40 years of bwh Koffer: a story of innovation and pioneering spirit
In April 1983, when Karl-Heinz Wriedt founded bwh Spezialkoffer GmbH together with Hans Hülso and Karl-August Beyer, he probably had no idea of the success story he was setting in motion. Originally, the three had met in the Bevergern company “Segger”, which went bankrupt in the early 80s. The idea of standing on their own two feet and founding bwh Koffer soon arose.
The three entrepreneurs had a clear vision: they wanted to expand the area of customized cases for industry and open up new markets by developing new products. The core of the idea was – and still is – to offer tailor-made cases and thus develop individual solutions according to customer requirements. Today, 40 years later, it can be said that this goal has been more than achieved.
“There is only one reason why we are one of the global industry leaders in the manufacture of special cases. And that is: We find a suitable solution for every customer requirement. In 40 years of bwh history, we have often become a trendsetter. And that is thanks to all our employees, for which I am very grateful to this day. There was never a “can’t do” for us.”
Karl-Heinz Wriedt, Owner and founder of bwh Koffer
The rocky road of the early years and the breakthrough
The road to success was not always easy. In the early years there were typical initial problems: the order situation was not very good, the new developments in the field of aluminum cases were not yet ready, there was even short-time work for a few months. But then came the breakthrough: Cases for video cameras got the ball rolling.
Grundig was a well-known manufacturer of VHS video cameras in the mid-1980s. The cameras were to be packed in deep-drawn plastic cases with foam inside. Although there were initially some technical problems to be solved in the manufacture of the cases, thanks to persistent and sometimes night-long development work, the perfect case solution was offered: Grundig ordered 5,000 cases in the very first step.
bwh Koffer gradually expanded the segment strongly and became one of the most important suppliers of video camera cases in Germany. All well-known manufacturers of the time ordered their cases for video cameras from bwh: Philips, Blaupunkt, Nordmende, Saba, Telefunken and of course Grundig.
The path to becoming the leading manufacturer of special cases
But bwh did not rest on its laurels. It was recognized early on that the video camera case sector alone would not be enough to ensure the company’s further growth. Parallel to this, the company worked on developing new products in order to open up the special case market in the industry. Gradually, more and more product series were created in the aluminum case sector. The deep-drawing technology was expanded and enabled the in-house production of individual plastic cases. A sales department was established to open up new markets. Over the years, further case types were developed under the leadership of Karl-Heinz Wriedt, for which there are various patents, utility models and registered designs.
Technical innovation and product development
From the beginning, bwh Koffer not only focused on the development of new products, but also on the continuous improvement of production processes. Thus, CNC-controlled drilling and milling machines were used for the first time as early as 1992. In 1997 bwh Koffer was certified according to DIN ISO 9001 for the first time. In 2007, the company received its own waterjet cutting machine and was immediately able to produce foam inserts in-house. In 2012, bwh expanded at its Bevergern site and added a new production hall specifically for foam manufacturing. Today, the company’s own test laboratory is also housed here, where the special cases can be put through their paces.
Further milestones in 40 years of bwh history
In 40 years of company history, there are several milestones that were decisive for the further development of bwh Koffer. For example, co-founder Hans Hülso left the company in 1997 and went into well-deserved retirement. In the same year, Karl-Heinz Wriedt and Karl-August Beyer founded the company “B&W International”, paving the way for an extended workbench in China, among other things. Already in 2003 the online store www.koffermarkt.com was founded and today offers its customers not only the cases manufactured by bwh, but also travel cases and trolleys. In 2009, Karl-Heinz Wriedt became the sole owner and managing director of bwh Spezialkoffer GmbH, whereas Karl Beyer now devoted himself entirely to B&W International.
Challenges of the current time
In recent years, one term has moved further and further into the company’s focus: sustainability. The resource-saving production of the products is very close to bwh Koffer’s heart. Recycled materials are increasingly used. In addition, production waste and cases that have reached the end of the product life cycle are disassembled, separated by type and sent for recycling. Two photovoltaic systems installed on the roofs of the production halls generate up to 100% of the electricity required in the summer months.
Summary: 40 years have flown by…
„We are one of the leading suppliers of customized cases in the world. This is the merit of our employees in 40 exciting as well as challenging years. Of course, we would also like to thank our customers and long-standing business partners. Together, we will continue to tackle the tasks of the future in the years to come.“
Karl-Heinz Wriedt, Owner and founder of bwh Koffer
