corresponding tools, processing equipment, and assembly systems. SFS entered the blind-riveting market through the acquisition of GESIPA in 2008. The business serves industrial and trade users that need controlled installation of mechanical fasteners, and it extends SFS's offering from the manufacture of components to the equipment used to assemble them.
Miniature fasteners
UNISTEEL
UNISTEEL focuses on miniature fasteners and related precision products for compact electronic and technology applications. Its products have been associated with smartphones, lifestyle electronics, and hard-disk drives. The platform became part of SFS through the 2012 acquisition of Unisteel Technology Group, headquartered in Singapore and supported by production facilities in Malaysia and China.
Medical-device components · 2016
Tegra Medical
Tegra Medical is part of SFS's medical-technology activities and contributes manufacturing capabilities and customer relationships for medical-device components. SFS added Tegra Medical in 2016 as part of a broader expansion in the sector. The offering sits within the group's engineered-components model, where precision manufacturing and process reliability are applied to technically demanding healthcare products.
Industrial distribution and procurement
Distribution & Logistics
Distribution & Logistics supplies quality tools, fasteners, other C-parts, and procurement solutions to industrial manufacturing customers. The business combines product distribution with logistics and sourcing support, helping customers manage recurring requirements for production supplies. The acquisition of Hoffmann SE in 2021 significantly expanded this platform and connected SFS with the Hoffmann Group, GARANT, and HOLEX brands.
Brand decisions
2021
Acquire Hoffmann SEM&ABackground
SFS aimed to internationalize its trading business and strengthen its position in quality tools and industrial distribution.
Action taken
SFS acquired its long-standing German partner Hoffmann SE.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded the Distribution & Logistics segment and added the Hoffmann Group, GARANT, and HOLEX platforms to the broader group portfolio.
2016
Expand into medical technologyM&ABackground
SFS identified medical-device manufacturing as a growth area compatible with its precision-component capabilities.
Action taken
The group acquired businesses in Switzerland and Tegra Medical in the United States.
Aftermath
The transactions increased SFS's activities in medical technology and added customers in the sector.
2014
Adopt the SFS Group AG identity and pursue a public listingOtherBackground
After consolidating its activities under SFS Holding AG in 1993, the group formalized a unified international identity and prepared for public-market participation.
Action taken
The company changed its name to SFS Group AG and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange on 7 May 2014 under ticker SFSN.
Aftermath
SFS became a publicly traded Swiss industrial group while retaining its manufacturing, fastening, and distribution focus.
2012
Acquire Unisteel Technology GroupM&ABackground
Growing demand for miniature fastening products in electronics created an opportunity to expand SFS's precision-component activities in Asia.
Action taken
SFS acquired Singapore-based Unisteel Technology Group, including its additional production presence in Malaysia and China.
Aftermath
SFS gained a specialized miniature-fastener platform serving applications including smartphones, lifestyle electronics, and hard-disk drives.
2008
Acquire GESIPA to enter blind-riveting technologyM&ABackground
SFS sought to broaden its fastening-technology portfolio beyond its existing activities and enter the blind-riveting market.
Action taken
SFS acquired GESIPA in Germany, adding blind rivets, blind rivet nuts, and associated installation systems.
Aftermath
The acquisition established blind riveting as part of SFS's industrial fastening offering.
Recent events
- 2025
SFS Group reports 2025 sales of CHF 3,056.6 million[1]
Other
For the 2025 financial year, SFS Group reported sales of CHF 3,056.6 million and approximately 13,600 full-time-equivalent employees across its international network.
- 2021
SFS acquires Hoffmann SE[1]
M&A
SFS acquired its long-standing German partner Hoffmann SE, internationalizing its trading business and reinforcing its position in quality tools and industrial distribution.
- 2016
SFS expands its medical-technology activities[1]
M&A
Acquisitions in Switzerland and of Tegra Medical in the United States strengthened SFS's participation in medical-device manufacturing and broadened its customer base.
- 2014
SFS Group lists on the SIX Swiss Exchange[1]
Other · Leadership change
SFS adopted the SFS Group AG name and became publicly traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange under ticker SFSN.
- 2012
SFS acquires Unisteel Technology Group[1]
M&A
The acquisition of the Singapore-based miniature-fastener specialist expanded SFS's presence in electronics-related applications and added production operations in Malaysia and China.
- 2008
SFS acquires GESIPA and enters blind-riveting technology[1]
M&A
SFS acquired GESIPA in Germany, adding blind rivets, blind rivet nuts, and associated processing and assembly systems to its industrial technology portfolio.
Sources2 sources
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