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Aerial view of the Bircher Reglomat headquarters in Beringen

BBC Bircher Smart Access

In Schaffhausen since 1957 

The history of BBC Bircher Smart Access: success made in Switzerland!

Founded in 1957 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, and a small business at the time, Max Bircher specialises in the production of and trade in machinery and small electric PLCs. Shortly afterwards, it starts to design and manufacture its own electromechanical equipment, particularly program generators and electronic time relays. This brings with it considerable success: by 1962, Bircher already has 60 employees.

Historical photo of the production hall in Beringen

Bircher becomes BBC Bircher Smart Access

In 1963, Bircher takes over "Lüthy Druckwellenschalter", whose switching elements for safety and convenience applications provide an incredibly important foundation on which to build today's quality products.

As early as 1964, the company needs to expand its premises for the first time, with the first in-house development department being set up too.

Organisational restructuring takes place in the mid-1960s into the business areas of Plant, Control and Engineering, laying the groundwork for today's BBC Bircher Automation.

In 1975, the individually owned firm Max Bircher becomes a public limited company. By this time, the business is specialising in apparatus manufacture, industrial electronics, process automation and switchgear. Already at this stage, over 250 people work for the company.

In order to advance his plan to make further acquisitions, in 1976, Max Bircher-Moll establishes Bifima Holding AG; just four years later, it has 12 subsidiaries and employs 550 people.

The founder hands over the reins of the company to his son Max Bircher-Büsser in 1989. This is the same year that the business receives its first certification to ISO 9001, which at the time represented a high level of performance.

In 1991, together with three other partners, Giorgio Behr takes over the systems engineering company. From then on, they show the way to a successful future under the motto "BIRCHER POWER".

Just three years later, the time is right to expand these business activities, so Bircher Asia Pacific is founded in Malaysia and Bircher America Inc. in Chicago. These companies focus on serving their local markets by, amongst other things, prefabricating safety edges and contact mats.

Stepping into the future of detector technology
Primarily, Bircher specialises in gate area technology, although it soon notices that door sensors are growing in importance. So Bircher seeks and finds just the right acquisition opportunity: Reglomat, based in Speicher, Switzerland, is taken over in 2000. Reglomat specialises in manufacturing detectors for contact-free switching in the door area, thus providing the perfect complement to Bircher's existing experience and know-how.

Operating from that point on as Bircher Reglomat, the company offers a full range of products and services for convenience and safety applications on doors and gates. Modern products, both tactile and contact-free, are under continuous development.

BBC Bircher Smart Access stands for contact mats, safety edges, infrared sensors and microwave detectors of the very best Swiss quality.

Despite a competitive market with ever larger flows of people and traffic, BBC Bircher Smart Access has managed to gain a foothold at international level. The company will continue to create safe, convenient and energy-saving high-end solutions, just for you.

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