BJB – SINCE 1867.
From the incandescent light bulb to the LED – BJB has been there from the very start.
Tradition and innovation – since 1867.
An eventful history full of challenges and innovations has defined the BJB company. Here, we give you a brief look at the exciting history of a company from the Sauerland which became the global market leader.
Man uses fire as a source of light and heat.
BJB is founded. From a manufacturer of petroleum lamps to supplier of accessories.
BJB was founded by Friedrich Wilhelm Brökelmann, Franz Jäger and Gustav Busse in Arnsberg (Westphalia). BJB has been producing technology for light since 1867. Yet, it wasn't always light in the way we understand it today. It was generated by burning petroleum gas. Although it had long been known in the form of oil lamps, the petroleum lamp did not enjoy wider distribution until the gas cylinder and the round wick were invented. The technical details of this kind of lamp were already very complex back then. The best of their kind already achieved the brightness of a 50-watt incandescent light bulb. And BJB built the accessories; the Kosmos and round wick burners being the best known of them all.
After a start-up phase in which complete petroleum lamps were manufactured, the company began to focus on accessory parts. This was an early and atypical vision of a role as an external supplier. "A focus on core expertise", as one would say nowadays. And it was this which paved the way for BJB's to become the global market leader it is today in the first place.
Thomas Edison invents the incandescent light bulb.
All of Germany has electric light.
With the spread of electricity, a new era began. The technical revolution also brought about internal changes. Parallel to the production of petroleum lamp accessories, BJB gradually developed the electric "bridge to light" – originally a lamp holder, later, as part of standardisation, the appropriate sockets.
It began with products for incandescent lamps, later for fluorescent lamps, halogen lamps and discharge lamps. The market was developing rapidly with BJB as the pacemaker when it came to quality and innovation. The "bridges to light" were distributed across all continents. BJB became the global market leader.
The next technical revolution: LED.
The first red light emitting diode hit the market in 1962 – it marked the birth of industrially manufactured LEDs. However, it was to be approximately another 40 years before they would be widespread on the market.
Household appliances with lighting from BJB.
In 1983, BJB started with the development and production of lighting solutions for household appliances. The first focus was on ovens which, with their extreme ambient conditions, make high demands on the lighting in the oven chamber when it comes to quality. This is where BJB's knowledge of material and technology really came into its own, allowing the range to be expanded to include additional large kitchen appliances.
Nowadays, there are predominantly LED-based lighting solutions for microwaves, refrigerators, extractor hoods, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers, and LED lighting solutions with complex thermal management systems are being used in ovens today.
The best possible light and a timeless functional design are what make BJB products for household appliance lighting stand out. This is another reason why BJB is the global market leader in lighting for household appliances.
BJB Automation – the continuation of the industrial revolution.
BJB Automation is ultimately another pillar of business which arose from the construction of a wiring robot. In this case, like in so many others, BJB reacted to a customer requirement and developed the appropriate solution. Repeated tasks which are required for assembly of a lamp, can be performed simpler quicker and in better quality with the help of the robots and the appropriate tools.
At BJB, automatic wiring of standard components, AWS for short, thus became the starting point for further automation solutions for lamp and appliance production. Assembly, wiring and inspection are core activities for which BJB supplies both standardised series and customised systems from the company's own mechanical engineering department.
The LED is ready for the mass market.
At the turn of the millennium, the LED was also on the brink of a major technical revolution on the mass market. Thanks to its different designs and relatively low heat emissions, LED lights enable completely new concepts and designs in illumination. Once again, the markets had to rethink, and the same also applied to BJB. New technical solutions were created for connecting and securing printed circuit boards and COB modules. LED modules and accessory kits from BJB allow OEM manufacturers to produce individual lighting solutions from electrical, mechanical and optical components.
Optics.
LEDs have now made inroads into all everyday light applications. However, without lenses with their appropriate optics, the LED semiconductor component cannot emit the light in the best possible way.
BJB once again entered into new technological territory. Based on years of expertise in plastic production, the development and production of plastic optics began. The products successfully established themselves on the market and the constantly growing range, which comprises standard and individual optics and reflectors, now supplies a broad range of applications.
BJB's 150th anniversary.
The entire BJB family celebrated 150 years of "progress made in Arnsberg" together with customers, suppliers, partners and the residents of the town of Arnsberg.
System partner for outdoor light manufacturers.
Street lighting has been around since the very first years of industrial use of light. However, this type of technology is now on the brink of another revolution: digitisation to smart cities.
BJB has also been and continues to be on hand in this process as a system partner for the outdoor lighting industry, equipped with a diverse range of terminals, optics, fastening elements and sensor interfaces, paving the way to the smart digital outdoor light.
Ready for the future and new challenges.
Nowadays, we are the innovation partner for lighting applications. State-of-the-art technology in component development and production and in the field of household appliance lighting is what defines the situation at BJB in the 21st century.
Let us develop the light of the future together.