History
Companies live from their innovative strength. With great entrepreneurial dynamism, Rolf Andreas Völkle started his own business in 1964. After just a few years, he sees the future in the design and production of ergonomically optimised office chairs. Over 100 registered patents bear witness to the wealth of ideas in the development of office chairs in the spirit of the slogan " Dynamic sitting".
Our short journey through time takes us through the milestones in the company's history that mark the path to moving, three-dimensional sitting.
We have remained true to the original idea of charging sitting with more and more energy to this day.
1964
Like many dynamic companies, everything starts in a garage. Initially, wire goods, steel frames and ornamental furniture are produced. Production quickly takes over more and more space in the home, so that the company has to move just four years after the start.
1968
The new production site at Siemensstraße in Lossburg. The product range is increasingly focused on supplier parts made of metal for the furniture industry.
1972
The first office chair series is produced. The first patent is used to develop and produce office chairs under the company's own name.
1980
ROVO focuses entirely on the development and production of its own office chair programmes. From the very beginning, the focus is on chair ergonomics. The focus is on dynamic sitting.
1982
The use of plastic makes the office chairs light, stable and economical. The world's first self-supporting plastic base is a ROVO invention.
1984
In cooperation with ergonomist and medical doctor Prof. Dr. Dr. Karlheinz Nier as well as designers, ergonomically forward-looking seating concepts are developed. This is the basis for many patent developments, e.g. for the AIR CHAIR with volume-adjustable cushions.
1984
The first swivel chair in all-plastic technology is launched.
1985
BUGGY is the first special children's and youth chair for the desk on the market. Today it has long since become a classic. Thanks to the patented construction of the frame with the characteristic handle, the seat height and seat depth can "grow" with the child's height.
1987
Three swivel axes integrated into the seat shell for triple freedom of movement: the ergonomic concept of the ROVO TEC is ahead of its time. The seat swings around the front axis, the middle axis is the dynamic pelvic support, the backrest springs in the shoulder area. This is activating seating comfort.
1990
The new company building in Lossburg Wittendorf is ready for occupancy. It was designed as part of an architectural competition: With light-flooded offices, a representative exhibition, modern production facilities and a high-bay warehouse.
1992
Relaxation posture and working posture in dynamic alternation, this vision is realised with ROVO VISION and the patented sliding seat technology in the office swivel chair.
1996
ROVO FUN. The new fully upholstered programme with interesting fabrics and colour concepts establishes itself as a crowd favourite right from the start. The model series grows to include numerous product variants - also with wooden or plastic backrests.
2000
ROVO COM stands for individual seating comfort. With eight adjustment points on the chair, all ergonomic functions can be personally adapted.
2002
ROVO XS is created in collaboration with the Italian designer Claudio Bellini. The concept receives the Innovation Award for Architecture and Office.
2004
Rolf Völkle hands over the management of the company to his son Rolf Andreas Völkle and retires from the operative business.
2004
ROVO XP, the comprehensive product family for all work areas, is launched. Certified by Quality Office.
2006
ROVO XN shows filigree design of Swiss school, paired with sophisticated comfort technology - a chair programme with many design options.
2009
With ROVO XZ, a striking executive chair programme is developed. Material, equipment and ergonomic concept are of the finest. The viscoelastic ROVO-PUR foam is used for the first time in this office chair.
2010
ROVO XT is the first health chair to be equipped with the innovative ERGO BALANCE technology. With the patented movement element, sitting in motion is possible, posture training and dynamic sitting are linked.
2012
Slimmer, lighter, more active: with the R12, ROVO sets new standards in ergonomics, design and technology. The Flex-Relax slat system and the optional ERGO BALANCE technology characterise this activating office chair.
2013
ERGO BALANCE PLUS is ready for series production. With this advanced technology, the movement element can be switched on, locked and adjusted to the respective body weight.
2014
ROVO R12: The ROVO R12 office chair series receives the Red Dot Award for particularly successful aspects and detailed solutions of design work.
2014
ROVO R14: A light, agile chair with convincing seating comfort.
2015
ROVO R12 receives the predicate "Special Mention" at the GERMAN DESIGN AWARD 2016.
2016
ROVO R16 is ready for the market, the design line with the characteristically filigree back profile. The lightweight office chair meets occupational health requirements in every detail.
2016
ROVO SOLO: Eine komplette Neuentwicklung von ROVO und dem Designer Henner Jahns vom Designbüro Gecco Vision in Los Angeles. Im Fuß und unter dem Sitz ist die ERGO BALANCE Technik integriert. Sie sorgt für Sitzdynamik bei sicherem Stand. Ausgezeichnet mit dem Good Design Award, Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.
2017
The joint venture ROVO Benelux B.V. is founded in Hengelo. With this, ROVO consolidates the cooperation with its long-standing trading partner in the Netherlands.
2017
He was an entrepreneur through and through, determined, technically competent and at the same time responsible in his role as an employer. Rolf Völkle, founder of Völkle Bürostühle GmbH, dies at the age of 85.
2018
ROVO TWIST, developed together with the design studio Gecco Vision, is a swivel chair, standing aid and table in one. Twist fits into the hybrid working world of the young generation, brings teams together and turns communication into a creative event. As a design element, Twist makes a statement in the lounge area.
2019
Extra strong and ergonomic. With a usage weight of up to 200 kg, the chairs of the R200 series are the powerhouses from ROVO. At the time of its market launch, R200 was already able to comply with DIN 4573, which was introduced later.
2019
On December 3, ROVO was one of the first companies to receive the Ergonomics Innovation Award from the IGR Institut für Gesundheit und Ergonomie e.V. (Institute for Health and Ergonomics) in recognition of its entrepreneurial achievements in the field of ergonomics.
2020
Surfing instead of sitting: ROVO SURF brings a breath of fresh air to the workplace. The design comes from Gecco Vision in Los Angeles. The ERGO BALANCE movement element in the foot and under the seat activates like hardly any other chair. You sit firmly in the saddle and thus transfer every movement directly to the stool, which absorbs it and returns it dynamically. Sitting has never been more active.
Winner of the German Design Award 2022.
2022
ROVO is presenting the new R22 office chair range at Orgatec. The modular design concept works according to the building block principle and focuses on individual comfort requirements. R22 is durable, particularly sustainable and consists largely of recycled materials. At the end of its life cycle, over 90% of the chair can be recycled.
2023
ROVO gets a sister brand: From 2024, Völkle Bürostühle GmbH will be the new business partner for @office products. The changeover has become necessary because @office GmbH + Co KG, formerly a pure importer and wholesaler, has become a manufacturer whose products are almost all produced in Lossburg. There is hardly any difference between the two companies in terms of their actual activities, so the brands were merged.
2024
ROVO was voted the number one office chair manufacturer in the 2024 specialist retailer survey by ‘markt intern’. In the nationwide survey ‘Office furniture/office chair manufacturers 2024’, office furniture retailers assessed the performance of their most important suppliers: This makes ROVO one of the few manufacturers to make it onto the winners' podium for the second time in a row.