Established in 1972, elobau is a globally active, family-run foundation business in the engineering and manufacturing sector, headquartered in Leutkirch, Germany. With a widespread presence in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, elobau has earned a reputation as a provider of cutting-edge sensor technology and operator controls and offers state-of-the-art automation solutions, contributing to increased efficiency in industrial processes. Elobau currently employs about 1.200 people.
At the core of elobau’s mission is not only the commitment to empower industries with intelligent and sustainable solutions through continuous innovation and a focus on user-centric design, but also to overall drive and maintain positive change in the engineering and manufacturing sectors. In addition, elobau is distinctly centered on being a dependable long-term partner, extending this commitment to customers, employees, and the ecological and social environment. Since 2010, elobau has been climate-neutral and aims to make all products recyclable in the coming years.
elobau in steward-ownership
At the core of elobau’s mission is not only the commitment to empower industries with intelligent and sustainable solutions through continuous innovation and a focus on user-centric design, but also to overall drive and maintain positive change in the engineering and manufacturing sectors. In addition, elobau is distinctly centered on being a dependable long-term partner, extending this commitment to customers, employees, and the ecological and social environment. Since 2010, elobau has been climate-neutral and aims to make all products recyclable in the coming years.
In 2016, elobau set up a two-entity trust structure transitioning the family-owned and led business to steward-ownership. Looking for an alternative to the traditional hand-over within the family, Michael Hetzer, second generation owner of the family business, aimed to maintain elobau’s independence and purpose-orientation in the long term and for the company to continue its charitable work in the future.
Today, the dual foundation structure ensures a clear separation of voting rights and profit rights: a corporate foundation (not charitable) holds the voting rights, a charitable foundation holds the profit rights. Elobau’s steward-ownership structure emphasizes the company’s long-term value creation and shared sense of responsibility. It prioritizes the well-being of employees, communities, and the environment and aligns the interests of all stakeholders, ensuring elobau to be a business that benefits both current and future generations.
For elobau, steward-ownership is the ideal model for looking to the future in an entrepreneurially sustainable way - especially in combination with the organisational structure we have in place, in which all employees can get involved and be heard.