Company profile

About us

We are a Stuttgart-based
family business
For our customers and employees this means:

Uncomplicated and honest

Not bureaucrats, but solution finders and facilitators. We are hands-on and uncomplicated in our approach. Cooperative and transparent in tone. Long-term and trusting in our relationships.

Sustainable and reliable

Steeped in tradition and owner-managed. We are not driven by quarterly figures, but rather by the desire to be sustainably successful with extremely durable and high-quality cleaning machines.

Swabian and international

Rooted in the region – in fact precisely the region where the tradition of the “Kehrwoche” (literally “sweeping week”, referring to a plan stating the cleaning obligations in multi-tenant properties) also has its roots. No wonder then that our enthusiasm for cleaning lies deep inside us. And with our machines we are spreading it all around the world.

About us
Traditionally dynamic

In 1926, Gustav Staehle invented the first polishing machine equipped with suction and thus set the success story of columbus in motion. Almost 100 years and two generations later we are still owner-managed and constantly striving to reinvent columbus as an innovative traditional brand.

Working for a clean solution since 1926
Milestones
1926
1950s and 60s
1970s and 80s
1990s and 2000s
since 2010

1926

Gustav Staehle invents the first polishing machine with suction. He thus breaks new ground in the intensive cleaning of stone and wooden floors, and therefore calls the machine columbus. Within a short time it becomes a best seller and is sold worldwide in the 1930s.

1926

1950s and 60s

columbus has now become the brand name for commercial cleaning in Germany. The product range includes two-disc machines and floor polishers. At the same time, the first single-disc machines, water-suction cleaners and wiping processes for cleaning increasingly fashionable synthetic flooring are developed.

1950s and 60s

1970s and 80s

In 1976, columbus launches its first automatic cleaning machine, the RA 40, on the market. It is awarded a design prize and is instantly a great success both home and abroad. Further models follow with the RA 60, RA 75 and RA 90. At the same time, the range of single-disc machines for basic and maintenance cleaning is sustainably expanded.

1970s and 80s

1990s and 2000s

With the founding of its international subsidiaries, the 90s are dominated by internationalisation. In addition, pioneering products such as the 50-litre automatic cleaning machines with membrane tanks are developed. In 2002, columbus launches the ARA 80/100|BM 150, the first ride-on automatic cleaning machine. It is perfectly suited for use on large surface areas, and at the same time marks the beginning of a large number of additional models that meet the needs of modern commercial cleaning.

1990s and 2000s

since 2010

columbus now offers machines in all categories (including sweepers and industrial vacuum cleaners) as well as a variety of innovative services, such as the cmm Machine Manager and the columbus mobile app for smart fleet management. columbus has thus developed into a genuine full-range provider that supports its customers with holistic cleaning solutions and convincingly puts its “Clean Quality” promise into action.

since 2010
Certification
Quality and sustainability

Quality and sustainability are always a question of the system. This is why we not only have our products certified in accordance with international standards, but also our processes.

ISO 9001

ISO 9001 is the globally recognised standard for the certification of quality management systems.

ISO 50001

With our energy management system in compliance with ISO 50001, we are continuously improving our energy performance, optimising our energy efficiency and thus optimising our energy balance.

ISO 14001

Environmental management according to ISO 14001 is a central component of corporate environmental protection.
This standard is a globally valid and frequently used standard in connection with environmental management.

Strong together
The Staehle Group

When Gustav Staehle brought the columbus brand to life, he had already been successful as a tin can manufacturer for over 20 years with G. Staehle KG, founded in 1899. The Staehle Group can thus look back on over 100 years of experience in the development and manufacture of innovative and high-quality packaging solutions. Staehle Blechverpackungen is now Europe’s third largest aerosol can manufacturer.

Staehle

Aerosol cans

G. Staehle GmbH u. Co. KG
Mercedesstraße 15
70372 Stuttgart

Telefon +49 711 95 44-5
E-Mail info@staehle.de
Web www.staehle.de

columbus

Cleaning machines

G. Staehle GmbH u. Co. KG
Mercedesstraße 15
70372 Stuttgart

Telefon +49 711 95 44-950
E-Mail info@columbus-clean.com
Web www.columbus-clean.com