Private company

Sefar

Logo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Swiss screen printing and filtration company

Sefar Group is a Swiss company specialized in screen printing and filtration applications. It is based in Heiden and Thal. Since its founding, it has specialized in the development, production, and distribution of precision fabrics.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1833Founded1
  • Industrytextile industry1
  • HeadquartersThal1
  • Websitewww.sefar.com
  • Legal formAktiengesellschaft1

Sefar Group is a Swiss company specialized in screen printing and filtration applications. It is based in Heiden and Thal. Since its founding, it has specialized in the development, production, and distribution of precision fabrics. It has a history dating back to the early 19th century. In 2023, Sefar employed around 3,000 people worldwide, including 780 only in Switzerland, and achieved a revenue of CHF 367 million.2

The story

The Sefar Group has existed in its current legal form since 1907 and is still owned by the six founding families. However, its roots go back to 1830, when Pierre Antoine Dufour started producing silk handkerchiefs for flour sieves in Thal in the canton of St. Gallen on behalf of Heinrich Bodmer, who had become the richest person in Zürich at the time through silk gauze production. Since then, the company has gone through several important development phases.

1833: Founded by Pierre A. Dufour and start of production in Thal.

1835: Expansion, including the first business trip to the United States.

1842: After the death of Pierre A. Dufour, his wife Anna-Joséphine Dufour-Onofrio took over the management.

1900: The first international branch opens in New York.

1907: Merger of six independent family businesses, which strengthened the market position.

1930er: Transition from hand looms to mechanical looms.

1950er: Switch from silk to synthetic fibers, adapting to new market requirements.

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1965: Introduction of synthetic monofilament fabrics, expansion of the product portfolio.

1995: The merger of three companies "Seidengazefabrik, Thal (SST)", "Seidengazefabrik, Zürich (SSZ)" and "Züricher Sacheuchfabrik (ZBF)" to form Sefar, which is derived from the term "SEiden-FAbrikanten Réunion".

1997: Market orientation and expansion in Asia with the opening of a weaving mill in Kabin Buri district, Thailand.

2007: Opening of the weaving mill in Sighişoara, Romania.

2009: Strategic takeover of Monosuisse and expansion of the product range.

2014: Extension building in Lalelelor in the industrial area of Sighişoara.

From Wikipedia’s article on Sefar, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

With headquarters in Heiden and a holding company in Thal, Switzerland, Sefar has built a global network of subsidiaries and production facilities. Sefar operates weaving mills in Switzerland, Romania, Mexico and Thailand. With Monosuisse, the Sefar Group has its own yarn production with locations in Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Romania and Mexico.

Sales offices are located in 30 countries worldwide.

From Wikipedia’s article on Sefar, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1833Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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