| 1884: | Brass foundry established in the North German city of Kiel by Wilhelm Poppe |
| 1929: | Move to today’s premises in the Kiel suburb of Friedrichsort; construction of Otto Runge Maschinenfabrik on the current-day site |
| 1930: | Production of compressors begins |
| 1933: | Acquisition of majority of shares by Wilhelm Ahlmann Bank in Kiel |
| 1947: | Company renamed Wilhelm Poppe GmbH Kompressorenfabrik Kiel-Pries |
| 1953: | Shares acquired by Walter Murmann, the grandfather of today’s owner Hendrik Murmann |
| 1966: | Purchase of centuries-old rifle manufacturer J.P. Sauer & Sohn GmbH, Eckernförde |
| 1967: | Sundstrand hydraulics licence acquired from the USA |
| 1968: | Merger of Poppe, Hydromechanik and Veltrup to form J.P. Sauer & Sohn Maschinenbau GmbH |
| 1969: | Spin-off of Sundstrand hydraulics range and establishment of independent Neumünster-based company Sauer Getriebe KG by Dr. Klaus Murmann, the oldest brother of Dr. Dieter Murmann, the then owner |
| 1975: | Sale of Aachen hydraulics product range and hydraulic valve production in Kiel to Sauer Getriebe KG, Neumünster |
| 1976: | Acquisition of rifle factory in Eckernförde by SIG; Kiel-based mechanical engineering division again trading as J.P. Sauer & Sohn Maschinenbau GmbH and concentrating on compressors |
| 1989: | Acquisition of French compressor manufacturer Techniques Girodin S.A., Houilles/Paris; trading name changed to Girodin-Sauer S.A. |
| End of 1980s: | First activities in China |
| 1990: | Acquisition of ALUP-Kompressoren GmbH & Co. KG, Köngen |
| 1992: |
Establishment of Sauer Compressors UK sales office in Colchester, England Start of first partnership in China |
| 1998: | Purchase of majority holding in CKD Zandov, a.s., Zandov, Czech Republic; trading name changed to Sauer Zandov, a.s.; establishment of Sauer Compressors USA, Inc. in Stevensville, Maryland |
| 2000: | Sale of ALUP Kompressoren GmbH & Co. KG to Abac Group in Turin, Italy |
| 2003: |
50th anniversary of the Murmann family as shareholders; Dr. Edgar Schmitt and Dipl.-Ing. Harald Schulz appointed as managing directors First employee in Shanghai |
| 2004: | Dr. Dieter Murmann becomes Chairman of the Sauer Group’s Advisory Board |
| 2008: | New test stands and paint shop constructed and production facilities modernized in Kiel; test stands, manufacturing and assembly facilities expanded in Zandov; establishment of Elgi Sauer Compressor Ltd. with the Indian company Elgi as minority shareholder (26%); acquisition of long-standing Sauer agency Amrit and renamed Amrit Sauer Compressori srl sales office |
| 2009: | Celebration of the company’s 125th anniversary and inauguration of a new assembly hall |
| 2011: | Establishment of Russian subsidiary Sauer Compressors CIS |
| 2011: | Hendrik Murmann joins the company as CEO |
| 2013: | Establishment of Brazilian subsidiary Sauer do Brasil – Indústria, Comércio e Serviços para Compressores Ltda |
| 2016: | Integration of HAUG Sauer Kompressoren AG, St. Gallen, Switzerland, as centre of excellence for oil-free solutions |
| 2017: | Foundation of Sauer Compressors China Ltd. |
| 2019: | 135th company anniversary |