WE ARE CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF ZUMTOBEL

Founded as “Elektrogeräte und Kunstharzpresswerk W. Zumtobel KG” by Dr. Walter Zumtobel in Dornbirn in 1950, the company started producing ballasts for the newly introduced fluorescent light fitting technology. Back then, the replacement of incandescent lamps by fluorescent lamps marked the beginning of a new era in lighting technology and prompted Dr. Walter Zumtobel to start producing luminaires only two years later. Listed on the stock exchange since 2006, the lighting group bundles its strong brands – Zumtobel, Thorn and Tridonic – and operates globally today. The headquarters is still firmly anchored in Dornbirn.

Celebrating Zumtobel’s 75th anniversary fills me with immense pride and joy, accompanied by a deep personal responsibility. Growing up in Dornbirn, I became acquainted with the company through my grandfather and father. Throughout our journey, we’ve not only celebrated numerous successes but have also navigated significant changes. Our continued presence and progress testify to our resilience, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence

says Karin Zumtobel, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of the Zumtobel Group.

Alfred Felder, CEO of the Zumtobel Group, adds,

What has made the company successful is still valid, namely the unconditional aspiration to design innovative lighting solutions for tomorrow. 75 years of Zumtobel – of course this also entails the responsibility to remain successful going forward.

Culture of innovation shaped by Dr. Walter Zumtobel

At the very beginning, the company pressed small plastic parts, for example buttons, or lids for toothpaste tubes. Production also included clamps, connectors, plugs as well as starterholders and sockets for fluorescent lamps. Today, the group stands for state-of-the-art lighting technology and the comprehensive lighting expertise of its strong brands. Now as then, the headquarters in Dornbirn is the central hub for innovation within the Zumtobel Group. 

The company’s innovative culture was significantly shaped by founder Dr. Walter Zumtobel back then – he was a gifted inventor. Attributes like openness, curiosity and courage are associated with this culture in our company. Having the courage to embark on new paths, while at the same accepting that we are not always alone in this effort, being open to getting external partners on board

says Alfred Felder.

Karin Zumtobel

We are celebrating our anniversary year under the motto ‘perspectives of light’. This underlines our open culture, our curiosity. It is exactly these characteristics that have shaped the Zumtobel brand since its beginnings

Anniversary year with multifaceted light perspectives

75 years of Zumtobel – 75 years of passion for light, technology and design. During the anniversary year, Zumtobel gives space to a wide range of light perspectives, a review and the future at the Light Forum in Dornbirn. Starting in mid-May, fascinating light art installations from Zumtobel’s collaboration with artists will be on display, a Future Lab installation will be dedicated to the young generation in cooperation with international universities, and the expressive photo portraits of employees will shine a light on the people behind the strength of the brand in an exhibition.

Successful continuous-row lighting system enters a new era: Launch of TECTON II

As a premium brand, Zumtobel supplies a wide range of industries with luminaires as well as light infrastructure and services. The holistic approach of today has evolved at the interface of digitalisation, individualisation and sustainability: light as infrastructure for smart, connected architecture of tomorrow. Meanwhile, the passion for light and the absolute focus on the needs of users has remained unchanged. People are at the centre of sustainable lighting solutions – this still applies today when it comes to ensuring that buildings can be used with joy for generations, thus making them particularly sustainable. These principles have proven successful, which is also demonstrated by the durability of Zumtobel lighting solutions: with the launch of TECTON II in the summer of 2025, Zumtobel will lead the continuous-row luminaire system, which has been successful for more than 20 years, into a new era in cooperation with the design studio Pininfarina.

In conversation: Tradition and power for the future

On the occasion of 75 years of Zumtobel, Oliver Herwig, free journalist and lecturer for design theory at the University of Arts Linz, talked about the value of tradition and the power of innovation with Karin Zumtobel, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board, and CEO Alfred Felder at the Light Forum in Dornbirn. Read a short version of the interview here.

75 years of Zumtobel: Ten milestones in the company’s history

1950      Dr. Walter Zumtobel lays the foundation with “Elektrogeräte und Kunstharzpresswerk W. Zumtobel KG” in Dornbirn

1953      Introduction of Profilux, the first complete Zumtobel light fitting; a key success driver to this day

1960       Zumtobel commissions the first light laboratory in the early 1960s

1970      20 years after the company’s foundation, a new plant is opened in Schweizerstraße in Dornbirn, which has become the heart of this location.

1990      Starting in the 1990s, Zumtobel intensifies collaboration with light artists and designers. At the initiative of Jürg Zumtobel, then CEO, a series of annual reports designed by artists is created and is still ongoing today.

1999      The OREA waveguide luminaire is presented at the World Light Show at the Hanover Fair. It is the first luminaire to feature a light-conducting microprism.

2002       Market launch of TECTON, the first continuous-row luminaire with 11 conductors in a built-in current conducting section.

2006      IPO on the Vienna Stock Exchange. The Zumtobel family is the largest single shareholder to date.

2009      The Zumtobel Group is the first company in the industry to publish a sustainability report in which the Zumtobel brand also presents its initiatives.

2024      Zumtobel sets a record for the world’s largest continuously illuminated ceiling at Light + Building, the world’s leading trade fair for lighting and building services.

 

 

Dr. Walter Zumtobel (right photo) lays the foundation for today’s company with “Elektrogeräte und Kunstharzpresswerk W. Zumtobel KG” in Dornbirn in 1950. Photos: © Zumtobel Group

 

 

Left: Production of ballasts in the 1950s. Right: Light and sound laboratory in Dornbirn, 1966. Photos: © Zumtobel Group