Recaro

History

The company was founded on 1 October 1906 by Wilhelm Reutter as Stuttgarter Carosserie und Radfabrik. In 1909, Wilhelm's brother Albert Reutter joined the company as a partner and commercial manager. There was a change of name to "Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter & Co.", owner W. & A. Reutter. On 24 July 1909, the patent for a "folding roof with canopy, especially for motor vehicles" was filed. This so-called "reform body" was a constructive forerunner of the convertible. The result was bodies including interior fittings for almost all well-known manufacturers of the time, in particular Daimler-Benz (and predecessor) as well as the Chemnitzer Wanderer-Werke. In 1919, the gradual conversion from individual production to mass production took place. During the 1920s, the company became known for building limousine bodies. 1930, Reutter entered into a partnership with the Porsche design office. From 1931, Reutter manufactured the first bodies for Porsche types 7, 8, 9, 12 and 32. In 1936, after the capacity limit of the main plant in Augustenstraße had been reached, a second plant was built in Zuffenhausen. A year later in 1937, Reutter received the order to produce the Volkswagen prototype pre-series VW 303. A couple years later in 1939, the company had around 900 employees. In 1944, the main factory in Augustenstraße was severely damaged in an air raid. The workforce shrunk to 94 people. In 1949, Porsche began engaging the company to build their Porsche 356 sports car bodies.

In 1953, the company registered a patent for "a hinge fitting for upholstered seats with adjustable backrest", the Reutter reclining seat fitting. Following completion of the 5,000th body for the Porsche 356 in 1954, the "Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter & Co. GmbH" celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1956. That same year the 10,000th Porsche body left the factory, which by then employed 900 people.

In 1963, Porsche acquired the car body factory. What remained was renamed to Recaro (REutter-CAROsserie), and focus was shifted to high-end seats. The company began producing both OEM seats for Porsche, and a separate line of after-market seats. In 1965, Recaro presented the first Recaro sports seat at the Frankfurt Motor Show. In 1967, Recaro started the construction of a production facility in Schwäbisch Hall. Economic problems led the Reutter family to sell the business in 1969 to three companies, Keiper, Huber & Wagner, and Metzeler. In 1971, Recaro produced the first aircraft seats under the name Recaro Aircomfort under license of the American manufacturer Hardman Aerospace. Shortly afterwards, Recaro launched its first aircraft seat, the so-called Recaro 2020, and sold it to Lufthansa, among others. In 1974, the first motorsport seat was based on the Recaro professional full shell seat. In 1983, Keiper purchased all shares in Recaro and established Keiper Recaro in Kirchheim.

After restructuring in 1997, Recaro became an independent company again. This resulted in four legally and economically independent companies, including Recaro Aircraft Seating GmbH & Co. KG. A year later, in 1998, Recaro introduced the first ever-growing child seat. In 2004, Recaro bought the traditional company "Storchenmühle", which concentrates on the production of child seats. In 2006, the company celebrated its 100th anniversary. In June 2011, Recaro sold the automotive seating division to Johnson Controls, a U.S.-based automotive supplier. The acquisition granted Johnson Controls to be a licensee of the RECARO brand in the automotive industry, as well as the exclusive, unlimited right to market Recaro seats for cars and commercial vehicles. All other brand companies now belong to RECARO Group Stuttgart, which is the brand owner and licensor of RECARO Automotive Seating.

In 2013, after restructuring, Recaro Holding relocated its registered office back to Stuttgart, Germany. After it spun off from Johnson Controls in 2016, Recaro Automotive Seating is now owned by automotive supplier Adient. The Recaro Group continues to act as licensor. In 2018, Recaro Child Safety ceased business operations (including Storchenmühle), and Recaro Holding entered into a global licensing agreement with Artsana Group, which, following the cessation of Recaro Child Safety's operations (including Storchenmühle), will continue to develop, manufacture, and distribute premium child seats and strollers under the Recaro Kids brand name. Also in 2018, Recaro established a division called Recaro eGaming, which markets gaming chairs. In 2019, Recaro Gaming Seats became available for purchase.

In July 2024, news reports surfaced that Recaro Automotive GmbH (Germany) had filed for bankruptcy and was subsequently approved for self-administration by a German court. The insolvency proceedings affect RECARO Automotive GmbH (Germany) exclusively and not any of the other automotive or commercial vehicle units such as RECARO Automotive North America, RECARO Automotive Japan and Joint Ventures in China. The bankruptcy also doesn't affect the aircraft, train and gaming chair divisions.

Recaro Group

The Recaro Group comprises the divisions Recaro Aircraft Seating, Recaro eGaming and Recaro Holding itself.

Recaro Holding

Recaro Holding acts as the holding company of the Recaro Group and comprises the areas of strategy, finance, human resources and law as well as design, brand, communication and innovation management. The headquarter of Recaro Holding has been located in Stuttgart since May 2013.

Recaro Aircraft Seating

Recaro Aircraft Seating is a developer and manufacturer of aircraft seats. The Aircraft seat production began in 1971 under license under the name Recaro Aircomfort, initially in Stuttgart. From 1983 the entire production takes place in Schwäbisch Hall. Recaro Aircraft Seating GmbH & Co. KG also has production plants in Poland, South Africa, the USA and China in addition to its headquarter in Schwäbisch Hall. Recaro is the producer of the Recaro CL3710, one of the most renowned and popular long haul economy-class seat used on more than 50 airlines worldwide.

In 2004, Recaro Aircraft Seating took over the majority of AAT Composites in South Africa - a company that manufactures products for the aviation industry from fibre composites.

Recaro Gaming

Since the beginning of 2018, Recaro Gaming GmbH & Co. KG, based in Stuttgart, has been part of the Recaro Group. The company presented the first gaming seat prototype at Gamescom 2018 in Cologne.

Recaro as Licensor

Recaro Automotive Seating

The Recaro Automotive Seating division, a manufacturer of car seats, was sold to US automotive supplier Johnson Controls in 2011. In 2016, Recaro Automotive Seating evolved to ownership under automotive supplier Adient following the spin-off from Johnson Controls. In 2020, Adient sold RECARO Automotive to Raven Acquisitions LLC and is headquartered in Clinton Township, MI, USA.

Recaro Kids

The Recaro Child Safety GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Marktleugast, which merged with the long-established Storchenmühle company in 2004, ended its business operations on 31 July 2018. At the end of October 2018, Recaro Holding and Artsana Group signed a global license agreement. The agreement covers the development, production and distribution of premium children's seats and prams under the Recaro Kids brand name.

Customers

Literature

• Frank Jung: Porsche 356 - made by Reutter. Delius Klasing, Bielefeld 2011, .
• Uta & Helmut Jung: Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter ‒ von der Reform-Karosserie zum Porsche 356. Delius Klasing, Bielefeld 2006, .
• Frank Jung: RECARO: Seating in Motion. Delius Klasing, 2016, .

References

References

1. (2018-04-22). "Form follows human: Recaro's roots as coachbuilder to the Germans".
2. Shea, Terry. (2012). "Recaro".
3. "RECARO Historie".
4. "Die Geschichte der Firma Reutter von 1906 bis 1950".
5. Jung, Uta. (206). "Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter".
6. (24 April 2018). "Seatmaker Recaro has its roots in building Porsches". Crain Communications.
7. (2016-07-25). "Der Sitzpionier - Recaro in Stuttgart {{!}} SWR made in Südwest".
8. Edsall, Larry. (2019-02-09). "Roots of Recaro: Car seat company traces to original Porsches".
9. "Recaro Standorte".
10. "50 JAHRE RECARO SCHALENSITZ".
11. Schäfer, Tilman. (2011). "In Bewegung : der Automobilzulieferer Keiper; Geschichte und Geschichten aus den Jahren 1920 bis 2011".
12. [https://www.recaro-automotive.com/us/company/overview/recaro-automotive-seating.html www.recaro-automotive.com/us] Recaro Automotive Seating.
13. "Keiper Recaro Group sells Automotive Business to Johnson Controls". Recaro.
14. (2013-04-29). "Neuausrichtung und Neupositionierung in Stuttgart". Recaro.
15. "Recaro Child Safety stellt Geschäftsbetrieb Ende Juli 2018 ein - RECARO Child Safety".
16. "Recaro und Artsana schließen Lizenzvereinbarung über Premium-Kindersitze und -Kinderwagen".
17. "Sports seat manufacturer Recaro files for bankruptcy {{!}} Autocar".
18. Gevelmann, Patrick. (2017-05-08). "Integrierte Markenführung bei RECARO: Von der Strategie bis zur Umsetzung".
19. Michael Heller. (2013-04-29). "Recaro kehrt in die Heimat Stuttgart zurück".
20. "Demand for aircraft seats prompts Recaro to increase production".
21. Pressemitteilung. "AAT Composits".
22. "Recaro Group gründet neue Sparte: Recaro eGaming".
23. (2018-08-23). "Recaro eGaming: Neuer Gaming-Chair-Hersteller zeigt Prototypen auf der Gamescom 2018".
24. . (2020-01-31). ["Adient sells its RECARO Automotive Seating unit"](https://www.recaro-automotive.com/us/recaro/press-media/press-releases/adient-sells-its-recaro-automotive-seating-unit).
25. "Recaro Child Safety stellt Geschäftsbetrieb Ende Juli 2018 ein - RECARO Child Safety".
26. "Recaro Aircraft Seating sets new comfort benchmark with fully equipped cabin on Aeroflot’s Airbus fleet - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
27. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING SELECTED BY KLM, TRANSAVIA AIRLINES AND TRANSAVIA FRANCE TO OUTFIT NEW AIRBUS AICRAFT WITH ECONOMY CLASS SEATS - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
28. "Recaro Aircraft Seating reveals KLM Royal Dutch Airlines as the new launch customer for SL3710 seat on Embraer and Boeing aircraft - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
29. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING R2 SELECTED BY AIRBALTIC TO OUTFIT A220-300 FLEET - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
30. "Recaro supplies around 8,000 units of business and economy class seats to Shenzhen Airlines in China - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
31. "Recaro CL5710 takes off on Shenzhen Airlines Boeing 737MAX - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
32. "Shandong Airlines and Recaro Aircraft Seating celebrate long-term relationship and joint success at AIX - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
33. "NEWEST BUSINESS CLASS SEAT FROM RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING TAKES FLIGHT ON AIR CHINA’S A350 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
34. "Shandong Airlines orders 6,000 seats for its new Boeing 737 MAX fleet - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
35. "RECARO Aircraft Seating selected by Air India as premium economy and economy seating partner for widebody aircraft - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
36. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND AIR INDIA PREPARE FOR FIRST LINEFIT B787-9 TO ENTER SERVICE - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
37. "Air Premia hits the skies with Recaro on board - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
38. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING R2 AND R5 SELECTED FOR ALASKA AIRLINES CABIN RETROFIT - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
39. "RECARO Aircraft Seating receives additional orders to outfit Alaska Airlines’ new B737MAX aircraft with CL4710 and BL3530 seats - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
40. "The lightweight SL3510 seat to premiere in the Asian growth market - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
41. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS DISPLAY R3 AND R4 SEATING COMFORT AT AIX 2025 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
42. "3530Swift economy class seat takes off - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
43. "First delivery of Recaro’s CL3710 to South America - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
44. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND AZUL ANNOUNCE FURTHER COLLABORATION FOR NEW A330 FLEET - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
45. "Cebu Pacific Air is launch customer for the Recaro SL3510 in the APAC region - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
46. "RECARO Aircraft Seating SL3710 economy class seat takes off on Cebu Pacific Air’s first A330neo - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
47. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND CHINA SOUTHERN STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIP WITH INTRODUCTION OF R3 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
48. "More than 2,000 Recaro seats for China Southern’s new A330-300 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
49. "Recaro is driving China Southern Airlines’ comfort in the sky - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
50. "RECARO Aircraft Seating Selected to elevate passenger comfort in Condor's economy class - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
51. "Recaro to deliver 5,600 CL3710 economy seats for Delta Air Lines’ new A350 aircraft - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
52. "First A320neo delivery with Recaro seats for easyJet - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
53. "First flight for the Recaro CL6710 business class seat - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
54. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING CL3710 SEAT TAKES FLIGHT ON ETIHAD AIRWAYS’ BRAND-NEW A350 AIRCRAFT - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
55. "RECARO Aircraft Seating reveals luxury seat for Emirates’ first premium economy cabin - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
56. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING RETROFITS FINNAIR EMBRAER E190 AIRCRAFT WITH R1 AND R2 SEATS - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
57. "flydubai continues its partnership with Recaro Aircraft Seating - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
58. "Recaro Aircraft Seating SL3710 seat makes its North American debut on Frontier Airlines’ A320neo aircraft - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
59. "GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes orders Recaro seats for its aircraft - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
60. "Gulf Air selects Recaro to supply Economy Class seats for the airline’s incoming fleet - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
61. "Recaro CL3710 economy class seat takes flight on Gulf Air’s new A321neo - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
62. "Hainan orders seats from Recaro for its A330 fleet - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
63. "Hainan Airlines relies on Recaro comfort in its Dreamliner aircraft - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
64. "IAG orders SL3510 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
65. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND AER LINGUS ACHIEVE MILESTONE WITH A321XLR AND R3 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
66. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND IBERIA MAKE MILESTONE FIRSTS WITH THE A321XLR AND R3 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
67. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING CL6720 BUSINESS CLASS SEAT WITH SLIDING DOORS TAKES FLIGHT ON IBERIA A350 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
68. "RECARO Aircraft Seating BL3710 selected for IndiGo’s new A321N, A320N aircraft - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
69. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING R5 AUSGEWÄHLT FÜR DIE BUSINESS-CLASS-KABINE DER A321neo VON INDIGO - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
70. Kirby, Mary. (2019-08-21). "Behind the rise and rise of the Recaro CL3710".
71. "SL3710 seat from RECARO Aircraft Seating takes flight on JetSMART's brand-new A321neo - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
72. "Juneyao Air takes off with full cabin Recaro seats - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
73. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND AIR INDIA PREPARE FOR FIRST LINEFIT B787-9 TO ENTER SERVICE - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
74. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND LATAM AIRLINES GROUP PREPARE FOR R7 BUSINESS CLASS ENTRY INTO SERVICE - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
75. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND LOT POLISH AIRLINES ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP FOR LOCAL SEAT PRODUCTION - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
76. "RECARO Aircraft Seating selected as exclusive seat supplier for LOT Polish Airlines widebody fleet through 2030 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
77. "RECARO Aircraft Seating CL3710, CL3810 Seats Handpicked To Outfit Economy Class Cabins In Lufthansa Group Fleet - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
78. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND LUXAIR ALIGN ON R2 SFE SEAT - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
79. "RECARO Aircraft Seating chosen by Malaysia Airlines to equip brand-new A330neo with award-winning CL3810 Economy Class seat - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
80. "Recaro Aircraft Seating CL3710 and CL5710 to take flight on Middle East Airlines’ A320 fleet - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
81. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AWARDED ORDER OF BL3510 SPARE PAX FOR RETROFIT OF PHILIPPINE AIRLINES’ A320 AIRCRAFT - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
82. "RECARO Aircraft Seating to Equip Qantas "Project Sunrise" Economy Cabin with new CL3810 seat - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
83. "RECARO Aircraft Seating tapped to outfit Qatar Airways with brand-new economy class seat - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
84. "Qatar Airways chooses the Recaro CL3620 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
85. "SAS modifies 5,000 units of the BL3520 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
86. "RECARO Aircraft Seating To Outfit CL4710 On Sichuan Airlines’ Brand-New A319neo - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
87. "Singapore Airlines introduces new Recaro seats for the A380 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
88. "Singapore Airlines launches Recaro’s CL3710 on the Boeing 787-10 - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
89. "Skymark selects RECARO economy class seats - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
90. "RECARO Aircraft Seating selected by Southwest Airlines® to equip new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft deliveries with BL3710 economy class seat - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
91. "SpiceJet will take delivery of BL3530Smart seats from Recaro for its B737-MAX aircraft - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
92. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING CL3710 TOOK CENTER STAGE IN STARLUX ECONOMY CLASS AT SINGAPORE AIRSHOW - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
93. "Recaro Aircraft Seating integrates SL3710 and BL3710 into hybrid layout on TAP Air Portugal’s new Airbus fleet - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
94. "TAP takes off with Recaro - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
95. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AND THAI AIRWAYS PARTNER ON R3 LINEFIT PROGRAM - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
96. "RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING SELECTED BY TIBET AIRLINES TO OUTFIT THEIR NEW A319NEO AIRCRAFT - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
97. "Tigerair selects Recaro SFE seats for its new Airbus A320neo aircraft - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
98. "Award-winning Recaro seats headed to Volaris - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
99. "WestJet opts for Recaro - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
100. "RECARO Aircraft Seating SL3710 economy class seat takes flight on Wizz Air’s brand-new Airbus A321neo - RECARO Aircraft Seating".
101. "WOW air receives modified Recaro seats - RECARO Aircraft Seating".