Our brand Careers Sustainability
forster key visual fuego light vortex lausanne

Steel is our nature

Steel holds a special place in our heart: it combines elegance and strength, a long service life and timeless design like virtually no other material. We know how to take advantage of these benefits in developing appealing solutions that are architecturally sustainable. Our ambition is to make living spaces and buildings safe, attractive and pleasant for the people who live and work in them.

Looking for a new challenge?

Learn more about Forster as an employer.

Careers

Our mindset

We are convinced: Architecture and design are essential to the well-being of people and their surroundings.

Unsere Haltung
Building
mood image blue overlay

Our material

Why it is worth building on steel

Steel is stable and long-lasting: as proven by centuries-old steel structures. As the most environmentally compatible of all metals in manufacture, it has a relatively small ecological footprint. In addition, less material is required thanks to excellent statics. At the end of its life steel can be fully recycled. This makes steel the right choice – for ensuring careful use of our resources.

More on sustainability
Welding profiles
Mountains

Swiss Made

An original Swiss product

Developed and manufactured in Switzerland, required all over the world. 

We produce safe and energy-efficient solutions from steel and stainless steel for doors, windows and facades made in Switzerland. We work with branches of our company in over 20 countries – and with exclusive sales partners in a further ten countries. This means that customers have our own consultants by their side for their projects: from Europe, the Middle East and Asia to North America.

International presence

Every year 3000 kilometres of Forster steel profiles are manufactured, checked for quality and sent out from our HQ to numerous countries.
Weltkarte Forster
1
Headquarters
9
Distribution partners
2
Production Sites
11
Warehouses
4
Training Centres
2
Showrooms

The history of Forster

  • Founder
    1874

    Founding of a coppersmithy by Franz-Josef Forster in Arbon.

  • 1915 Breitehof
    1915

    Diversification into steel production: welded steel pipes.

  • 1915 Hermann Forster Arbon
    1922

    Transfer of the separate company to the newly founded Hermann Forster AG.

  • 1933 Forster Gebaeude
    1930

    Start of production of steel profile tubes.

  • 1950 Forster Rohrschweissanlage
    1948

    Commissioning of an installation for the electrical resistance welding of steel pipes.

  • Forster 1975 therm
    1975

    Market launch of Forster Therm, the first thermally-insulated window system with steel profiles.

  • 1978 forster presto
    1978

    Forster Presto passes the first successful test for smoke protection doors.

  • 1979 Forster Aufrichtfeier
    1979

    Construction of the new 12’600 square meter tube factory in Arbon.

  • 1981 forster thermfix
    1981

    Forster Thermfix, a newly developed system for curtain walls, is launched.

  • 1984 forster fuego
    1984

    Forster Fuego, a new-generation system for fire resistant doors and screens, is launched.

  • 1987 AFG Holding
    1987

    Foundation of AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG.

  • Forster 1993 presto Edelstahl
    1993

    Certain profiles of the Forster Presto system are produced in stainless steel for the first time, beginning the widest stainless-steel range of all Forster systems.

  • 1994 forster therm clima thermfix vario
    1994

    Launch of the new forster thermfix vario curtain wall system for dry glazing. It replaces the forster therm system which was designed for wet glazing only.

  • forster fuego light
    2000

    First tests and approvals for fire-resistant curtain walling using the forster thermfix vario system. Market introduction of the forster fuego light fire protection system. It successively replaces its predecessor forster fuego.

  • Hermann Forster AG
    2003

    Reorganisation of Herman Forster AG into Forster Rohr-Profiltechnik AG, Forster Küchen-Kühltechnik AG and Forster Management AG.

  • 2004 Forster Russland Osteuropa
    2004

    Expansion by entering further Eastern European markets.

  • 2006 forster thermfix light
    2006

    Launch of the forster thermfix light system for facades with pressure plate.

  • 2008 forster unico
    2007

    Launch of forster unico. The unique and environmentally friendly profile construction consists of 100% of steel, without the need for widely-used plastic insulators.

  • 2008 Forster ISO Zertifikat 14001
    2008

    Forster Rohr-Profiltechnik AG obtains ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system.

  • 2012 Forster Werk Qingpu
    2012

    The company continues to drive its expansion into the Chinese market by establishing a dedicated training centre.

  • 2013 Foster Mubea
    2013

    Sale of the Forster Precision Steel Tubes business unit to automotive party supplier Mubea. Change of company name from Forster Rohr-Profiltechnik AG to Forster Profilsysteme AG. Expansion of direct sales with the founding of Forster Profilsysteme GmbH, based in Wiener Neudorf, Austria. Direct sales is also launched in the Middle East with a dedicated office in Dubai.

  • 2014 Forster Rottweil
    2014

    Foundation of Forster Profilsysteme GmbH, based in Rottweil, Germany. Beginning of direct sales.

  • 2018 Forster Reynaers
    2018

    Belgian Reynaers Group acquires Forster Profilsysteme AG.

  • Forster Campus Romanshorn
    2022

    Start of construction of the new Forster Campus in Romanshorn. Acquisition of 100% of the partner companies in Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal and start of direct sales.
    Full market launch of forster omnia, the highly insulated profile system for doors including fire protection and windows made of 100% steel.

  • Forster_Campus_2024
    2024

    Moving into the new Campus and 150-year anniversary.

To us, building with steel means building for life: to meet the many different needs of people today and of future generations, with respect for the environment and our natural resources.

Our values

People who work with steel are inspired by their daily contact with the processing and design material steel, by their commitment to this metal. It requires of us passion, courage, responsibility and team spirit.

Value Forster Daring Mood