History

In 1871, Albert Stoll I. (1836-1897) together with Max Klock as the second part-owner sets up the "Stoll & Klock" chair factory in Waldshut. After Klock leaves, the company in 1879, the company changes its name to "Albert Stoll".

Approximately two to three dozen employees in this factory make chairs out of bent wood. Waldshut offers good conditions for production. The most important raw material, beechwood, grows very close by in the Rhine Valley. In this barely industrialised region, Albert Stoll I. finds a sufficient number of workers. In the surrounding villages, he easily hires homeworkers willing to work for a comparatively low wage to make wickerwork chairs. From 1856, Waldshut is connected to the railway network, which is being expanded. This is a prerequisite for distribution of the products as long as there is no fast, effective and inexpensive means of road transport.

When the founder of the company dies in 1897 at the age of 61, he leaves behind a wife, three daughters and a 15-year-old son, Albert Stoll II. The wife of the deceased, Bertha, runs the factory as a successful business woman. People therefore start to call her the "chair maker".

Bent wood, four legs

Albert Stoll II. (1882-1937) does his school-leaving exams in Waldshut and studies mechanical engineering in Karlsruhe. In 1910, he goes to the USA to continue his studies.

From 1912, spoke back chairs are produced in Waldshut. These models differ strikingly from the previously known bentwood chairs and consist of only a few bent parts. Horizontal and vertical spokes give the chair called "record chair" its stability and support the backrest. Its individual parts are made on special machines that    Albert Stoll II. has purchased in the USA. As a result, a lot of time-intensive manual work is rendered unnecessary.

Albert Stoll II. improves the American office chair and designs a swivel chair that he calls the "Federdreh" (loosely translated as the "sprung swivel"). At the Leipzig trade fair in  1926, he shows his new product to the public for the first time. It is the worldwide patented "Federdreh", the first swivel chair with rotatable column-type spring suspension.

Albert Stoll II. dies on 16 February 1937 at the age of 54. Three of his four sons then continue to run the chair factory. Albert Stoll III. heads the factory in Koblenz, Christof and Martin Stoll run the Waldshut company together until 1958.

Record chair

Production of the first spring-mounted swivel chair in Europe called "Federdreh".

The first swivel chair on castors.

In 1953, Christof Stoll (1912-2003) introduces profit participation for employees.

In 1958, Christof and Martin Stoll split up the family enterprise Albert Stoll OHG into two companies. They continue running the company in the form of two new ones, namely as Christof Stoll KG in Waldshut and Martin Stoll, Federdreh-Stuhlfabrik in Tiengen.

As a consequence of the companies' growth, production is gradually moved over a period of several years to the new site in Dogern, starting in 1969. In 1970, Christof Stoll sets up a separate development and testing department. He hires Theo Hartmann, the company's first formally qualified designer. Up to 1987, a total of eight sales companies are established in Europe.

In the area of office furniture production by the Stoll company, the latest environment-friendly production methods and equipment are used. The "office chair" as a product is thus in line with the latest insights gained in the field of occupational health and safety.

Due to his services as an entrepreneur, Christof Stoll is awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1986.

Karl Bröcker establishes the company Gesika Büromöbelwerk GmbH.

In 1970, Christof Stoll sets up the company's first in-house development and testing department, with the largest and most modern test laboratory in the industry.

Development of the anatomic chair, the permanent contact backrest and the "Similar" mechanism (principle of dynamic sitting). Technical solutions for optimum ergonomic support of the person at the work place.

On 8 March 1985, Christof and Emma Stoll set up the non-profit Stoll VITA foundation and transfer their assets, which include the majority shareholding in the family company operating as Sedus Stoll AG from 1995 onwards, to this foundation.

Christof Stoll is named eco-manager of the year by the WWF (World Wide Fund For Nature) and the magazine "Capital".

Certification to DIN ISO 9001

Conversion to Sedus Stoll Aktiengesellschaft (public limited company).

First German furniture manufacturer to participate in the EU "eco audit" scheme (EMAS).

Majority share in the office furniture manufacturer, Klöber GmbH in Überlingen, Germany.

Sedus open up: First swivel chair with an opening angle of > 40 degrees.

With the slogans "Sleeping in the office" and "Powernapping", Sedus demonstrates pioneering spirit and, at an early stage, realises the importance of posture change and its relevance to well-being in daily office work. 

Merger with Gesika Büromöbelwerk GmbH.
Sedus becomes a full-range supplier of holistic office furnishings.

The Karl Bröcker Foundation, founded in 1999 and based in Lippstadt, becomes Sedus' second main shareholder.

Development of the holistic furnishing concept "Place 2.5 – the new emotional culture of the office".

With this approach, Sedus becomes the forerunner in its mission to design the office as a place that promotes the emotional and physical well-being of people and the well-being of companies in terms of productivity.

Gesika Büromöbelwerk GmbH becomes Sedus Systems GmbH, Geseke.

Development of the "Similar-Plus" mechanism with pre-selectable opening angle and quick adjustment feature.

Completion of the new Development & Innovation Centre in Dogern.

Sedus is the world's first office furniture manufacturer to receive EMAS III certification.

Introduction of laser edging technology. An improved method of production for all furniture and table tops that creates a jointless, environment-friendly design edge.

Sedus is awarded the Umweltpreis für Unternehmen (environment prize for companies) in Baden-Württemberg 2012.

With the aim of improving the way in which people sit in the office, Sedus works with the Technical University of Munich to develop a new kinematic seat concept for the "swing up" swivel chair. The result: healthier sitting due to greater freedom of movement. The chair adapts itself to people and not the other way round.

... we are working on the creation of solutions for the worlds of work of tomorrow. We are doing this jointly with partners in more than 74 countries worldwide. With our services, products and unceasing dedication, we help people and companies to shape the future successfully and sustainably.