In 1872, Johann Martin Lauffer laid the foundation for today's company with the establishment of a locksmith and mechanical workshop in Mühlen am Neckar. The young company on the edge of the Black Forest specialized in the maintenance and sale of agricultural machinery.

In 1914, Ernst Lauffer (sen.) as well as Gottfried and Wihelm Lauffer, the 2nd Generation of the Lauffer family took over the management of the company in Mühlen am Neckar.

1949

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1983

In the post-war period from 1949 to 1983, the Lauffer company developed rapidly. Under the leadership of Ernst and Richard Lauffer the product range was extended. Because the space in the original factory in Mühlen could no longer support the growth of the company, the year 1976 marked a further milestone when the company moved to its new production and administration facility in Horb am Neckar.

In 2018, the strategic partnership and cooperation with the Chinese HFM Group is announced and implemented. Christof Lauffter and Markus Oechsle continue to form the management team of the company, Prof Dr. Yan Jianwen, Chairman of the HFM Group, is appointed Chairman of the new Supervisory Board. Meanwhile, Lauffer Asia-Pacific AI Optical Sorter Innovation Center (Lauffer Vision Technology Co., Ltd.) has been established in Hefei, China with annual manufacturing capacity up to 4000 sets of AI optical sorters.

On the occasion of Lauffer Vision's 5th birthday, the brand-new innovation and assembly facility was officially put into use in May 2023, and the annual turnover increased by more than 50% in the same year, marking a new milestone in the company's development.