Schaeff is back

Schaeff is the powerful brand name for compact construction machinery “Made in Germany”.

Schaeff is and always has been the specialist and technical trendsetter in this segment. We are continuing this tradition with Yanmar.


We inspire the enthusiasm of customers all over the world:

  • By offering compact machines with the performance and comfort of large ones
  • Thanks to our extensive and very active dealer network
  • With high quality Made in Germany
  • Through the worldwide Yanmar family: an owner-managed family group
  • Through 80 years of company history.

History - success is a good story

We have been making construction machinery for over 80 years – over 30 of them at our Crailsheim plant in Germany. There is virtually no other construction machinery brand that is connected to as many emotions as Schaeff. Schaeff lives through the enthusiasm of its employees, customers and distributors.

Schaeff was founded in 1937 by Karl Schaeff as a forge in Langenburg. At first, agricultural machinery was produced. The overhead loader in the post-war years was the first great stroke of genius for the construction industry. This was followed into the 90s by many innovations which influenced the whole sector.

Knickmatik, top-mounted cylinder design, Varioload and the further development of the Unimog as an all-purpose machine through numerous attachments made Schaeff a legend. We did pioneering work, either by making more efficient construction equipment from existing machines or by directly breaking new ground - and that remains so today.