STEBATEC
Together with two business partners, Hanspeter Gafner founded STEBATEC in 1990. Anchored in electrical planning, it was his vision to develop into a supplier of complete solutions for measurement and control technology and automation, and to do so in high quality. To achieve this goal, STEBATEC became one of the leading driving forces in the European water and wastewater market. We offer our customers from all over Europe comprehensive services and innovative solutions in the fields of flow measurement, discharge control, sewer network control, alarm systems, and process control engineering and control systems for the automation of sewage treatment plants and sewer networks, water supply, steam, and hot water plants, district heating, hydroelectric power plants and for water regulation. Our headquarters are in Switzerland; we have subsidiaries and agencies in Germany and Austria.
A few numbers...
Milestones ...
1970
Foundation of the SCHEIDEGGER company
As early as the 1960s, Paul Scheidegger automated drinking water supplies on a part-time basis until he set up his own business in the garage of his own home in 1970 and founded SCHEIDEGGER Fernsteuerungen AG a few years later. For 50 years, the history of this company, which is rich in tradition, runs independently of STEBATEC.
1990
Foundation STEBATEC
Hanspeter Gafner and two business partners found STEBATEC.
1995
City of Biel becomes a new customer
The cooperation is of great importance for the development of STEBATEC. The automation and maintenance of more than 20 wastewater and groundwater regulation structures have always been important contracts for STEBATEC and formed a reliable basis for the company’s development.
1999
Number of employees 5
By the end of the 90s, STEBATEC had developed into a 5-person company.
2007
Foundation of STEBATEC Messtechnik GmbH
The flow measurement business unit, which has been pursued with great priority since 2004 as a second pillar to complement the automation business, has developed well. Kilian Hesse, who is in charge of the division, is becoming independent by outsourcing it to the newly founded GmbH and can thus continue to drive the division forward with his own strategy.
2008
Number of employees 10
2010
Succession plan
With the founding of today’s STEBATEC AG, Hanspeter Gafner and Peter Stegmann withdraw from the operational management of the company and hand it over to Kilian Hesse, who at the same time appoints Heinrich Hesse and Ernst Lüdi as partners to the management. The automation and measurement technology divisions are merged again in STEBATEC AG.
2012
Start of development partially filled flow measurements
The development of partially filled flow measurements on the basis of ultrasonic transit time difference took about 2 years in the first stage. The novel systems were first presented at the IFAT in Munich in 2014.
2013
Start of development of web-based process control systems
The laying of the foundation stone for the own process control systems ARAbella, AQUAbella and REbella was elementary for the following company development.
2013
Foundation of STEBATEC GmbH Germany
In order to further expand business in Germany, the management has decided to open a branch office in Germany to ensure greater customer proximity and easier customs clearance.
2014
Partnership with PP Engineering
The company PP Engineering in Euratsfeld takes over the exclusive representation of STEBATEC products in Austria.
2014
Research project INKA
Start of research and development work on dynamic/integral control of sewer networks, together with EAWAG and other companies For STEBATEC, this project is also the basis for international recognition and acceptance.
2015
Development STEBalarm
The novel alarm system STEBalarm reached the status of the best-selling product of STEBATEC within a few years. At the same time, the system is the new basis for data networking of decentralised plants and an important milestone in the company’s history.
2015
Number of employees 25
2017
Number of employees 30
2018
Market launch of the new LDM flow measurement
Due to the increasing demand for precise and reliable flow measurements for partially filled pipes and media containing solids, STEBATEC has developed this patented invention over several years and made it available to interested customers at IFAT 2018.
2019
Number of employees 35
2020
SCHEIDEGGER and STEBATEC
Edwin Scheidegger headed the company SCHEIDEGGER Fernsteuerungen AG in the second generation from 1995 until his death. The Scheidegger family then handed over the family business to STEBATEC at his request. STEBATEC will continue his life’s work in the spirit of his long-standing patron, with the support of the employees.
2020
30 years STEBATEC, 50 years SCHEIDEGGER
About 47 employees with the management consisting of Tanja Biland, Jonathan Brechbühl, Dominic Bühler, Benjamin Mischler, as well as Michael, Heinrich and Kilian Hesse are happy about the successful and impressive development of the company together with the founder Hanspeter Gafner.
2021
Number of Employees 55
2022
Automation22
Launch of the “Automation22” standard for the production and launch via “Plug&Play”.
2023
STEBATEC – driven by water
With the new slogan “driven by water”, we are strengthen our specialization. In addition, our competence center for water supply in Burgdorf is now called STEBATEC Trinkwasser AG.