History

Blässinger – an eventful history

2016 - 2021

2021: Opening of sales office in Wilhelmshaven

  • Takeover of Paul Willms Industriegroßhandel GmbH on 01.01.2021 as a company of the BLÄSSINGER GROUP.
  • Merger with Josef Blässinger GmbH + Co. KG as of 01.04.2021
  • All information at a glance here.

2020: Opening of the first sales office

  • A new sales office will open in Rostock on 1 July 2020.
  • You can find all the information at a glance here.

2019: Acquisition of WLA Schmiertechnik u. Hydraulik GmbH

  • As of 01.07.2019, the BLÄSSINGER GROUP has expanded with the company WLA Schmiertechnik u. Hydraulik GmbH.
  • You can find all information at a glance here.
2010 – 2015

2015: 85th anniversary of the company

Josef Blässinger GmbH + Co KG celebrates its 85th anniversary. 85 YEARS OF BLÄSSINGER – 85 YEARS OF MOTION. EXPERIENCE. INNOVATION.

2014:

The Blässinger Group continues to grow with the acquisition of René Baer AG and now also has a presence in Switzerland. French and Italian are added alongside German as business languages.

2013:

Hans-Peter Blässinger retires from the management on 1 January and is succeeded by his son Till Blässinger; the third generation to run the family business.

2012:

Josef Blässinger GmbH + Co KG now has approximately 135 employees. Its product portfolio includes roller bearings, miniature bearings, seals, industrial adhesives, lubricants, power transmissions, linear technology, machine tools, components, lubrication systems, spindles and special bearings as well as wide-ranging product-related services.

2010:

Blässinger Engineering Service + Technologie (BEST) successfully introduces an environmental management system compliant with ISO 14001:2004.

2005 – 2009

2009: BWT special bearings

Within BEST, the special bearings and mechanical assemblies division, provisionally titled BWT (Blässinger Wälzlager Technik) is launched.

2009: Establishment of Blässinger GmbH in Austria

Sales activities with an independent field representative in Austria spawn the foundation of Blässinger GmbH in Liezen, making it the first foreign branch of Blässinger. Commissioning of a new automatic small parts warehouse.

2008:

Establishment of the Product Management organisational unit. Opening of a new 1,000 m² warehouse for additional storage space. First in-house assembly of linear technology and power transmission starts.

2007: Minority stake in SPL Spindel und Präzisionslager GmbH

With a strategic partnership in mind, BEST acquires a minority stake in spindle manufacturer SPL GmbH, from Ebersbach near Döbeln in Saxony.

2005: Establishment of the Blässinger Engineering Service + Technologie GmbH (BEST) subsidiary,

which deals with products and services relating to machine tools.

2000 – 2004

2004: Takeover of Carl Siebert GmbH & Co. KG

Blässinger Wälzlagertechnik GmbH acquires the roller bearing and linear technology operations of Carl Siebert GmbH & Co. KG, which is subsequently integrated into Josef Blässinger GmbH + Co. KG.

2002:

The 100th employee is hired. Till Blässinger joins the company as an authorised signatory.

2001: The Essen branch moves to Bochum

Blässinger acquires the Neuhaus company and together with the Essen office, they move to Bochum to establish the Bochum branch. Blässinger launches its own VBB brand of roller bearings.

1990 – 1999

1999:

Blässinger acquires the SKF distributor Schaumlöffel in Hamburg; establishing the Hamburg branch.

1997:

The Essen branch (now Bochum) opens.

1996:

A comprehensive quality management system is introduced.

1990: Blässinger opens a branch in Jena

Blässinger is the first roller bearing distributor to open a branch in East Germany; located in Jena.

1960 – 1989

1986:

Opening of the Freiburg branch.

1980: Josef, the father, steps down and hands over management of the business to his son, Hans-Peter

Blässinger now has 50 employees. To mark the anniversary, the company produces its own record, featuring hits spanning five decades.

1969: The new head office in Kemnat opens

The company moves to the newly built head office in Ostfildern-Kemnat, near Stuttgart airport.

1967:

Hans-Peter Blässinger starts working for his father's company after completing an engineering degree.

1960: The former broadcasting room of the Süddeutscher Rundfunk is used as an interim storage facility.

In the early 1960s, the company is forced to resort to interim storage as the premises on Kernerstraße in Stuttgart were bursting at the seams, so the former broadcasting room of the Süddeutscher Rundfunk broadcaster is used as a warehouse.

1930 – 1959

1950:

The product range is expanded to include miniature ball bearings, a crucial business development for the company.

1949:

Opening of the first branch in Heilbronn.

1945: The materials warehouse moves to Schwaigern

Towards the end of the Second World War, the material warehouse is relocated to Schwaigern, where the entrance lobby of a Methodist church houses the valuable stock. Disguised as a preacher, Josef Blässinger is able to prevent the Americans from discovering and confiscating his stock.

1930: Josef Blässinger founds the company in Stuttgart-West

The office representing the Swiss company SRO from Zurich forms the basis for offering a range of roller bearings, which are initially distributed by bicycle and backpack. Lack of space forces Blässinger to move to Hauptstätter Str. just a year later.