Voith
Corporate brand
UnclaimedGerman family-owned technology group supplying machinery, systems, services and digital solutions for energy, paper, raw-materials and transport industries.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Voith is a German technology group whose origins lie in nineteenth-century mechanical engineering, metalworking and the manufacture of equipment for paper production and hydropower. The company developed from Johann Matthäus Voith’s locksmith and repair workshop in Heidenheim, which he had taken over in 1825. Under his son Friedrich Voith, the business became an industrial manufacturer and was formally established as J. M. Voith on January 1, 1867. The early company served the industrial economy of Württemberg by repairing and reproducing machinery used by textile and paper manufacturers. Its decisive specialization emerged through work on wood grinders, wood-pulp preparation equipment and paper machines. Voith improved machinery based on the wood-grinding technology associated with Friedrich Gottlob Keller and entered into a long-running technical relationship with paper manufacturer Heinrich Voelter. In 1881, the company produced its first complete Voith paper machine, marking a transition from workshop production to a specialized paper-technology business. Hydropower became the second major foundation of the group. Voith manufactured water turbines, including Francis and Pelton designs, and later developed equipment for the expanding electrical-power industry. Its research facilities at Hermaringen and Brunnenmühle supported hydraulic testing and helped connect the company with scientific engineering. In 1903, Voith received an order for twelve large Francis turbines for power plants associated with Niagara Falls, an important international milestone for its turbine business. During the twentieth century, Voith broadened from paper and hydroelectric machinery into mechanical and hydrodynamic drive technology. It began building gear transmissions in 1922, developed hydrodynamic couplings based on the Föttinger principle in 1929, and participated in the development of the Voith Schneider propeller, a maneuverable marine propulsion and steering system patented jointly with engineer Ernst Schneider in 1927. These technologies supported later applications in ships, rail vehicles, industrial machinery and road vehicles. Voith is not primarily an automobile brand. Automotive and road-vehicle drive applications form only part of a much wider industrial portfolio. The group’s principal areas are equipment and services for paper mills, hydropower and energy systems, transport propulsion and drive technology, and selected raw-material industries. Its offering combines large-scale machinery with engineering, maintenance, modernization, automation and digital applications. The company remains family-owned and operates internationally, with locations in more than 60 countries. The reference material describes approximately 22,000 employees and sales of about €5.2 billion, but these figures are not assigned here to a specific reporting period. Voith’s identity is therefore best understood as that of a global, privately held industrial technology group rather than a consumer-facing product brand. Its long-term positioning rests on engineering depth, application-specific systems, lifecycle service and the ability to combine mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and digital technologies.
History
Voith’s history began in 1825, when Johann Matthäus Voith assumed control of his father’s locksmith workshop in Heidenheim. The workshop repaired water wheels, textile machinery and paper-mill equipment, and participated in the construction of a paper machine developed by Johann Jakob Widmann. During the middle decades of the nineteenth century, the business moved beyond repair work and began reproducing and improving machinery imported from Britain. The company’s industrial direction was shaped by its relationship with paper manufacturer Heinrich Voelter. From the 1850s onward, Voith worked on mechanical wood grinders and later on refiners for preparing wood pulp. The business added a metalworking shop and foundry, enabling it to make increasingly large machines internally. A major order following a fire at Voelter’s paper mill required the production of eight hollander beaters and accelerated the expansion of the manufacturing works. On January 1, 1867, Friedrich Voith took over the workshop as sole owner. This date is treated as the formal founding of the company. Under Friedrich’s leadership, the enterprise specialized in paper machinery while also entering water-turbine construction. It received a patent for a wood grinder with a toothed loading rack in 1869 and exhibited wood-grinding technology at the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna, where the development received a progress medal. Voith produced its first complete paper machine in 1881 for Raithelhuber, Bezner & Cie. in Gemmrigheim. In parallel, it developed turbine technology, initially producing improved Francis turbines and later high-pressure Pelton turbines. As electricity generation expanded, water turbines became an increasingly important business. In 1903, the company won an order for twelve 12,000-horsepower Francis turbines for power plants at Niagara Falls in the United States and Canada. Internationalization followed. Voith opened its first subsidiary in Sankt Pölten, Austria, in 1904. Research and testing became more formalized through turbine facilities in Hermaringen and Brunnenmühle. The Brunnenmühle site became a hydraulic research and testing center and was associated with Germany’s early pumped-storage hydropower work. The company also continued expanding its paper-machine business; by 1913 it had supplied 150 paper machines, including a very large newsprint machine for Holmen Bruks in Sweden. In 1912, Friedrich Voith converted the company into a general partnership and transferred most of his shares to his sons. After his death in 1913, the family continued to direct the enterprise. The interwar period brought a strategic expansion into drive technology. In 1922, Voith began producing gear transmissions and also built its first Kaplan turbine. Research into hydrodynamic energy transfer led to hydrodynamic couplings in 1929, including equipment for the Koepchenwerk pumped-storage plant. Marine propulsion became another distinctive field. Engineer Ernst Schneider and Voith’s Sankt Pölten operation jointly applied for a patent in 1927 for the Voith Schneider propeller, a system that combines propulsion and steering and provides high maneuverability. Voith subsequently developed related drive systems for industrial machinery, rolling stock and road vehicles. By 1934, the company had delivered more than 11,000 turbines for hydropower and pumped-storage installations, according to the cited historical material. Across the following decades, Voith evolved into a diversified industrial technology group. Its core activities remained centered on paper machinery, hydropower and drive technology, while services, automation and digital applications became increasingly important. The company’s present identity reflects this accumulated engineering portfolio: it supplies systems and lifecycle support to energy, paper, raw-materials and transport markets worldwide. Voith remains privately held and family-owned, with a global operating footprint.
- 1929
Hydrodynamic coupling development
[1]Voith develops hydrodynamic couplings based on the Föttinger principle for industrial and energy applications.
- 1927
Voith Schneider propeller patent application
[1]Voith and engineer Ernst Schneider jointly apply for a patent covering the highly maneuverable Voith Schneider propeller.
- 1922
Entry into gear transmissions
[1]Voith begins manufacturing gear transmissions and builds its first Kaplan turbine.
- 1904
First foreign subsidiary
[1]Voith opens its first subsidiary in Sankt Pölten, Austria.
- 1903
Niagara Falls turbine order
[1]Voith receives an order for twelve large Francis turbines for power plants associated with Niagara Falls.
- 1881
First complete Voith paper machine
[1]The first complete Voith paper machine is delivered to Raithelhuber, Bezner & Cie. in Gemmrigheim.
- 1873
Progress medal at the Vienna World Exhibition
[1]Friedrich Voith and Heinrich Voelter exhibit a Voith wood grinder and receive recognition for the development.
- 1869
Wood-grinder patent
[1]Voith receives its first patent for a wood grinder with a toothed loading rack.
- 1867
Formal founding of J. M. Voith
[1]Friedrich Voith takes over the business as sole owner on January 1, the date generally used as Voith’s founding year.
- 1825
Johann Matthäus Voith takes over the family workshop
[1]Johann Matthäus Voith assumes control of his father’s locksmith workshop in Heidenheim, establishing the business’s industrial predecessor.
Products and positioning
A family-owned engineering and technology partner for capital-intensive industries, emphasizing technically integrated systems, application expertise, research and development, and long-term service rather than consumer products.
Paper-production equipment · 1881
Paper machines
Voith’s paper-machine business grew out of its nineteenth-century work on wood grinding and pulp preparation. The group supplies large-scale machinery and integrated systems for producing paper and related grades, supported by process engineering, automation, modernization and lifecycle services.
Pulp and paper equipment
Wood grinders and stock-preparation systems
Wood grinders, refiners and related stock-preparation equipment formed the technical basis of Voith’s early specialization. These systems process raw material into pulp or furnish suitable for paper production and remain part of the company’s broader paper-technology heritage.
Energy equipment · 1873
Hydropower turbines
Voith manufactures and engineers turbine technology for hydropower and pumped-storage applications. Its historical range includes Francis, Pelton and Kaplan turbines, with associated engineering, testing, modernization and service capabilities.
Marine propulsion · 1927
Voith Schneider Propeller
The Voith Schneider Propeller is a cycloidal marine propulsion system that provides both thrust and steering through controllable vertically oriented blades. Its maneuverability made it distinctive for vessels requiring precise control in confined or demanding operating environments.
Industrial and vehicle drive technology · 1929
Hydrodynamic couplings and transmissions
Voith’s hydrodynamic drive technology transfers power through fluid dynamics and was developed from the company’s turbine expertise and the Föttinger principle. Applications have included industrial machinery, energy installations, rail vehicles, marine systems and road vehicles.
Brand decisions
1927
Development of the Voith Schneider propellerProduct launchBackground
Marine operators needed propulsion that could provide unusually precise maneuvering and steering.
Action taken
Voith and Ernst Schneider jointly pursued and patented a cycloidal propulsion and steering system.
Aftermath
The technology became one of Voith’s best-known transport products and supported the group’s marine-propulsion identity.
1922
Expansion into drive technologyStrategyBackground
Voith’s accumulated expertise in turbines and fluid dynamics created a basis for entering a wider industrial-drive market.
Action taken
The company began building gear transmissions and expanded its hydrodynamic engineering activities.
Aftermath
Drive technology became a durable business area serving industrial, transport and energy applications.
1867
Specialization in paper machinery and turbinesStrategyBackground
After Friedrich Voith assumed sole ownership, the former repair workshop was being transformed into an industrial manufacturing company.
Action taken
Voith concentrated on paper machines and wood-processing equipment while building a parallel business in water wheels and turbines.
Aftermath
This combination established the two principal technological foundations of the later Voith Group: paper technology and energy machinery.
Recent events
Reported
Voith agrees to acquire Siemens Energy’s remaining stake in Voith Hydro[3]
Voith agreed to acquire Siemens Energy’s remaining 35% stake in Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation, which would give Voith 100% ownership of Voith Hydro. Completion was expected by the end of the first quarter of 2022, subject to antitrust review and other approvals.
Reported
Voith expands OnCare.Health applications[4]
Voith expanded the service scope of its OnCare.Health digital monitoring solution to cover applications including fan and pump drive systems.
Reported
Voith and PCS plan to acquire a 59% stake in TSA[5]
Voith and PCS announced plans to acquire a combined 59% stake in Austrian traction-systems maker Traktionssysteme Austria (TSA). The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions, and was expected to be completed in the second half of 2020.
Voith completed its acquisition of Toscotec[6]
Voith Group completed its acquisition of Toscotec S.p.A. on April 30, 2020, and now owns 90 percent of Toscotec's shares.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Voith completes acquisition of ELIN Motoren[7]
Voith completed its acquisition of 70% of ELIN Motoren GmbH. ELIN will remain independent as a business and continue using the ELIN Motoren brand.
Reported
Voith completes acquisition of ELIN Motoren[8]
Voith completed its acquisition of ELIN Motoren, a company focused on electric motors and generators.
Reported
Voith and PCS plan to acquire 59% of Traktionssysteme Austria[8]
Voith and PCS Holding announced a plan to acquire a combined 59% stake in Traktionssysteme Austria (TSA). The agreement was signed on April 29, 2020; completion was expected in the second half of 2020 and remained subject to regulatory approval and other conditions.
Voith completes acquisition of BTG[9]
Voith completed its acquisition of BTG after receiving the required regulatory approvals.
Reported
Voith makes HelioX infrared emitter available[10]
Voith made its gas-fired HelioX infrared emitter available for contactless drying in Voith paper machines and machines made by other manufacturers.
Sources12 sources
- 1Voithen.wikipedia.org
- 2Voith Group official websitevoith.com
- 3福伊特同意收购西门子能源持有的福伊特水电剩余股权prnasia.com
- 4福伊特扩展OnCare.Health解决方案应用范围prnasia.com
- 5福伊特和PCS计划收购TSA共计59%的股份prnasia.com
- 6福伊特完成对Toscotec的收购paperage.com
- 7福伊特完成收购 ELIN Motorengascompressionmagazine.com
- 8福伊特完成对ELIN Motoren的收购prnasia.com
- 9Voith完成对BTG的收购paperage.com
- 10Voith推出HelioX红外发射器pulpapernews.com
- 11Voith Group acquires 100% shares in Elin Motoren GmbHcemnet.com
- 12Voith Group acquires majority share in ELIN Motorenglobalcement.com
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