History
More than 30 years of engineering and technology
What began in 1992 as a company specializing in custom-built systems has evolved over more than three decades into an internationally operating group of companies. Each new stage of development builds on the expertise, know-how and resources established along the way.
With the founding of BF Maschinen GmbH, Thomas Breuer Sr. laid the foundation for today’s group of companies.
BF Maschinen develops and manufactures customized special-purpose machinery, with a particular specialization in plastic welding systems, building up an exceptionally high level of in-house manufacturing and engineering expertise over the years. In addition to welding, milling, turning, painting, control cabinet construction, and assembly, dedicated departments for CAD design, electrical engineering, and software development were established.
This enabled BF Maschinen to combine design, engineering, manufacturing, and automation under one roof. Over many years, this created extensive technical expertise and an industrial infrastructure that would later become the essential foundation for the development of BF Engineering.
The company’s first patent was granted for a servo-motor-driven welding unit for plastics.
Even at this early stage, the company demonstrated its ambition not only to implement technical solutions, but also to develop its own technologies and innovations.
With the establishment of BF Consulting GmbH, the group expanded its expertise to include technical planning, consulting, and project development.
This enabled BF to increasingly support demanding projects from the initial concept through to industrial implementation.
BF Maschinen was recognized as one of the “Best 50 Companies in Bavaria” – an important milestone in the development of the family-owned company.
Building on the existing structures, BF Engineering GmbH was founded with a clear specialization in lighting technology systems.
During its initial development phase, BFE was able to directly utilize the established resources and expertise of BF Maschinen: CAD designers, electrical engineers, and software specialists, as well as production facilities, welding, painting, control cabinet construction, and assembly capabilities, were available from the very beginning.
This combination of engineering expertise and in-house manufacturing enabled BFE to grow exceptionally quickly. As the company expanded, it gradually established its own structures and capabilities, ultimately developing into an independent specialist for lighting technology systems.
The BF Group continued to grow and increasingly implemented demanding projects for internationally leading companies and organizations – including NASA, Audi, BMW, LG, and Toyota.
The combination of engineering expertise, in-house manufacturing, and many years of technical know-how enabled the realization of complex customized solutions for a wide range of industrial applications.
At the same time, the BF Group employed more than 100 people for the first time, marking another important milestone in its development.
BF Engineering was recognized as one of the 500 fastest-growing companies in Germany.
Only a few years after its foundation, BFE had already developed into an established technology company.
With the establishment of international subsidiaries, the BF Group further accelerated its international expansion.
The companies increasingly supported customers and projects worldwide while continuously expanding their international presence.
Thomas Breuer Sr. gradually transferred responsibility for the BF companies to his sons. This marked the beginning of the next generation of the family business – with an increased focus on internationalization, growth, research, and new technologies.
At the same time, the entrepreneurial core remained unchanged: long-term thinking, technological substance, and personal responsibility.
“Technology is not created in the laboratory alone – it emerges where people take responsibility and turn ideas into reality. From the very beginning, our ambition has been to develop sustainable solutions: systems that operate reliably and technologies designed to endure. Seeing my sons continue this journey and lead the group into a new generation of innovation fills me with particular pride. Because progress requires continuity – and the courage to actively shape it.”
Thomas Breuer Sr. – Founder
With the acquisition of Hönle AG’s solar simulation division, BF Engineering reached one of the most significant milestones in its history.
Decades of expertise in professional solar simulation were combined with BFE’s existing competence in lighting technology systems.
This significantly expanded the portfolio to include advanced solar simulation, UV, VIS, and IR systems for demanding applications in industry and research.
With the establishment of BF Tech Group GmbH, a common strategic structure was created for the various BF companies, laying the foundation for the group’s next phase of development.
The expertise built up over decades is now brought together under one common umbrella. Specialized knowledge from engineering, lighting technology, electrical engineering, software, manufacturing, and research can therefore be combined in a targeted manner – particularly where technological developments require an exceptionally high degree of interdisciplinary expertise.
With the establishment of BF Plasma GmbH, the next stage of technological development begins. The focus is on the research and development of highly complex plasma light sources.
For the first time, the BF Group is deliberately taking the step beyond its historically established niche markets. New technologies are intended to provide access to larger, internationally scalable market segments, while simultaneously benefiting from the technological capabilities of the entire group.
The foundation for this is more than three decades of engineering experience and the ability to strategically combine highly specialized expertise from different disciplines within the group. This creates the basis for advancing even exceptionally demanding technological developments from research through to industrial application.
What began in 1992 with the courage to solve demanding technical challenges independently now forms the foundation for our next ambition: developing technologies that make the markets of tomorrow possible.
