Everything started in a garage
In 1961, Jakob Gilgen Senior started out as a one-man operation in his parents' garage in Switzerland, manufacturing the first automatic door operators one by one and installing them at his customers' premises. Today, the company has more than 1,300 employees and a global presence.
See more below in a visual journey through our history...
1961
On 1 March 1961, Jakob Gilgen Senior from Schwarzenburg founded the Gilgen company in his parents' garage. The former federal civil servant invented the drive system for continuously regulating the final speed of an automatic sliding gate (cone). He patented his invention in the same year.
1968
1968
Jakob Gilgen Senior registers the patent for automatic letterbox emptying systems. Building on this success, the company enters a new business area. The construction of the first conveyor system (vertical transport of postal items) for the former PTT is a significant milestone for the Bern-based SME.
1973
With a workforce of 96 employees, the original sole proprietorship was converted into Gilgen AG on 1 January 1973. The first automatic sliding door was built.
1979
1979
In order to better serve the German market, we founded Gilgen GmbH in Darmstadt in 1979. With our high-quality drives for folding doors and large doors, we were able to penetrate niche markets and make a name for ourselves among German door manufacturers – for example, with hangar doors at Frankfurt Airport.
1981
In May 1981, we inaugurated our new building in Schwarzenburg. At that time, the growth of our company was virtually unstoppable. We more than doubled our turnover compared to 1973, and the Gilgen family continued to grow, reaching 265 employees. We were also active internationally, acquiring various resellers and representatives. In addition to our presence in Germany, we now also had our own sales structures in the Netherlands and England.
1986
1986
The 25th anniversary celebrations took place over two weekends in 1986 and were attended by over 700 guests from home and abroad. On the open day, we welcomed 3,000 visitors, who showed keen interest.
2000
For the ADP (Automatic Doors for Public Transport) business unit, 2000 was a very successful year with the contract to retrofit the Hong Kong Metro.
2007
2007
In 2007, we won the major pioneering project to equip 38 stations on metro lines 1 and 13 in Paris. Metro line 1 alone, which runs along the world-famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées, carries more than 1 million passengers per day!
2011
After 15 years in the Kaba Group, the companies parted ways at the beginning of 2011. Gilgen Door Systems became part of the Nabtesco Group, a Japanese company with international operations.
2018
2018
Gilgen Door Systems expands in Australia. In 2018, Gilgen becomes a shareholder in its Australian business partner Access Entry Pty Ltd and establishes its own branch in Sydney. We also secured a major contract for Metro Sydney to equip the platform door systems for the eight stations in the City Section. The project consists of over 2.7 km of façade with 288 automatic sliding doors.
2021
Our customer service department will reach a historic milestone in 2021: for the first time in 60 years, we will carry out over 100,000 contractual services on door and gate systems throughout Switzerland in 12 months.
2026
2026
When Gilgen acquired a majority stake in Access Entry Pty Ltd on February 4, 2025, it marked a warm and exciting new chapter for both companies. Access Entry had spent 24 years building a strong reputation as one of Australia’s leading automatic‑door specialists.
The two companies had already enjoyed a close partnership since 2015, and with Gilgen gradually increasing its involvement over the years — including the creation of the Gilgen Academy in Melbourne in 2023 — the acquisition felt like a natural next step.
By joining forces, Gilgen and Access Entry strengthened their presence in some of Australia’s biggest markets. The synergy of the combined team enabled the opening of new locations, that boost local assembly capabilities, and ultimately create new jobs within manufacturing, service, and technical support.
