History

Company history

Sesotec was established in 1976 under the name S+S electronic KG. Since then, its expertise and product range has grown steadily. It has created subsidiaries and branches around the globe.


The early years

S+S initially focused on developing and manufacturing inductive and capacitive sensors. In 1980, the company launched the first metal separator – the forerunner of the RAPID series and cornerstone of our leading position in the plastics industry.  

Throughout the 1980s, the company created systems for the glass-recycling, textile and packaging industries. This period also marked the onset of the use of digital electronics. In 1986, the first building was constructed at the company’s current headquarters in Schönberg, Lower Bavaria.


  1. The founding years

    Sesotec was founded in 1976 as S+S electronic KG. Since then, our knowledge and product portfolio has continuously grown. Subsidiaries and affiliate companies arose all over the world. In the beginning, S+S focused on the development and manufacture of inductive and capacitive sensors.
  2. The first metal separator

    In 1980, the company launched its first metal separator ‒ the forerunner to the RAPID series and the foundation for our position as a leading partner to the plastics industry.  Over the course of the 1980s, systems were developed for industries such as glass recycling, textiles, and packaging. Digital electronics were also introduced during this time. In 1986, the first building was erected at the current company headquarters in Schönberg, Lower Bavaria.


  3. Change of ownership

    In 1990, the majority of S+S was sold to Hoesch AG, an important German steel and coal company from the Ruhr area. Hoesch was acquired by the Krupp Group shortly afterwards.

    In 1993 Karl Eibl, Helmuth Frisch, Paul Dittrich, and Franz Greipl bought the company – then called S+S Metallsuchgeräte und Recycling GmbH – from the Krupp corporation and continued to run it independently. Two of the new owners, Eibl and Frisch, had previously held managing positions at S+S and jointly took over the management.

  4. International growth

    Under the new management duo, the company grew steadily and, around the turn of the millennium, began to expand internationally. In 2001, the first subsidiary was established abroad in Great Britain. In 2004, S+S expanded east and founded a subsidiary in Singapore. A subsidiary in the USA followed in 2007. Sales offices were established in many other countries.


  5. New buildings

    With international expansion under way, S+S continued and still continues to rely exclusively on “Made in Germany” for the development and manufacture of our detection and sorting systems.

    For the company headquarters in Schönberg, this meant extensive new construction activities in the 20-aughts. Several production halls, a new administration building, and a dispatch hall were built, as well as the technical center, where potential customers can find functionally assembled Sesotec systems on which to test their materials.


  6. Generation change and further growth

    Karl Eibl and Helmuth Frisch remained managing directors until their retirement in 2013. Even after retirement, they were still able to celebrate when S+S won an award for “Bavaria’s Best 50.” In order to prepare a succession plan, in 2011 Eibl, Frisch, Dittrich, and Greipl sold their shares to the Munich-based investment company VTC, which invests in medium-sized companies to enable their long-term development independent of corporate groups.


  7. Name change

    In keeping with the pace of international growth, the company name was adapted. Known as S+S Separation and Sorting Technology since 2005, the company became Sesotec in April 2015.


Change of ownership and international growth

In 1990, a majority stake in S+S was sold to Hoesch AG, an important German steel and mining company from the Ruhr region, which the Krupp Group acquired shortly thereafter.  

In 1993, Karl Eibl, Helmuth Frisch, Paul Dittrich and Franz Greipl purchased the company – then called S+S Metallsuchgeräte und Recycling GmbH – from the corporation and proceeded to run it independently. Two of the new owners, Eibl and Frisch, had already held senior positions at S+S, and together, they took over the company’s executive management.  

Under the leadership of the management duo, the company experienced steady growth and began its increasingly international expansion around the turn of the millennium. The first foreign subsidiary was established in 2001 in the United Kingdom. In 2004, S+S ventured into the Far East and established a subsidiary in Singapore, which was followed by the United States in 2007. Sales offices began to spring up in many other countries.

 

New construction and name change

In terms of engineering and manufacturing, however, S+S focused exclusively on products that were “Made in Germany” − an approach that Sesotec continues to follow today.

This meant extensive construction work at company headquarters in Schönberg in the early 2000s, which saw the addition of several production shops, a new administrative building, a shipping warehouse and the technology center, where potential customers will find fully functional Sesotec systems and can test them using their materials.

As part of the international growth, the company’s name was also changed. From 2005 to March 2015, the company operated under the name S+S Separation and Sorting Technology GmbH. It has been called Sesotec since April 2015.

 

A new generation and further growth

Karl Eibl and Helmuth Frisch remained managing directors until 2013. Their retirement was capped by the company being named one of the winners in “Bayerns Best 50” [Bavaria’s Top 50] competition. In order to prepare a succession plan, Eibl, Frisch, Dittrich and Greipl sold their shares as early as in 2011 to Munich-based industrial holding company VTC, which invests in small- and medium-sized enterprises, to facilitate long-term development independent of the group.  

Sesotec has since continued on its path to innovation and growth without interruption. In 2015, it established a subsidiary in Canada. That same year, Sesotec purchased ASM Advanced Sorting Machines, which is an Italian company that specializes in food-sorting machines. Another subsidiary joined the ranks in 2016, this time in Thailand.

More about Sesotec

Mission and vision

Our philosphy

Innovation out
of passion

Our ambition

Global footprint

Our locations