A legacy built on innovation and spirit of entrepreneurship

In 1946 a young couple of entrepreneurs, Fernand and Alice Habegger registered their company, Habasit, in Basel, Switzerland, setting our story in motion. They saw a need for high-quality, synthetic power transmission and conveyor belts in the belting industry, which would be easier and safer to assemble on machines. Over seventy years later we are still inspired by their originality and relentless pursuit of perfection.
Our ceaselessly innovative approach makes us anticipate tomorrow with curiosity and eagerness to continue delivering improvements to our customers’ processes. Today, Habasit’s customers receive the highest quality products and comprehensive, tailor-made solutions, made possible by over 3.500 employees and our service and distribution partners in more than 70 countries worldwide.
2010 - 2020

New alignment - market orientation

Habasit continues international growth and expands expertise and competencies to serve the needs of customers' processes.

1990 - 2009

Optimization phase - scientific and professional stabilization

During the optimization phase, Habasit developed and strengthened the international sales network and took a focus on ecology and the protection of the environment.
The highlights in product and technological developments were the extension of the production width and development of melting calender and coating machine. 

1966 - 1989

Consolidation phase - worldwide expansion

1946 - 1965

Pioneering phase - innovation and building up

At the beginning there was the product idea, issued from chance, intuition and observation of the shortcomings of the belt locks used in those times. 
The development began with PVC to which polyamide was added later. The difficulties related to these new synthetic materials (migration of softening agents, delamination, gluing, etc.) had to be mastered. The joining of the belt ends and the belt calculation were important factors in the sale of this new machine element.  

Habasit Stories

Habasit celebrates 75 years of keeping industries in motion News

Habasit celebrates 75 years

Habasit was founded in Basel, Switzerland, in 1946, by Fernand and Alice Habegger. Today, after 75 years of pioneering innovation and dedicated customer focus, the family firm’s network of long-term partnerships with customers, OEMs and distributors spans over 70 countries worldwide. Habasit’s high-quality materials, proven technologies, and engineering excellence deliver outstanding reliability and long lifetimes. Drawing on its specialists’ in-depth industry expertise, Habasit provides a broad range of customized belting solutions and technologies that cut maintenance costs, raise productivity and cost-efficiency, and save precious resources across a number of applications. Looking ahead to the next 75 years, Habasit will continue providing superior, sustainable and smart solutions to keep industries in motion.
Blog

Power transmission belt – a product with a long history

Just like conveyor belts, the origins and history of power transmission belts are lost in the mists of time. While we believe that the Babylonians and Assyrians used chains and cups for water-drawing machines, the earliest mention of a mechanical belt drive with a pulley machine is in a Chinese text from 15 BCE.
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The history of the conveyor belt

Unlike the invention of the light bulb, the creation of the conveyor belt cannot be pinpointed to an exact date or even attributed to a specific inventor. The term “conveyor belt” stubbornly refuses to be narrowly defined. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it is simply: “One of various devices that provide mechanized movement of material, as in a factory.” Or, to rephrase: “The technology of continuous transportation”.
Blog

The story of Habasit

The legacy of Habasit is a story that won’t sit still. This seems fitting for a company committed to movement. Since the beginning of Habasit in Basel, Switzerland in 1946, the company has grown to become a global leader in the belting industry with over 3.700 employees working at more than 30 affiliated companies around the world.