History

Gebhard Balluff founded his mechanical repair shop for bicycles, motorcycles and sewing machines in Neuhausen which then developed into a business for precision, turned and milled parts.

Gebhard Balluff turned the business management over to his son-in-law Eduard Hermle.

Balluff becomes a factory for precision mechanical products and produces, among other items. DIN L 85 turnbuckles as well as spring winders.

Balluff brings the Spaetzle press into its production line.

Balluff produces rocker arms, stub axles, shift levers and engine parts for the automotive industry.

Development and entry into the sensor field: production of the BNS cam switch.

Beginning of production for BES inductive proximity switches: The first non-contact sensor is a great advance in control technology for mechanical engineering and makes Balluff one of the world market leaders.

Creation of the first international subsidiary, Balluff Austria in Vienna – the first step towards expansion of the international distribution network.

New factory built in Neuhausen on the Filder: Modern, spacious buildings created for development, production and management.

Beginning of production for BOS optoelectronic sensors: Balluff sensors can now detect objects even at greater distances and made of materials other than metal.

Brothers Klaus and Rolf Hermle assumed leadership as the third generation of the family-owned company. Until the death of Klaus in 1987, the brothers worked together to grow the company internationally and expand the product portfolio.

Creation of the subsidiary Nihon Balluff Japan as the first branch in Asia for local production and sales.

Creation of presences in North America and Brazil for better on-site customer support and strategic marketing.

Beginning of production for BIS industrial RFID systems: The identification systems are a combination of data carrier, read/write head and processor unit.

Beginning of production for BTL linear position sensor: The first non-contact and wear-free measuring of linear motion from Balluff. The starting point for today's comprehensive distance measuring portfolio.

Beginning of production for BMF magnetic-field sensors: Expansion of expertise in the field of magnetic field-sensing systems.

Beginning of production for Trans-sonar displacement sensors: A further development of the BTL Micropulse displacement sensor.

Creation of Balluff Electronika KFT in Hungary. The global production network grows.

The 75th Anniversary of Balluff

Balluff opens a new logistics center and a modernized manufacturing facility in Neuhausen. Beginning of production for BES Super Shorties: Expansion of expertise in the field of mini-sensor systems.

Beginning of production for BIL/BIP magneto-inductive displacement sensors and BML magnetically encoded displacement and angle-measurement systems: Expansion of the displacement measuring portfolio with high-precision measuring principles.

Vertical expansion of the product portfolio with IO-Link industrial networking and connectivity: Balluff further develops into a systems and solutions provider. Accessories develops into a division with robust sales.

With the new production facility in China, Balluff further expands its market position in Asia focusing on China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

Generational change: Rolf Hermle hands the business management over to his children Katrin Stegmaier-Hermle and Florian Hermle and to technical business manager Michael Unger.

Beginning of production for BNI SmartLights: Balluff expands its expertise into intelligent tower lights for machine status and process monitoring.

Integration of Balluff STM into the Balluff Group. Expansion of expertise in the field of specialized optosensors and miniaturized optical sensor systems.

Our own sales organization in Australia and New Zealand. With its comprehensive portfolio, Balluff has developed into a pacesetter for Industry 4.0.

Creation of new subsidiaries in Turkey, Korea and Thailand.

Evolution of the brand brand image. The company slogan is changed from "sensors worldwide" to "innovating automation"

Balluff further expands its digitalization know-how with two acquisitions: The Stuttgart-based software company iss innovative software services GmbH (iss) and the machine vision pioneer Matrix Vision GmbH (MV) in Oppenweiler near Backnang become part of the Balluff group.

Managing Director Michael Unger joins the Advisory Board. His successor is Frank Nonnenmann. With his many years of experience in supply chain management for global industrial companies, he is from now on responsible for the Supply Chain and Machine & Plant Engineering divisions. Katrin Stegmaier-Hermle becomes spokeswoman for the management board.