Company:Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik

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Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG
TypePrivately held company
IndustryWelding, Punching Machine, Assembly technology
Founded1958
HeadquartersHalblech, Germany
Key people
  • Mathias Bihler
  • Manfred Grundner
  • Bernd Haußmann
Revenue€119.4 million (2023/2024)[1]
Number of employees
762 (2023/2024)[1]
Websitebihler.de

Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG, or simply Bihler, is a German manufacturer of stamping, welding, and assembly systems headquartered in Halblech, Bavaria.

Bihler forming and assembly systems are used in various industrial sectors, including the electrical, automotive, and electronics industries. The machines enable the production of stamped and formed components as well as complete assemblies.[2]

History

The origins of Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik date to 1953, when Otto Bihler began developing mechanical systems for spring and wire processing.[3] In 1956, he introduced the RM 25 punching and bending machine, which arranged several forming units around a vertically oriented working surface.[4] Its design made it possible to produce components made of wire or strip material using one machine.[5]

This manufacturing method became known as the Bihler system,[6] and the products made with it were referred to as Bihler parts.[5] After presenting his machine at the Hannover Messe (Hanover Trade Fair) in 1957, Otto Bihler expanded production and established a small manufacturing facility in Halblech near Füssen.[3]

In 1966, based in part on the RM 35, Bihler introduced a modular concept to allow variable applications in punching and bending machines.[4] A second factory opened in Füssen in the 1970s and in 1980 Bihler of America, Inc. started operations from North Branch, New Jersey.[3] By the mid-1980s, the company supplied machinery for different industrial applications, including the production of hooks, clips, and electrical components from wire and strip material.[3] One product made by Bihler is a wire feeding unit, used to make the hairpins used in tractor motors, notably for cars. The RKZ 2.1 was one of two main units on the market, the other being made by rival company Witels-Albert GmbH. Academics assessed these units for the potential of robotic forming of hairpins, they noted their accuracy and compact design, but also commented that they were oversized for their robotic initiative, and had high investment costs.[7]

After the death of Otto Bihler in 1995, management passed to his son, Mathias Bihler.[8]

The company's first cam-controlled Bimeric CNC system was introduced in 2000.[5] In 2011, Bihler cooperated with Freudenberg Sealing Technologies and Trumpf on a laser-based process for metal sealing rings that combined laser cutting, bending and welding. The project received the German Innovation Award.[9]

In 2010, operations at the Austrian subsidiary Bihler Werkzeugtechnik in Weißenbach, Tyrol, which formed part of the toolmaking division, were discontinued.[10] The company announced that it would lay off 75 staff at their Phillipsburg, New Jersey, plant from April 2025.[11]

Bihler as a generic term

The term Bihler parts (German: Bihler-Teile) has become a commonly used generic designation for stamped and bent components. Although such parts are produced by many manufacturers, the term derives from Otto Bihler's initial work in stamping and bending technology. The widespread adoption of this technology in the late 1950s led to the expression Bihler parts, referring to components made on machines of this type.[5]

Bibliography

  • Hörmann, Vinzenz; Schäfer, Christoph (2013) (in de). Stanzbiegetechnik: Effiziente Fertigung von Stanzbiegeteilen und kompletten Baugruppen. 357. Munich: Süddeutscher Verlag onpact GmbH. p. 6. ISBN 978-3-86236-054-3. 
  • Hesse, Hannes; Langenscheidt, Florian; Rauen, Hartmut (2013) (in de). The Best of German Engineering: Das Lexikon des deutsche Maschinenbaus. VDMA — Mechanical Engineering Industry Association. pp. 147–149. ISBN 978-3816306467. 
  • Yogeshwar, Rangar (2019) (in de). TOP 100 2019: Innovationschampions. Redline Wirtschaft. ISBN 9783962671525. 
  • Kolbe, Matthias (2020) (in de). Stanztechnik: Grundlagen · Werkzeuge · Maschinen (13 ed.). Wiesbaden: Springer Science+Business Media. p. 275. ISBN 978-3-658-30400-3. 

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG, Jahresabschluss zum Geschäftsjahr vom 01.04.2023 bis zum 31.03.2024, veröffentlicht im Unternehmensregister am 27. Februar 2025, abgerufen am 6. November 2025.
  2. ↑ Kuhn, Dietmar (2013-09-09). "Stanzen. Neue Bihler-Fertigungstechnik lässt Maschinenpark schrumpfen" (in de). Maschinenmarkt. https://www.maschinenmarkt.vogel.de/neue-bihler-fertigungstechnik-laesst-maschinenpark-schrumpfen-gal-417394/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Schulte, Brigitta (1988-01-01). "Bihler: Erfolg mit Stanz- und Biegemaschinen" (in de). Manager Magazin (Hamburg) 18 (1): pp. 126–132. ISSN 0341-4418. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hesse, Hannes; Bauer, Ulrike; Langenscheidt, Florian; Rauen, Hartmut; Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau (2013) (in de). The best of German engineering [das Lexikon des deutschen Maschinenbaus]. Frankfurt am Main and Cologne: VDMA-Verl. Dt. Standards. p. 149. ISBN 978-3-8163-0646-7. OCLC 854920641. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Itasse, Stéphane (2017-01-09). "Die Maschine gibt den Bihler-Teilen ihren Namen" (in de). Maschinenmarkt. https://www.maschinenmarkt.vogel.de/die-maschine-gibt-den-bihler-teilen-ihren-namen-a-570154/. 
  6. ↑ Kolbe, Matthias (2020). "10: Verbundwerkzeuge" (in de). Stanztechnik: Grundlagen · Werkzeuge · Maschinen (13 ed.). Wiesbaden: Springer Science+Business Media. pp. 275. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-30401-0. ISBN 978-3-658-30400-3. OCLC 1237596997. 
  7. ↑ Kuehl, Alexander; Franke, Joerg (17 May 2021). "Robot-based Forming of Hairpin Winding". IEEE. p. 2. doi:10.1109/IEMDC47953.2021.9449576. ISBN 978-1-6654-0510-2. OCLC 9091171073. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9449576/. Retrieved 4 January 2026. 
  8. ↑ Matz, Matthias (2023-10-12). "Firma Bihler: 70 Jahre rasanter Takt" (in de). Munich. https://www.merkur.de/bayern/schwaben/fuessen-pfronten-reutte-kreisbote/das-halblecher-bihler-technologieunternehmen-feiert-70-jaehriges-bestehen-mit-seinen-mitarbeitern-92573125.html. 
  9. ↑ Dürand, Dieter (2011-03-28). "Lasern statt stanzen" (in de). Wirtschaftswoche: pp. 75. 
  10. ↑ Mittermayr, Helmut (2010-07-29). "Firma Bihler schließt Werk im Außerfern. Bihler Werkzeugtechnik wird mit Jahresende dichtgemacht. Neuer Kurs schmeckt nicht allen" (in de). Tiroler Tageszeitung: pp. 30. 
  11. ↑ Sroka-Holzmann, Pamela (30 December 2024). "75 jobs being cut at Phillipsburg area metal fabricator, notice says". https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/business/2024/12/75-jobs-being-cut-at-phillipsburg-area-metal-fabricator-notice-says.html. 



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