The winch specialist in top ranking of the University of St. Gallen

From village smithy to world market leader.  For over 100 years the name ROTZLER has stood for hoisting and pulling winch technology that you can rely on even under the most difficult operating conditions when the chips are down. Whether in recovery and rescue, in the construction industry, defense technology, marine or on drilling rigs. The owner-managed company in Steinen has now been listed in the index of world market leaders at the University of St. Gallen for the first time. This was announced by the WirtschaftsWoche magazine in November 2021.

The companies listed as world market leaders are often rather unknown - hence the term "hidden champions". The world market leaders are selected in a scientifically complex process, based on strict criteria. This year only 509 companies from Germany, Austria and Switzerland made it.

In 1919 Ernst Rotzler founded a smithy in Steinen that shod horses and repaired agricultural machinery. From the very start, our company founder listened closely to his clients and grew with their requirements. He optimized their hay elevators and manure cranes and subsequently shifted his focus to developing and manufacturing reliable winch technology. Today ROTZLER is a leader in hydraulic winches and system solutions for mobile applications. As an independent, owner-managed company, we stand for typical medium-sized values: customer proximity, reliability, trust and a spirit of innovation.

“We are very pleased about this award, and we see it as an incentive to continue on the path we have chosen. At ROTZLER, we always strive to positively surprise our customers. We pursue the goal of satisfying customer requirements with innovative solutions. These should not only solve the task at hand, but also offer our customers real added value.” says Jürgen Rotzler (CEO).

Whether on an oil rig in Texas, a crab boat in the Gulf of Alaska, a fire and rescue service in the Swiss Alps or a rescue mission in Singapore - users all over the world rely on our winches and system solutions, even under the most difficult operating conditions.

"At ROTZLER, innovation is based on a deep understanding of the challenges our customers face and the requirement to find outstanding solutions for them," says Stefan Beyersdorff (VP Design and Development). “It is a great advantage for us that we are present with our products and system solutions in a wide variety of markets. In this environment, the ingenuity of our employees as well as the courage and perseverance as a company to bring new solutions to market maturity are decisive for our innovative strength."

The ROTZLER Group employs a total of around 235 people at five locations worldwide. ROTZLER HOLDING and the largest subsidiary, ROTZLER Germany, are based at the headquarters in Steinen in southern Germany. There are also sales and production sites in Vancouver (Canada), Grand Prairie (USA), Bangalore (India) and Changwon (South Korea).
The criteria for the selection as world market leader champion:
In order for the scientists from St. Gallen to join the group of world market leaders, strict criteria have to be met. These include an export share of over 50%, our own production and / or sales companies or export activities in at least 3 out of 6 continents, as well as an annual turnover of at least € 50 million.