Hilti
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Liechtenstein-based global supplier of professional construction, installation, fastening and building-maintenance technologies.
Last updated October 13, 2026
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Overview
Hilti Corporation, commonly known as Hilti or the Hilti Group, is a privately held multinational company headquartered in Schaan, Liechtenstein. It develops, manufactures and markets equipment, systems, software and services primarily for professional users in construction, building maintenance, energy and manufacturing. Its principal areas include anchoring and direct-fastening systems, fire-protection products, installation systems, measuring and detection equipment, power tools and digital construction workflows. The company was established in 1941 by brothers Martin Hilti and Eugen Hilti as Maschinenbau Hilti OHG, a mechanical workshop in Schaan. Its early business included manufacturing work for German industrial and arms companies during the Second World War. After 1945, the resulting decline in demand placed the young company under severe financial pressure. Hilti survived by taking on varied subcontracting work and producing consumer items, while continuing to search for a durable industrial product strategy. A major turning point came in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when Martin Hilti acquired design and patent rights connected with methods for fastening into concrete and masonry. The technology required further development, but it established the direction that would define the company. Hilti introduced a manual tool for driving threaded studs into steel in 1952 and launched the Perfix powder-actuated fastening system in 1953. These products helped position the company around jobsite productivity rather than general-purpose mechanical manufacturing. Hilti subsequently expanded through international sales offices, manufacturing sites and a direct-to-professional sales model. In the 1960s it developed the electropneumatic rotary-hammer platform associated with the TE product family. The TE17, introduced in 1967, combined rotary drilling and chiselling functions with a safety clutch and became an important example of Hilti's emphasis on purpose-built professional tools. In the 1970s the company expanded into mechanical and chemical anchoring, plastics and regional manufacturing, while establishing production operations in Europe and the United States. The company's current product range extends beyond tools. Hilti offers structural and non-structural fastening systems, anchors, firestop solutions, pipe and electrical installation products, laser and optical measuring equipment, detection systems, consumables, asset-management services and construction software. This breadth allows it to provide integrated solutions for drilling, fastening, mechanical and electrical installation, fire compartmentation, concrete work and construction layout. Hilti is known for selling primarily through direct customer relationships rather than relying solely on traditional retail distribution. Its sales organization, technical support, training and service infrastructure are designed for professional contractors, trade specialists, engineers and large construction firms. The company also uses software and connected services to link tools, consumables, fleet management, design information and jobsite processes. Hilti has maintained its Liechtenstein base while developing a global operational footprint. It established a manufacturing plant in China in 1995 and added a Shanghai manufacturing plant in 2004. Its North American operations run through a direct sales force and have corporate locations in the United States, including the Tulsa and Dallas areas. Hilti remains privately held, with ownership associated with the Martin Hilti Family Trust, and is one of Liechtenstein's largest employers. The company continues to compete through engineering, durability, service, professional distribution and integrated construction-productivity solutions.
History
Hilti began in 1941 when Martin Hilti and Eugen Hilti founded Maschinenbau Hilti OHG in Schaan, Liechtenstein. Martin Hilti had training in mechanical engineering and automotive design. The original business was a mechanical workshop, and during the Second World War it supplied components and parts to German industrial and arms manufacturers, including work associated with tank engines and projectile fuses. The end of the war caused a dramatic reduction in demand. Hilti was close to insolvency and accepted a wide range of subcontracting assignments to remain in operation. Its postwar activities included machining work for the Swiss textile industry and the manufacture of small consumer goods such as lighters, pencil sharpeners and a water-powered kitchen mixer sold under the Ello name. These activities provided interim revenue while the company explored a more distinctive industrial direction. In the late 1940s, Martin Hilti obtained rights to designs and patents related to fastening nails into concrete and masonry. Although the initial technology was not yet mature, it offered a basis for a construction-focused product business. Hilti introduced a manual tool for driving threaded studs into steel in 1952, followed in 1953 by the Perfix powder-actuated high-velocity fastening tool for setting nails into concrete. These products established direct fastening as a central field for the company. Hilti began building an international presence during the 1950s and early 1960s, opening offices in numerous European countries as well as Australia, Canada and the United States. By 1963 it operated in 23 countries. In 1964 it began marketing a drill with a chiselling function, originally made by the Kocher company in Basel, under the Torna 765 name. Customer feedback led to a Hilti development program called Torna Entwicklung, abbreviated TE. The TE designation later became associated with the company's electropneumatic tools. In 1967 Hilti introduced the TE17, an electropneumatic rotary hammer with a safety clutch. It was supplied in one of Hilti's recognizable red toolboxes and helped establish the company's reputation for specialized professional equipment. During the 1960s and 1970s Hilti expanded its production and sales infrastructure. It opened or acquired facilities in Austria, Germany, England and the United States, including a Tulsa, Oklahoma, plant for anchor production in 1979. The 1970s brought a major expansion beyond direct fastening. Hilti began developing and marketing anchor bolts in 1974 and introduced a chemical-anchor product line in 1977. In the 1980s it organized market-region centers for America, Europe, Africa and Asia, enabling greater proximity to customers and regional operations. Hilti continued its manufacturing globalization in the 1990s and 2000s. It opened its first Chinese manufacturing plant in Zhanjiang in 1995; that facility was later expanded. A Shanghai manufacturing plant opened in 2004. During the same broad period, Hilti developed a portfolio spanning power tools, anchors, fire protection, installation systems, measuring and detection tools, consumables and software. Hilti North America illustrates the company's direct-sales approach. The United States subsidiary was created in 1952 and initially operated from Stamford, Connecticut. It moved to Tulsa in 1979 and later to the Dallas, Texas, area, where Hilti also established a research and development center in Irving. The North American organization developed employee-training and feedback practices, including a basic training seminar and the Global Employee Opinion Survey, that became associated with the wider company culture. In its current form, Hilti is a privately held global construction-technology group based in Schaan. Its business serves professional end users across construction, building maintenance, energy and manufacturing. Alongside physical products, it provides technical support, training, service, digital construction tools and connected asset-management systems. The company remains associated with the Martin Hilti Family Trust and continues to present itself as an integrated provider of jobsite productivity and building-installation solutions.
- 2015
North American research and development expansion
[1]Hilti North America opened a research and development center in Irving, Texas, near its Dallas-area operations.
- 2004
Shanghai manufacturing facility opens
[1]Hilti added a manufacturing plant in Shanghai, strengthening its Asian production footprint.
- 1995
First Chinese manufacturing plant
[1]Hilti opened a manufacturing facility in Zhanjiang, China.
- 1977
Chemical-anchor range introduced
[1]The company introduced its first chemical anchoring product line.
- 1974
Anchor-bolt development begins
[1]Hilti began developing and marketing anchor bolts, broadening its construction-systems portfolio.
- 1967
TE17 rotary hammer launched
[1]Hilti introduced the TE17 electropneumatic rotary hammer with a safety clutch.
- 1963
International presence reaches 23 countries
[1]Hilti had expanded its sales and office network across Europe and other international markets.
- 1953
Perfix direct-fastening system introduced
[1]The company launched a powder-actuated fastening tool for setting nails into concrete.
- 1952
First construction-focused product
[1]Hilti introduced a manual tool for driving threaded studs into steel.
- 1941
Company founded in Schaan
[1]Martin Hilti and Eugen Hilti established Maschinenbau Hilti OHG as a mechanical workshop in Schaan, Liechtenstein.
Products and positioning
A premium professional construction-technology provider emphasizing engineering, jobsite productivity, durability, safety, direct customer service and integrated hardware, consumables, software and fleet-management solutions.
Power tools · 1967
TE rotary-hammer family
Hilti's TE designation originated with the Torna development program and became associated with electropneumatic rotary hammers. These tools combine rotary drilling with hammering or chiselling functions for professional work in concrete and masonry. The TE17, introduced in 1967, was an important early model and featured a safety clutch. Later TE products formed part of Hilti's broader drilling, demolition and concrete-processing portfolio.
Direct fastening · 1953
Perfix
Perfix was Hilti's early powder-actuated direct-fastening system. Introduced in 1953, it enabled fasteners to be set into concrete and helped define the company's construction-tool direction after its postwar period of diversified subcontracting and consumer-product manufacture. Direct fastening remains one of Hilti's core professional applications.
Construction systems · 1974
Anchoring systems
Hilti's anchoring portfolio includes mechanical and chemical systems for securing components to concrete, masonry and other base materials. The business entered anchor bolts in the 1970s and later developed a broad range for structural connections, facades, mechanical and electrical installations and other construction applications. Products are generally supported by technical design information and installation guidance.
Fire protection
Firestop systems
Hilti firestop products are designed to preserve the fire-resistance performance of walls, floors and service penetrations. The range supports sealing around cables, pipes, ducts and other building services and is sold as part of a broader fire-protection and compliance-oriented installation offering. Hilti combines products with technical documentation, specification support and jobsite guidance.
Construction measurement
Measuring and detection systems
Hilti supplies professional layout, measurement and detection equipment, including laser levels, range meters, line lasers and systems used to locate embedded objects or support construction positioning. These products extend the brand beyond drilling and fastening into layout accuracy, surveying-related field work and digital jobsite coordination.
Construction technology
Construction software and connected services
Hilti's software and services connect physical tools and construction workflows with planning, documentation, asset management and field operations. The portfolio includes digital support for tool fleets, consumables and jobsite processes. These offerings reinforce Hilti's strategy of selling an integrated productivity system rather than treating tools as isolated hardware products.
Recent events
Reported
Hilti launches Nuron cordless platform[3]
Hilti announced the launch of Nuron, a 22V cordless battery platform with more than 60 tools at launch. Nuron products went on sale to U.S. and Canadian customers on January 12, 2022, with shipments beginning in March.
Reported
Hilti agrees to acquire Fieldwire[4]
Hilti Group agreed to acquire software specialist Fieldwire for approximately US$300 million. The acquisition was expected to close in Q4 2021, subject to standard closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.
Reported
Hilti updates ON!Track to Generation 3.0[5]
Hilti North America enhanced its ON!Track asset-tracking solution with Generation 3.0, adding features for asset management, inventory checks, cost reporting, and access to compliance records. The software was available throughout the United States and Canada.
Reported
Hilti introduces Jaibot construction robot[6]
Hilti introduced Jaibot, its first robot, for semi-autonomous mobile ceiling-drilling. The BIM-enabled robot is designed for mechanical, electrical and plumbing installation work.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Hilti acquires Concrete Sensors assets[7]
Hilti acquired the assets of Concrete Sensors, a provider of connected devices, software, and services related to monitoring concrete curing.
Reported
Hilti and Procore announce software collaboration[8]
Hilti announced a collaboration with Procore under which Hilti ON!Track would become compatible with the Procore platform. The companies said the API would enable data exchange, starting with basic project information and expanding over time.
Sources12 sources
- 1Hiltien.wikipedia.org
- 2Hilti official websitehilti.com
- 3Hilti推出Nuron无线平台prnewswire.com
- 4Hilti同意收购Fieldwirekhl.com
- 5Hilti将ON!Track升级至3.0版本prnewswire.com
- 6Hilti 推出 Jaibot 建筑机器人prnewswire.com
- 7喜利得收购Concrete Sensors资产thomasnet.com
- 8Hilti与Procore宣布软件合作prnewswire.com
- 9Hilti acquires concrete tech startupkhl.com
- 10Hilti Acquires Construction Tech Company Fieldwireconstructionequipment.com
- 11Hilti Unveils BIM-Enabled Jobsite Robotconstructionequipment.com
- 12Hilti Unveils Single Battery Platform for Tools, Includes Telematicsconstructionequipment.com
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