The Steiger Company was founded by Mr. Robert Steiger in 1949 in Roanne (France) under the name of “Servo-Stop”. Since the very beginning Steiger has always concentrated his research activities towards satisfying the particular needs of his customers. Another objective of the company at the time was to modernize and produce machines for knitting accessories and bandages. In 1963 the Steiger company moved to Vionnaz in Switzerland which is still the headquarter of the company today, and where the production of jacquard and punching machines was started. In the early seventies Steiger launched the first machines for producing elastic stockings and tubular articles for orthopedic uses and acquired the textile division of the Böhringer company in Göppingen in Germany. The production and commercial distribution of the Ribomat/Autolinker was started in Vionnaz which allowed the use of genuine linking operations under conditions of high productivity. In the years 1980-1990, the Steiger Company presented the well known Electra series of flat knitting machines for producing shaped knitwear and the various models in this range satisfied all the requirements of the market and its demanding customers. The series became a great success.

The Electra range of machines was replaced by the Vesta series in the early nineties. The Vesta machines have a new electronic needle selection system and many other important innovative features. The series was complemented by the “Model” programming system for processing knitted designs.

In the mid nineties Steiger acquire the Italian company “Zamark Srl”, company founded in the early fifties in Somma Lombardo in Italy, which was also engaged in building flat-knitting machines. Zamark was well-known in the market particularly for the production of knitting machines specialized in intarsia, such as the model ELJ-2 IN presented in 1989.

Immediately after the fusion, the main objective of the new Group remained the enlargement of his range of machines. Thus the group added to their program the T1+1 and A1+1 models for knitting accessories, the compact machines Vesta 130E and 3.130E and the tandem machines Vesta 1+1.240 and Vesta 2+2.240.

At ITMA ’99 in Paris, Steiger introduced a revolutionary note in the design of flat knitting machines by having on show the first multi-head machine with a separation of the front and back-bed cam carriage by eliminating the traditional cam carriage bow, and driving both cam carriage selections in full synchronization. The technological advance has made it possible to feed yarn to the yarn-carrier directly from above and to utilize motorized yarn-carriers, each carrier being driven individually by its own motor.

After the introduction of the four-head twin-system Multi machines, there followed in 2001 the Aries.3 model, a single head machines with three knitting system and in 2002 the Aries.6 model which has a double head with each head having three knitting systems.

At IKME 2005 in Milan, Steiger presented a new model machine, completely innovative, creating a new concept of knitting machine, the “Gemini”. With Gemini, Steiger changes the concept to produce a knitting machine: realize a machine adopting the exigencies of customers and not the factory’s ones. Steiger, is always innovated in the presentation of new solutions, even in this opportunity is the first company in his sector to present a machine with those characteristics, which confirm his potential in the market in quickly transformations.

In 2008, upon the concept of Gemini, Libra born. This machine was created to bring the concept of high quality intarsia machine to a perfect quality/price relation. The machine is available with three systems and 16 motorized yarn-guides.

In 2010, Steiger renovates its reference machine, the Aries model, with the presentation in the exhibition ITMA ASIA of the machine « New Aries ».

Acquired in 2006 by the ITEMA  Group, Steiger in Vionnaz has been merged into Itema Switzerland ltd since July 2009. With the arrival of the Ningbo Yuren group, a new legal entity has been created in Vionnaz under the name of Steiger Participations SA. This change brings back its autonomy to the Walliser Company that will be maintained as an independent entity by the new owner. For the Swiss company, the strategy started in 2006 to penetrate China, which weight for more than 80% in the worldwide consumption of knitted machines, will be accelerated with this new partnership.

The company Steiger Participations SA is active in the production and the sales of industrial knitting machines. With an headquarter based in Vionnaz Switzerland, its activity is supported by operations in Italy and China. Steiger is specialized in the textile machines for the fashion and has become the world leader for the medical applications.