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Open House
May, 4th, 10-17 Uhr
GLOTTERTAL. BEHA, a renowned German family business in the heart of Europe, is proudly celebrating its 50th anniversary. For half a century, BEHA has stood for innovation, quality and global market presence. With subsidiaries in Europe, the USA and Asia as well as a worldwide sales network, the Black Forest-based company has come a long way.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Beha invited visitors to its premises in Glottertal for an open house on May 4th, 2024.
After the official opening by the Beha family, represented by the 2nd generation managing directors Markus and Lars Beha, and words of welcome from Glottertal’ s mayor Karl Josef Herbstritt, there was plenty on offer for visitors and guests.
For the children there was a colorful offer with face painting, self-welded bracelets made of transport profiles and many toys from the Freiburg Spielmobil. Free refreshments including drinks, barbecued sausages and coffee/cake were provided by the youth section of DJK Heuweiler.
The main attraction, the guided company tours lasting just under an hour, was very popular. Here, visitors were guided in groups through the various areas, from the extrusion and fabrication of round and V-belts to HDT’s global measuring device division.
“With around 70 employees and 9 trainees here at the site, it underlines how important the future is to us – not only for our company, but also for Germany as a business location. It was great to see how many young people were interested at the open house in the internships and the various technical and commercial apprenticeships we offer,” says Bernd Beha, second generation and HR manager at the site.
With around 700 visitors and good weather, the open house was a complete success. “Such a great response makes me proud of what we have all built up together here at Beha over the last 50 years. Looking back on the last 50 years, I can only say – it was worth it. The next 50 years can come,” says Bernhard Beha, co-founder and Managing Director of the first generation.
HDT – Hoover Dam Technology
Test and measurement instruments for electricians
The “UNITEST” test instrument division of Beha was founded in the early 1970s and expanded internationally very early on, with its own plants in Ireland and China. As a premium brand for the electrical wholesalers, it became known primarily in the D-A-CH region.
In the 1990s, a second division was established under the name “Ireland Meter Electronics” (IME), to supply the hardware stores’ own brands with OEM products. As a result of increasing international competition due to globalization, the “UNITEST” brand division was sold to the world market leader Fluke in 2003, in order to enable further growth and development for “UNITEST”.
The second business unit working as an OEM / ODM manufacturer of test instruments was gradually build first under “IME” and later under “HDT”. Today the OEM / ODM test instrument business is what the Beha companies operating under „HDT“ are doing quite sucessfully.
BEHAbelt
TPU profiles and conveyor belts for drive and conveyor technology
The „BEHAbelt“ division, which emerged from a research project and a general agency, was a profi t centre within the company in the early years. The company very quickly gained a reputation as a problem solver and innovator. Among other things, specially developed welding equipment, for which patents were successfully filed in the 1990s, contributed to this.
Following the sale of the „UNITEST“ brand business in 2003, the „BEHAbelt“ division was further expanded. In 2005, we developed into a fully integrated brand manufacturer by insourcing our own production.
Internationalisation followed in leaps and bounds, as did the expansion of the portfolio to include conveyor belts and other innovative welding technology products under the heading „smart conveying“.
Nuclear Research Centre in Karlsruhe
Company founder Christian Beha went to the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center after graduating as a technician.
There, in addition to his work in the nuclear power research department, he got a degree in mechanical engineering from the Darmstadt Open University.
It was there that the idea of founding a company arose, which he then realized after returning to his hometown Glottertal.
1973: House on Wissereckstrasse, Glottertal
Establishment of an office and workshop in the Beha family‘s parents‘ house by Christian Beha and his wife Liselotte.
1974
Christian Beha
Company founder
Logo, brand and product
Introduction of the gear logo and the “UNITEST” brand, with the first voltage-proof continuity tester V1X.
Company building
Move into the “old” school building in Föhrental for development and production, Glottertal.
First time the brand BEHAbelt was mentioned
After Hannover Messe Partnership and general agency for the D / A / CH supply of round and V-belts from South Africa.
The partnership with Errol Pullen and the general agency in D / A / CH results from the Hannover Messe. BEHAbelt is now supplying German-speaking Europe with round and V-belts from South Africa.
Research contract from Bonn
“Humanization of work” with the aim of automating dangerous work areas in the local saw mill in
Glottertal “die Gschwandersäge” by the consortium Beha / Gschwander.
1975-1976
Renovation of the ”old” school building
Completion of the two-year renovation work
on the company building in Föhrental.
Extension of working as general agent
1975:Extension of sales activitiesby including the “LubeSite” brand (automated grease feeders).
Exhibitor at the Hannover Messe
1976: Presentation of the first welding technology that was developed in-house at the Hannover Messe.
1977-1982
bernhard beha
Managing Director
1977: The management is strengthened by bringing Bernhard Beha on board (brother of Christian Beha).
Introduction of the UNIWATT brand
1978: The UNIWATT brand stands for various laboratory and power supplies.
Manufacturing plant constructed in Ireland
1982: The first foreign factory for the production of test instruments for electricians is opened in Roundstone / Connemara in Ireland.
Extension of working as general agent
1977: Extension of sales activities by including the “Rotostock” brand, the fastest pipe threading machine system in the world.
Extension of working as general agent
1978: Extension of sales activities to include the “DARMEX” brand of synthetic lubricants.
In-house tool construction
1980: Development and production of our own extrusion tools in the in-house tool shop, production of the profiles on the extended workbench at Pioflex (formerly Lonzatub) in Denzlingen.
Lettering and logo
1981: Introduction of the new BEHAbelt logo with seal.
1990
A logo is born – the birth of Bernie the seal
At the beginning of the 1970s, BEHAbelt profiles began to be sold through distribution. The need for clear product labeling soon arose. However, trade´s concerns about users ordering directly from Beha also had to be taken into account.
This is where the new home of our electronics manufacturing in Ireland came into play – Roundstone. Mistakenly translated by the English as “round stone”, the Gaelic name “Cloch na Rón” actually means “seal rock”. As those little animals are not only likeable but also stand for things like friendliness, openness and adaptability, it was quickly decided.
In 1981, the seal was added to the BEHAbelt logo and Bernie was born.
Strategic partnership in the USA
With Greenlee / Textron an important, strategic partner has been found for the distribution of UNITEST test instruments for the US market.
In order to meet the increased demand from the US market, production capacity had to be significantly increased.
Second plant in Ireland
This is why the second, larger factory for the production of test instruments was built in Carrigaline / Cork, Ireland.
New product category
Introduction of the ridge top V-belt product category.
These are used in the production of ceramic tiles, for example.
1992-1996
New company building in Glottertal
1994: Move from Föhrentalstr. 6 to the building in the new industrial zone “In den Engematten 14” and modification of the BEHA gear logo.
Establishment and expansion of the OEM business
1996: The first production plant for test instruments in the Far East was set up in Zuhai – at that time still as a joint venture.
1996: Ireland Meter Electronics Ltd. was founded in Hong Kong to offer test instruments for the own brands of hardware stores in Germany. This way the second pillar of Beha´s test instrument business was born: the OEM business.
ISO certification
1996: The BEHA group of
companies is certified according to
the DIN EN ISO 9001 standard.
Expansion of product portfolio
1992: Introduction of the product category T-profiles (often used side by side for transport applications in the food processing industry).
Introduction of twin V-belts
1996: Introduction of the product category twin V-belts (often used in so-called spreading applications).
1999-2001
Foundation of HDT Corp. in the US
1999: Foundation of the company HDT (Hoover Dam Technology Corp.) as a branch in the US in order to distribute OEM test instrument devices in the American market.
Patent applications for BEHAbelt
1999: Patent in Germany applied for friction welding machine RS01.
Patent applications for BEHAbelt
2000: Patent in Germany applied for PU glass fiber reinforcement.
Founding of BEHA Innovation GmbH
2001: BEHA Innovation GmbH was founded by the brothers Christian and Bernhard Beha.
The aim was to expand the business with PU round and V-belts and to fully insource the production of the profiles, belts and welding tools.
This made Beha a fully integrated manufacturer in the BEHAbelt product segment.
Extensions of the patents for BEHAbelt
2001: Worldwide patent for friction welding machine RS02.
Extensions of the patents for BEHAbelt
2001: Worldwide patent for PU glass fiber reinforcement.
2002-2005
Founding of Hoover Dam Technology (Asia) Ltd.
2002: HDT Asia Ltd. is founded in Hong Kong to continue and further expand the OEM / ODM business with test instruments started under IME, following the planned sale of the “UNITEST” brand business.
Sale of CH. BEHA GmbH to FLUKE (DANAHER)
2002: The CH. BEHA GmbH is market leader in Germany for test instruments in the electrical wholesale channel, with the brand “UNITEST” and over 300 employees worldwide.
2003: The CH. BEHA GmbH with the focus on “test instruments for electricians” under its brands “UNITEST” / “UNIWATT” is sold to Fluke (part to US based DANAHER Corp.).
HDT Germany was founded
2004: Hoover Dam Technology GmbH is registered. This completes the new company structure for the OEM / ODM test and measurement business.
The purpose of HDT GmbH in Glottertal is sales and development of OEM and ODM test instruments.
Planning the new company building
2003: Start of planning and groundbreaking ceremony for the new companies headquarter “In den Engematten 16” in Glottertal.
New company building
2004: Newly built headquarters of the BEHA Group.
Moved in to new company building
2005: BEHA Innovation GmbH moves in to the new company building with 10 employees.
The first belts are produced on the new extrusion line in January 2005.
2007-2008
Lars Beha
General Manager
2007: Lars Beha (son of Christian Beha) joins the company as addition to the executive board.
Construction of the plant in Dongguan
2008: The new plant for the production of electronic test instruments is opened in Dongguan, China.
Founding of BEHAbelt USA
2007: Founding of BEHAbelt USA Corp. with the aim of selling BEHAbelt products in the USA.
Expanding the portfolio
2008: BEHAbelt offers FDA-certified extruded belts for the food industry.
2009-2011
Markus Beha
General Manager
2009: Markus Beha (son of Bernhard Beha) joins the company as addition to the executive board.
Development of voltage tester
2009: HDT develops and manufactures the world’s first voltage tester according to EN 61243-3:2010.
New strategy and direction for HDT – Hoover Dam Technology
2010: The business strategy for HDT Elektronic is being adjusted. HDT now focuses on three business areas:
· OEM test instruments
· contract manufacturing
· development services
Furthermore, the ODM business for test instruments will be further expanded.
Expansion of the welding technology
2009: BEHAbelt presents its in-house developed hot press with it’s digital controller (developed by HDT).
Strong growth
2010: The number of employees at BEHAbelt in Glottertal has more than doubled to 36 compared to 2005.
2011: With the slogan “Smart conveying”, the company strategy is geared towards innovative solutions for conveyor technology.
The company values “people, quality and innovation” are derived in a workshop and communicated as the essence of the corporate culture.
Christian Beha
2011: On October 12, 2011, company founder Christian Beha died at the age of 69.
2012-2013
Establishment of a
development location for HDT
2012: HDT opens a new development location in Belgrade / Serbia and triples the development team.
Production expansion with calender extrusion line
2012: Commissioning of the calender extrusion line for monolithic conveyor belts up to a width of 750 mm. First belts are beeing manufactured.
Bernd Beha
Authorised representative
2013: Bernd Beha (son of Bernhard Beha) is granted power of attorney.
2014-2015
2014: Anniversary
The BEHA group of companies celebrates its 40th anniversary with 150 employees..
Product innovation
2014: BEHAbelt presents the hand-held paddle welding tool “EErgo” (developed and manufactured by HDT).
Berthold Schlieske
Plant manager
2015: The management of the HDT plant in Dongguan, China, is taken over by
Berthold Schlieske (son of Gertrud Schlieske; née Beha).
Over 500 products
2015: BEHAbelt has extended its product portfolio to more than 500 products divided into 5 product groups:
· Conveyor belts
· Belt profiles
· Coating materials
· Guide profiles
· Welding technology
2016-2019
Complete portfolio
2016: HDT launches a complete portfolio of test instruments for an international customer (development & production, a total of over 20 testers).
Focus on test instruments and extension of the HDT OEM portfolio
2018: Strong focus on electrical test instruments, including our own installation and PAT testers.
World innovation
2016: Introduction of the cordless friction welding machine RS02 AKKU.
New development
2019: Welding tool for monolithic conveyor belts.
2020-2022
New factory building in Serbia
2020: The new production facility in Svilajnac, Serbia, is being completed in spring.
New factory in China
2022: Move in to the new factory in Dongguan, China, in only 8 days. With this new facility the production area is more than doubled.
Relocation and extension of belt fabrication shop
2020: Relocation and extension of belt fabricaton shop in Glottertal with now 700 square meters floor size.
World novelty
2021: Slip-free AT5 conveyor belts for positive drive applications.
2023
Birth of CleanTech portfolio
Launch of an extensive CleanTech portfolio with a wide range of EV testers and a solar multifunction tester.
Extension of the management team
Strengthening of the management team lead by Holger Emberger, HDT`s long-standing managing director. (with the company since 2010).
Move of BEHAbelt USA
BEHAbelt USA moved into its own warehouse, office and service building on Bonnie Lane near Chicago Airport.
Extension of production and belt fabrication shopg
Extension of production with new extruders and a new drying system. Also additional machines for the belt fabrication shop to work with monolithic conveyor belts.
2024
Anniversary
The BEHA group of companies celebrates to have reached the “half century”.
Redesign seal logo
For the 50th anniversary, the seal logo is being graphically renewed.