BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik

BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG
Public ISIN: DE0005196232
Industry Automobile manufacturing
Founded 1970; 48 years ago
Headquarters

Schiltach, Germany (Global)

Braselton, Georgia (United States)
Key people
 Heinz Bartosch(Germany), Tobias Schleicher(Germany),Craig Donnelly(USA), Kenny Baynes(USA) Jesse Hemans(USA)
Products alloy wheels
Revenue 163 Mio. Euro (2006)
Number of employees
 1,200
Website http://www.bbs.com
BBS wheels on a Porsche 911 GT3 Coupe.

BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG (English: BBS Automotive Technology AG) is a high-performance automobile wheel design company headquartered in Schiltach, Germany. BBS serves North America through BBS of America, located in Braselton, Georgia, adjacent to the Road Atlanta Racetrack. BBS produces wheels for motorsport, OEM, and aftermarket applications.

The company employs approximately 1,200 employees worldwide (2018).[1] BBS trades on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Symbol: BKS3) with a market capitalization of €8.15M[2]

History

BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG began in 1970 in Schiltach, Germany, by Heinrich Baumgartner and Klaus Brand as a manufacturing plant for plastic auto body parts. The initials BBS are based on the last names of the two founders and the city in which the company was founded (Baumgartner, Brand, Schiltach).[3]

In 2007 BBS went bankrupt and was taken over by the Belgian firm Punch International.[4] As of July 1st 2015, Nice Corp (South Korea) became the majority owner.[5]

Technology

In 1972 BBS pioneered the development of a three-piece racing wheel, a revolution in motorsport design.[3] Most recently BBS has engineered the Air Inside Technology (AIT) where hollow chambers are created within the wheel structure to compensate for the small air volume in modern ultra-low-profile tyres, reduce unsprung weight, improve handling dynamics, and increase fuel efficiency without sacrificing strength and rigidity. This innovation earned BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik the Automechanika Innovation Award 2006 in the tuning segment.[6] BBS entered into a technical cooperation agreement in 1990 with ASA, a Korean company that was starting wheel production.[7]

OEM applications

Japanese company "Washibeam Co., Ltd" manufactures the BBS F1 Magnesium wheel and All racing Aluminum wheels.[8] Since BBS is a customer of Washibeam, manufacture of the wheel will not be discontinued if BBS goes bankrupt.[9]

BBS has and continues to supply OEM wheel applications to a number of automobile brands. In street vehicles, their products can be seen on brands such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Mitsubishi, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Infiniti, Renault, Saab, Subaru, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Volvo. Lexus began using BBS wheels on its IS-F when launched in 2008, updating the design for the 2010 model year and again for 2012.

BBS forged aluminium cross-spoke wheel from a 1992 Mazda MX-5

The cross-spoke design (pictured), which superficially resembles a wire wheel and was common on sports cars produced from the 1980s to the early 1990s. This design is light in weight compared to many other styles of the time. One of the most popular BBS produced wheels was the three-piece RS released in 1977, which became a popular aftermarket wheel and was often replicated by other manufacturers. Another popular and commonly replicated wheel design is the RG, the company's first wheel produced.

The company also supplies motorsports applications and is also the largest supplier of wheels for Indy Racing League Series and the main supplier of Formula One teams.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG, BKS3:FRA profile - FT.com". markets.ft.com. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
  2. ↑ Yahoo! Finance UK. Retrieved on 2007-03-08
  3. 1 2 3 BBS Homepage. Retrieved on 2007-03-08
  4. ↑ "Punch takes over leading wheel manufacturer BBS". punchinternational.com. 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  5. ↑ http://www.vwvortex.com/aftermarket-and-industry-news/nice-holdings-co-becomes-majority-shareholder-of-bbs-gmbh/
  6. ↑ Automechanika Innovation Awards August 16, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-03-08
  7. ↑ http://www.asaalloywheel.com/company/overview.html
  8. ↑ Washibeam manufacturing BBS wheels
  9. ↑ BBS is an exclusive customer for Washibeam
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