40 years of Stilus A history of tradition, writing and innovation

In 2021 Sonos established their Installed Solutions strategy in Switzerland and named Stilus as the market developer for the installer market.

Increasing digitalisation has had a significant positive impact on both SmartHome development and interactivity. In 2019, Stilus formed another partnership with ViewSonic, which further expanded the LED projection segment while creating a broader range of interactive displays.

With the portfolio expansion of interactive displays from CTOUCH in 2014, Stilus once again assumed a leading role in establishing innovative technology in the Swiss market.

In addition to visualisation solutions, a second business division, Building Automation, was established in 2012 with the launch of RTI control systems.

With the first projector with LED/laser light source, projectors could now be operated mercury-free and without changing lamps. The competition only caught up several years later.

From 2010, the projector range was enriched with Vivitek, a Delta Electronics company. With the Qumi, standards were benchmarked once again. Never before has there been such a lightweight projector with such light output and resolution in a pocket size. The Qumi turned the market on its head and, with its LED light source, set the trend for the next few years.

But several years were to pass before interactive displays were ready for the market. The projector was still the dominant visualisation solution. In 2006, Stilus entered into a partnership with Casio for projectors. Casio set new standards in the portable sector with the S series and finally revolutionised the whole industry in 2011.

The PLUS M-10 Copyboard was launched in 2003. With the virtual predecessor of today's interactive display, the whiteboard market was revolutionised in a lasting way.

At the end of the nineties Sailor was registered as a brand for Switzerland and Europe for various product groups. Security systems were launched throughout Europe under the Sailor brand. At the beginning of 2000, the portfolio was further expanded with DAB digital radios. The company has played a leading role in shaping and influencing the market with both of these ranges.

1996 was the year of the DLP projector. As PLUS celebrated success with the DP-10 direct projector, Texas Instruments introduced the first ever DLP projector to the public. In 1997, PLUS was one of the first suppliers to present a compact, lightweight and bright projector at the Infocomm in America. The UP-800 and UP-1100 were the first DLP projectors from PLUS to be introduced to the market. Stilus did not only distribute PLUS products in Switzerland. With a smart strategy and an excellent network, the solutions from PLUS were established throughout Europe. With the "smallest and lightest home cinema projector" Piano, Plus acquired a leading position in the market.

After the start with the Sailor fountain pens, the long-standing partnership with Plus was formed at a trade fair in Sapporo, Japan and continues to this day.

In the 1980s, Stilus introduced Plus and Sailor products to the Swiss market. A stable business and market were built on the foundations of sophisticated, extravagant and reliable office and school products. The two founders, Giampiero Trentini and Gerardo Manzoni, had a marked affection for technology and aesthetics. Unsurprisingly, they felt a deep connection to Japanese culture and values through their history with Roadstar car radios and consumer electronics, among others.