History
History
The history of seibatex GmbH begins in 1836, when the Bally family founded a silk ribbon weaving mill in the picturesque town of Bad Säckingen.
In 1856, the company moved to Murg and set up a mechanical spinning mill.
Originally, the company concentrated on the production of traditional costumes and dresses for the Swiss region as well as accessories such as garters and suspenders. But time brought changes: After the two world wars, the production of silk ribbons gradually began to decline. The company rose to the new challenges and specialized in the development, manufacture and sale of fashionable textiles for women. However, competition in this area was enormous and Seiba recognized the need to break new ground.
In a visionary move, Seiba ventured into the production of airbags in 1987. In cooperation with “REPA” (now TRW), the company was one of the pioneers in this field. As early as 1990, Seiba supplied the first roll of uncoated airbag fabric to module manufacturers, setting an important milestone in the company's history.
In 1991, Berger Safety Textiles (BST) was founded, a joint venture between Seiba and the Berger Group. This alliance made it possible to further expand the market presence and drive forward the development of technical textiles.
In 2006, BST became part of the International Textile Group (ITG), which also included the ASCI Group. But just three years later, in 2009, BST and ASCI left the ITG to form Global Safety Textiles (GST) - another significant step towards independence and global market leadership.
A decisive turning point in the company's history was November 22, 2011, when the South Korean conglomerate Hyosung acquired 100% of GST shares. This acquisition resulted in a unique vertical integration of the entire value chain, from yarn production to the finished airbag.
Since August 1, 2026, we have been part of the Bodenbender Group and operate under the name seibatex GmbH. Despite these recent changes, we remain true to our roots: with a strong commitment to innovation and tradition, we continue to manufacture high-quality technical textiles in the Upper Rhine region. Our many years of experience and technical expertise continue to flow into the development of solutions that meet the highest safety and quality requirements.
In this way, seibatex GmbH combines the values of a traditional family business with state-of-the-art technology and a global perspective in order to remain a recognized supplier in the textile industry and meet the requirements of an international market. Through continuous innovation and a strong focus on sustainability, the company remains true to its high quality standards and actively contributes to the further development of the industry.
