Arbonia
Swiss building technology company
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Arbonia AG is a Swiss building-components group headquartered in Arbon, in the canton of Thurgau. The company traces its origins to a coppersmith’s workshop established by Franz Josef Forster in 1874. Its industrial activities expanded into steel-tube production in 1915, and the Forster business later developed kitchens, refrigeration equipment and other building-related products. The Arbonia name originated with a stove-top model produced by the Karl Schnitzler appliance factory from 1919 and was subsequently associated with heating products and the wider corporate group. The company’s structure changed substantially during the second half of the twentieth century. In 1973, Jakob Züllig acquired a majority interest in Forster and became chairman of a group that combined several activities, including steel tubes, kitchens, refrigeration, radiators, heating, energy recovery, road transport and embroidery supplies. The holding company adopted the name AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG in 1987 and was listed on the stock exchange in 1988. Its historical portfolio therefore extended well beyond the building-components operations that define the company today. Arbonia expanded its heating-related activities through the acquisition of Prolux in 1999 and the German company Kermi in 2001. Kermi strengthened the group’s position in radiators and shower enclosures. Following the death of Jakob Züllig in 1999, his estate sold its majority stake in 2003 to Edgar Oehler, who became chief executive and chairman. Artemis Beteiligungen, associated with Swiss industrial investor Michael Pieper, later became the group’s majority shareholder. A further strategic transition followed the 2016 takeover of the Looser Group. In connection with that transaction, AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG was renamed Arbonia AG. The group subsequently concentrated on building components and disposed of businesses that were outside or less central to that focus. In 2023, Arbonia sold its Windows division. In 2024, it agreed to sell its Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning division to Midea. These transactions left doors as the company’s core business and marked a significant narrowing of the portfolio compared with its earlier diversified industrial configuration. Arbonia is therefore best understood as a listed Swiss industrial group rather than a single consumer-facing product brand. Its activities have historically included heating, ventilation, windows, doors, kitchens, refrigeration and related components. The group’s current strategic identity is centered on building-envelope and interior building solutions, with doors representing the principal remaining business after the Windows and HVAC divestments. Its history combines long-established family-linked industrial origins, acquisitions in Germany and Switzerland, stock-market ownership, and repeated portfolio restructuring.
History
Arbonia’s origins lie in a coppersmith’s workshop opened by Franz Josef Forster in 1874. The enterprise expanded into steel-tube manufacturing in 1915 and became Hermann Forster AG in 1922. From 1953, the business also produced kitchens and refrigerators, broadening its industrial base beyond metalworking. The Arbonia name came from a stove-top model made by the Karl Schnitzler appliance factory from 1919. Jakob Züllig, a master butcher who acquired an interest in the business in 1957, took it over in 1959. In 1973 he purchased a majority of Forster’s shares and became chairman of a group combining Forster’s steel tubes, kitchens and refrigeration operations with Arbonia radiators and heaters, Air Fröhlich energy-recovery equipment, Asta road transport and Bühler-Regina embroidery supplies. The group adopted the name AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG in 1987 and became publicly listed in 1988. It acquired Prolux, a radiator manufacturer, in 1999 and exited the energy-recovery business in 2000. At the beginning of the 2000s, the group remained diversified: in 2000 it employed 1,913 people and reported turnover of 437 million Swiss francs, according to the historical account cited by the Wikipedia article. Jakob Züllig died in 1999. In 2001, AFG acquired the German company Kermi, strengthening its radiator and shower-enclosure activities. In 2003, the Züllig estate sold its majority holding to Edgar Oehler, who became chief executive and chairman. Artemis Beteiligungen, led by Michael Pieper, subsequently became the majority shareholder. The company’s modern identity emerged from a period of acquisitions and restructuring. In 2016, in connection with the takeover of the Looser Group, AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG adopted the shorter name Arbonia AG. The group then focused more clearly on building components and began divesting businesses that did not fit its intended portfolio. The Windows division was sold in 2023. In 2024, Arbonia agreed to sell its Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning division to Midea. These transactions reduced the group’s scope and left doors as its central business. Arbonia’s development consequently spans a small nineteenth-century metalworking enterprise, a family-influenced diversified holding company, a listed industrial group, and a more focused building-components business.
- 2024
HVAC division sale agreed
[1]Arbonia agreed to sell its Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning division to Midea, making doors its core business.
- 2023
Windows division divested
[1]Arbonia sold its Windows division as part of its portfolio refocusing.
- 2016
Renaming as Arbonia AG
[1]Following the Looser Group takeover, the company changed its name from AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG to Arbonia AG.
- 2003
Change in majority ownership
[1]The Züllig estate sold its majority stake to Edgar Oehler, who became chief executive and chairman.
- 2001
Kermi acquisition
[1]AFG acquired German company Kermi, substantially expanding its radiator and shower-enclosure business.
- 1999
Prolux acquisition and death of Jakob Züllig
[1]AFG acquired radiator company Prolux, while majority shareholder and chairman Jakob Züllig died.
- 1988
Stock-market listing
[1]The company was listed on the stock exchange.
- 1987
Holding company adopts the AFG name
[1]The group was named AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG.
- 1973
Formation of a diversified group
[1]Jakob Züllig acquired a majority of Forster’s shares and assembled a group spanning metal products, heating, appliances, energy recovery, transport and embroidery supplies.
- 1959
Züllig takes over Arbonia
[1]Jakob Züllig took over the Arbonia business after first acquiring a stake in 1957.
Products and positioning
A Swiss industrial building-components group with a long history in heating, windows and doors, increasingly focused on doors after divesting its Windows and HVAC divisions.
Building components
Doors
Doors are Arbonia’s principal remaining business after the divestment of its Windows division and the agreed sale of its HVAC division. The category represents the group’s current strategic concentration within building components, covering products used in interior and broader building applications.
Heating equipment
Radiators and heating products
Heating has been one of Arbonia’s longest-standing product areas. The group expanded this activity through the Prolux acquisition in 1999 and the Kermi acquisition in 2001. The historical portfolio included radiators and related heating products; the HVAC division was agreed for sale to Midea in 2024.
Bathroom and building products · 2001
Kermi shower enclosures
Kermi strengthened Arbonia’s presence in shower enclosures as well as radiators when it was acquired in 2001. The product line formed part of the group’s historical heating and bathroom-related portfolio.
Building envelope
Windows
Windows were part of Arbonia’s building-components portfolio before the division was sold in 2023. The divestment reflected the group’s decision to concentrate its activities more narrowly.
Appliances and fitted interiors · 1953
Kitchens and refrigerators
The Forster business entered kitchen and refrigerator manufacturing in 1953. These products were part of the group’s earlier diversified industrial history rather than its current core positioning.
Brand decisions
2024
Agreed sale of the HVAC division to MideaM&ABackground
Arbonia pursued a narrower strategic focus after years of operating across several building-component categories.
Action taken
The company agreed to sell its Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning division to Midea.
Aftermath
The transaction left doors as Arbonia’s core business.
2023
Sale of the Windows divisionStrategyBackground
Arbonia continued to streamline its portfolio and concentrate on selected building-component activities.
Action taken
The company sold its Windows division.
Aftermath
The divestment reduced the breadth of the group’s building-envelope portfolio.
2016
Looser Group takeover and corporate renamingM&ABackground
The group undertook a major corporate transaction while repositioning itself around building components.
Action taken
In connection with the Looser Group takeover, AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG changed its name to Arbonia AG.
Aftermath
The Arbonia name became the group’s principal corporate identity and the portfolio was subsequently refocused.
2001
Acquisition of KermiM&ABackground
AFG sought to strengthen its heating and bathroom-related activities.
Action taken
The group acquired German company Kermi.
Aftermath
The transaction materially expanded the group’s radiator and shower-enclosure business.
Sources1 sources
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