History

Electrical energy is our passion

A history spanning almost a century of success

When Schaltbau was founded in 1929, its future as a global leader in direct current technology was not exactly in the cards. Shortly after the inception of the small Munich-based firm, the crash on New York’s Wall Street set off a worldwide economic crisis. Schaltbau’s twelve employees designed and manufactured high-voltage switches for the first electric train heating systems used in passenger coaches in Germany – but the first few months of operations hardly gave cause for optimism.

Nevertheless, Schaltbau quickly developed into a trusted supplier of the railway industry, not least because of the invention of a compartment switch with multiple interruption, a technical innovation that provided performance, high operational safety, and low weight at the same time. Within a decade, Schaltbau produced all the equipment for the electrical train heating and train illumination, with the exception of dynamos and light regulators. Apart from this, Schaltbau supplied device boxes, heating contactors, control current contactors, emergency switches as well as electrical and oil-fired air heating systems.

When the transportation of passengers and goods increasingly moved to the road in the 1950s and 1960s, Schaltbau entered the industrial business, first by supplying heavy equipment connectors for the mining industry, later by also manufacturing connectors for use in small equipment, such as radio sets. As an expert in direct current (DC) technology, our products have been used worldwide in industries that require electromechanical components that reliably connect, switch and control under harsh conditions.

Over the past years, Schaltbau expanded its global footprint as well as the range of industries we serve. In 2015, we add SPII, an Italian specialist for human machine interfaces in rail to our group that provide superior train driving experiences. And, while rail continues to be our core business, we’ve also expanded into fast-growing new markets where green energy plays a critical role. Under our Eddicy brand, we are utilizing our decades of direct current expertise and technological competitive edge to support the energy and e-mobility sector.

Just like in our early days, we continue to offer pioneering solutions for electrification that provide performance, reliability, and safety – everyday. And as one of the few specialists for intelligent DC energy concepts, we strive to improve the efficiency of renewable energies and the sustainability of mobility and industrial manufacturing.