We are maxon Our company
The story of maxon began in Switzerland in 1961 with eight employees. Before long, the company invested in its first own facilities and a small production hall. Today, 3,200 people work for maxon—and we call the whole world our home.
A view of maxon’s headquarters in Switzerland: idyllically located on the edge of the village of Sachseln, with Lake Sarnen to the left.
Every journey has a beginning—and maxon’s began with a government mandate. The German company Braun operated a distribution subsidiary in Switzerland. In the 1950s, Swiss author- ities approached Braun with an ultima- tum: if the company wanted to continue distributing its products in Switzerland, it would also need to establish manufac- turing operations in the country. Prefer- ably in an economically weaker region. The Braun family complied, choos- ing the canton of Obwalden in the heart of Switzerland. In 1961, Interelectric AG was founded with eight employees (later renamed maxon) and soon began production. At the time, the company manufactured foil cutters for Braun shavers.
But the young company’s future was suddenly at risk: in 1967, Braun was sold to the Gillette Company. Gillette wanted to produce the foil cutters in-house but granted maxon a transition period. The ironless winding A new idea was needed and the pioneer- ing era of maxon began. The leadership team saw potential in the production of small, precise electric motors. After a brief research phase, they developed a complete range of DC motors featuring a special patented innovation: the iron- less winding. This gave the motors high efficiency, and their long service life set new standards. That first motor series was only the beginning. Innovation has always been a
top priority at maxon. Over the years, the small pioneering operation evolved into a global company. Today, maxon has 3,200 employees worldwide, operates ten production and assembly facilities, and maintains over 40 sales locations. The company remains owned by the Braun family. Five million drive units leave its production sites each year. The range of applications for our motors is vast: from insulin pumps to logistics ro- bots to NASA’s Mars rover, they perform reliably in demanding environments. What began with regulatory pressure has become an innovative company that has grown and thrived—while never abandoning the pioneering spirit of 1961. That legacy remains deeply rooted in the company to this day.
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