TOGETHER TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY
From a local company to the world’s leading manufacturer of steel strip and strip processing lines: the Berndorfer Metallwarenfabrik, founded in 1843, started in 1923 with the first production of a copper foil casting strip . 100 years later, the Berndorf Band Group is the world market leader and hidden champion in the production of steel strip and strip processing lines, with sales of around 135 million euros (2021). The group now consists of the parent company Berndorf Band and eight subsidiaries with around 500 employees worldwide in Asia, Europe, North and South America. “Since its birth, the Berndorf Band Group has proven its worth and developed into an international and very profitable company. This has only been possible thanks to our employees. Together, we will master the challenges ahead,” said Alexander Leutner and Gernot Binder, CEOs of the Austria site.
But what exactly does this development over the last 100 years look like? After the withdrawal of the Russian army from Austria in 1955 and the nationalization of the former German industrial property, which includes both Ranshofen and Berndorf, the Berndorf plant is established as a branch plant of the state-owned Vereinigte Metallwerke Ranshofen-Berndorf AG, VMW, from 1957. Film strip production is thus transferred back to Berndorf.
The beginnings: production of steel strips
In 1960, Berndorf begins producing steel belts with a highly polished stainless steel surface, called NICRO, for the film and foil industry. Krupp had already protected this brand name internationally a few decades earlier for Berndorf stainless cutlery made of the steel grade chrome-nickel 18/8.
In 1965, the revolutionary Berndorf Band Group longitudinal welding technology is developed, a special process that enables the longitudinal welding of long steel strips up to a width of around three meters. Just five years later, process belts for the chemical and food industries are also produced.
In 1976, an agency for steel belts is integrated in the USA, “International Conveyor Belts (ICB)” (today: Berndorf Belt Technology) adds the production of belting systems to its product portfolio. The first steel belt for double belt presses used in the wood processing industry is also produced – a pioneering achievement!
In 1980, a joint venture is established in Japan under the name “Nippon Belting Co. Ltd.” with offices in Tokyo and Osaka. Eight years later, the nationalized industry in Berndorf comes to an end: in 1988, the entire company becomes a privately owned enterprise via a management buy-out, including subsequent employee shareholding. Berndorf Band GmbH and Berndorf Sondermaschinenbau GmbH are founded.
One employee who has been with the company since 1986 is Roland Schuster: “I saw an advertisement from the Berndorf Band Group for my job after I left the army and applied, and the years have flown by.” Â
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CHANGES FOR A STEADY GROWTH
Roland Schuster is the department manager for belt production, which includes belt manufacturing, maintenance and mechanical engineering, as well as quality assurance, production planning and process technology. “Over the years, an extremely large number of things have changed,” Roland Schuster knows. “At the beginning of my career, for example, there were four to five employees working on one machine in the workshop – today, this often requires only one person. The technical processes have been automated and are electronically supported.”
In 1990, a branch is also established in South Korea, the subsidiary “Berndorf Steel Belt Systems Ltd.” based in Incheon, and two years later the first PI Casters casting machine is delivered and launched in China.
However, the technical processes are continuously developed: In 1999, the first Berndorf PMMA casting plant for the continuous production of acrylic sheets is delivered, one year later the production of the first structured belt for the continuous production of laminates for the building and furniture industry,building and furniture industry starts as a result of the merchandising with HUECK.
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fast production, high quality
“There are still installations today that were there before,” Roland Schuster smiles as he recalls. “Not in this form, but in a modified way. Simply put, the machines have been modernized several times: they produce faster, cheaper and with higher quality. The production speed of the machines has also increased significantly: in the past, it took us about a week to produce a typical oven band, but today it takes a day. Wooden belts used to take about a month to produce; now they are finished in a week.”
The growth of the successful company continues steadily: In 2002, a subsidiary is also founded in China under the name “Beijing Berndorf Technology Development China” with headquarters in Beijing. Two years later, another technological revolution follows: the design and development of the first film casting machine for the production of optical films and foils for the LCD industry. In 2006, a new grinding machine is developed.
In 2008, Berndorf Band Engineering GmbH is founded in Austria to build up the business with external belting systems, and just one year later a belt control reel is developed. 2012 sees the delivery of the first filter membrane casting system for the production of materials for the life science sector, as well as the delivery of the first modular double belt press. Furthermore, Berndorf Band Latinoamérica S.A.S. is established.
A few years later, in 2016, assets for the laminate industry belts are acquired from Sandvik Surface Solutions, also the first modular double belt press is started up in the R&D Center Berndorf – and delivered to an end customer in the same year. On target in its steady growth, the Group establishes itself as a process equipment supplier on the global market with the expansion of its portfolio and continues on its course as a full-range supplier of steel belts, belting systems and worldwide service. The establishment of a pilot plant in Berndorf (AT) for product testing opens a new chapter in the history of the Berndorf Band Group.
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strong growth for a strong company
“The Berndorf Band Group has grown a lot in recent years,” says Roland Schuster, who has already seen quite a bit of technological change and innovation in his years of employment. “However, the number of production employees:inside has not actually increased: they are producing more in less time. Not only has output increased significantly, but so has the variety of products and the precision required. There are certainly more machines today than in the past, and production lines for several new products have been added .”
In 2017, the first modular double belt press will be delivered to an end customer: At the beginning of 2016, the first modular double-belt press will be commissioned at the R&D Center in Berndorf. Protective films for polished steel belts are also developed to prevent damage to the steel belts during transport or storage. The new foils now leave no residue.
In the following year, the Group establishes itself on the global market by expanding its portfolio as a process equipment supplier and continues on its course as a complete system provider for steel belts, strip processing lines and worldwide service.
The construction of a pilot plant in Berndorf Austria for product tests has made it possible to produce various films and foils as well as sintered products. Due to the binding system, even processing of polymers up to 400 °C is now possible without any problems!
In 2019, a new texture will be developed: Algonkin Hickory. A belt with 250 µm depth structure is produced for the laminate industry. In 2021, Berndorf Band Group will produce the longest steel belt for the wood processing industry, and the following year, an R&D center with process equipment for conducting customer product tests will be built.
“In the future, we want to be even more responsive to the needs of our customers Kund:innen and act flexibly, innovatively and quickly,” say Alexander Leutner and Gernot Binder, who are already looking forward to upcoming chapters in the Berndorf Band Group history. “Together, we develop sustainable processes and innovative overall solutions. For the success of the Berndorf Group and for our customers. We are looking forward to this exciting journey.”
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winning together: mastering challenges together
But where will this journey take the Berndorf Band Gruppoupe in the coming years? “We have already experienced many industries in production that no longer exist – for example, analog photography in the film industry. If we manage to support modern processes around the world with our products and be indispensable, then I look to the future with curiosity and confidence,” also says Roland Schuster, who sees many opportunities in the industry.
New goals, exciting challenges and strong cooperation: the Berndorf Band Group will continue to grow in the coming years with fresh challenges, creative ideas and constant innovations: “Our motto for the coming years is ‘Winning Together!'” say Gernot Binder and Alexander Leutner. “Together with our global employees, we will master the challenges ahead.”
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO to discover more about Berndorf Band Group’s history
