Where does the name Theben come from?
Did you know that our actual calendar with its 365 days in a year harks back to the Egyptian calendar? Three thousand five hundred years ago, day and night were measured with the help of sun dials and water clocks, and obelisks served as the sun dials of Egypt.
Considering the magnitude of that innovation at that point in history and its continuing influence on the life of people to the present day, it becomes clear why company founder Paul Schwenk decided to name his company after an Egyptian city. Thebes was the capital of Old Egypt in the fertile valley of the Nile. During the 11th Dynasty (about 2134 - 1991 BC) and the new empire that followed (about 1550 - 1070 BC), Thebes played an important role in the history of Ancient Egypt.
How it all started
Each family has its traditions. With the families Herl and Schwenk, it is an almost 90-year tradition in developing innovative products in the field of "time."
What started with Paul Schwenk and his wife Lydia as a small Swabian family business in Stuttgart, has now developed into a successful global company in the field of time and light control, climate control, and KNX building systems engineering. Nowadays Theben Products are sold in more than 50 countries.
But Theben is not only a family enterprise which has developed into an international group of companies. With its 700 employees (among them 550 in Haigerloch), Theben is a company which has always been in close contact with its customers. Highest quality, innovative strength and functionality as well as an excellent service which secures customer satisfaction are integral parts of our brand.
| 1921 | Paul Schwenk founds the Paul Schwenk Apparatebau in Stuttgart. |
| 1941 | Company relocates to Haigerloch (South Germany). |
| 1965 | New production plant with expanded departments for plastics technology and production. |
| 1971 |
50 years after the company's founding: 350 staff members generate 18 million DM per annum. Approximately 300,000 time switches are sold in more than 50 countries. Foundation of the subsidiary Theben S.a.r.l. in Paris, France. |
| 1973 | Foundation of the subsidiary PEZET GmbH for tool and plastics technologies in the industrial district of Madertal in Haigerloch. |
| 1981 | Transformation from a partnership to a limited liability company. |
| 1992 | Foundation of the subsidiary Theben S.r.l in Milan, Italy. |
| 1996 | Acquisition and foundation of subsidiary Timeguard Ltd. in London, Great Britain. |
| 1999 | Opening of a new production plant in the industrial district of Madertal in Haigerloch. |
| 2001 | tts - theben technische systeme is established as the distribution unit for OEM solutions. |
| 2002 | Transformation of the legal form from THEBEN-WERK Zeitautomatik GmbH to Theben AG (an independent family company). |
| 2007 | Acquisition and merger of the High Technology System AG Switzerland (HTS) - the Swiss inventor of the presence detector - into Theben HTS AG. |
Dip into 90 years of exciting history and discover more about us and our products.