Berner Torantriebe celebrates 60-year anniversary | 'We are pioneers and trendsetters'

In 2020, Berner Torantriebe KG will celebrate its 60th anniversary. The Rottenburg am Neckar-based company profiles itself as one of the market leaders in the development and production of door drives. As a result of continued growth, Berner will expand again at its Rottenburg headquarters in the anniversary year. The new 2,500 m2 building will house a production and warehouse hall, a training center and a showroom.

The need for new production and warehouse halls and office space is the result of the company's continued growth. Approximately 1,500 of the newly built 2,500 m² are an expansion of the existing production and storage hall. The remaining 1,000 m² are spread over additional office space and a newly created and fully equipped training center. There, Berner plans to support its specialized trade partners in the future with know-how and its product portfolio.

“With its modern glass facade, the training center is particularly inviting and representative and at the same time fits harmoniously into the existing building complex,” believes Berner's managing director Frank Kiefer. After the foundation stone is laid in May 2019, the new rooms will actually be occupied in spring 2020. The expansion will be officially opened during the 60th anniversary celebration on Sept. 19 of this year.

Founding

It all started in 1960 when Kurt Berner (1934-2019) founded the company Kurt Berner Apparatebau in Ammerbuch-Altingen, a supplier for the metal industry. At that time, Kurt Berner was still working alone and on his own. He then began producing machine modules in the late 1960s. He focused mainly on the production of special machines. He also started producing limit switches and controls for sliding doors.

In the mid-1970s, as its dependence as a supplier became increasingly noticeable, Berner decided to develop and manufacture its own products. This resulted in the first Berner garage door operator in 1974. In the years that followed, Berner specialized more and more in door drives and has since filed patents for more than ten innovations. One of the innovations invented by Kurt Berner was the C-rail, which ensures stable guidance of chain, timing belt or ball belt. The C-rail is still an important part of all of Berner's drive rails today. The heart of the company, however, are the garage door drives. Since the BA series - the first series of drives released in 1975 that started it all - they have become quieter, smaller, more powerful, safer and more energy-efficient with each further development. With the provisional highlight being the current GA series, including radio accessories. “In this field, Berner has always been a pioneer and to this day a trendsetter,” said Managing Director Kiefer. “At the official opening in September 2020, Berner will therefore present a new model!”

On September 19, 2020, Berner Torantriebe KG will open the expansion of its facility in Rottenburg am Neckar. In addition to the existing complex (pictured right), new production and warehouse halls, offices, a training center and a showroom will be added.

In addition, Berner also presents itself as a specialist in swing and sliding gate operators, barriers and parking lot barriers. As a product of the future, Berner has also been developing system doors since 2017 under the brand name Supeero. These are self-supporting sliding gates with variable door panels, which can also be frameless as floating glass. “Berner and Supeero meet individual customer requirements with practical solutions for all conditions,” said Kiefer. “First-class quality and reliability define the wide product range, which is produced entirely in Rottenburg.”

Twice the meters, twice the people

Berner has been based in Rottenburg since 1987. Here Kurt Berner first produced on his own production lines with 25 employees. The first expansion of the then 800 m2 building by another 800 m2 took place in 1991. A year later the company was renamed Berner Torantriebe GmbH and in 2009 it became Berner Torantriebe KG. In 2011, the Rottenburg site was further expanded by another 1,000 m2 to 2,600 m2. At 2,500 m2, the new building that will be completed in a few months is thus almost as large as the existing building. The near-doubling of the floor space is partly necessary to accommodate the growth of the workforce. Berner now has more than 50 employees, a doubling since 1987.

Sixty years ago, Kurt Berner - pictured at work with a drilling rig - founded his company Kurt Berner Apparatebau. It was renamed Berner Torantriebe GmbH in 1992, later KG.

Kurt Berner placed the management of Berner Torantriebe KG in the hands of the Hörmann Group in 2003, but the company has continued to operate independently and autonomously. Frank Kiefer has been managing director of Berner and responsible for the company since 2012. “Sixty years is a long time in which Berner has not only experienced healthy growth, but has also made its mark on the industry and the market,” Kiefer said on the occasion of the anniversary. “We look forward to celebrating it together with our customers in our new premises in September 2020. After all, our customers are the inspiration for us to continue on our successful path in the coming decades.”