ADVANCED MANUFACTURING · LIECHTENSTEIN
Hilti
Fastening technology from Liechtenstein that holds up the world's construction sites
Original schematic illustration · created for the Atlas — stylised technical drawing, not a photograph.
01 In brief
In 1941, brothers Eugen and Martin Hilti founded "Maschinenbau Hilti OHG", a five-man mechanical workshop in Schaan, in the Principality of Liechtenstein. From that workshop grew a global construction-technology group that still makes its home in the same valley: Hilti today stands for professional tools, fastening systems, software and services used on construction sites in well over a hundred countries.
The company's history is a catalogue of construction innovation: the DX 100 piston-drive fastening tool in 1957, the electro-pneumatic TE 17 hammer drill that set the pattern for a whole tool category, mechanical anchor systems, diamond drilling, laser measurement, and — in the 2020s — the Nuron cordless platform, wearable exoskeletons and semi-automated drilling robots for overhead work.
02 Why it's interesting
- 01 A microstate of roughly 40,000 people hosts one of the construction industry's global technology leaders — and keeps it: Hilti's headquarters, research and a large share of its intellectual heart remain in Schaan.
- 02 Hilti pioneered the direct, consultative sales model in tools — engineers visiting sites and solving fastening problems, not selling boxes — decades before "solution selling" had a name.
- 03 Its innovation cadence spans eight decades and keeps redefining its own products, from powder-actuated fastening to connected battery platforms and human-augmentation gear.
- 04 The company's ownership foundation structure anchors it long-term in Liechtenstein, funding both R&D and cultural projects — from underwater archaeology to education initiatives.
03 How it works
Hilti's core competence is transferring load: making things stay attached to concrete, steel and masonry — safely and verifiably.
Powder-actuated fastening (the DX line) uses a controlled propellant charge to drive a piston, which pushes a fastener into base material in a fraction of a millisecond. The piston principle keeps the process's energy profile safe and predictable — unlike a bullet, the fastener only travels as far as the piston drives it.
Electro-pneumatic hammer drilling (the TE line) converts motor rotation into rapid hammer blows via an electromagnetic striker system — smashing rather than merely cutting through hard mineral base material, which is why the "Hammerbohrer" became the industry's defining tool.
The modern layer is digital: the Nuron platform puts an entire professional tool range on one cordless battery and data system, so tools report their condition and jobsites can be managed analytically — fastening as an information process, not just a mechanical one.
| Founded | 1941 · Eugen and Martin Hilti, Schaan |
|---|---|
| First piston-drive fastening tool | DX 100 (1957) |
| Electro-pneumatic hammer drill | TE 17 (1960s) |
| Human augmentation | Jaibot drilling robot & EXO-O1 exoskeleton (2020) |
| Cordless platform | Nuron (2022) |
| Ownership | Family-held (Martin Hilti Family Trust) |
Product dates per Hilti's published company history.
04 The organisation behind it
Hilti is a family-held group anchored by the Martin Hilti Family Trust, which guarantees the company's independence and long-term orientation. Global headquarters remain in Schaan; the group combines corporate research, product development and its direct-sales organization — teams of engineers who advise construction professionals on applications and jobsite productivity.
05 In the real world
Practically every large structure built in the past decades contains Hilti fastening: anchors holding façades to concrete, channels fixing pipes and cable trays, firestop systems sealing building penetrations. Beyond fastening, the group's tools and software manage measurement, cutting and documentation on professional jobsites worldwide.
06 Can you visit?
Hilti's Schaan campus is a corporate headquarters, innovation centre and production site — not a public museum, and visits are business- or education-related rather than tourist offerings.
Liechtenstein itself rewards the curious traveller: the Schaan–Vaduz area packs industry, alpine landscape and the country's museums into a few kilometres — see our Places page for the full picture.