85 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Banner CELEBRATES A BIRTHDAY
The Banner family business was founded 85 years ago in Rankweil, Vorarlberg, Austria by Artur Bawart. In the meantime much has changed, from the company’s location, which is now firmly rooted in Upper Austria, to its global expansion and the move towards e-mobility and energy solutions. However, what has remained unaltered from the outset to this day is the high standard of quality that has made Banner an internationally recognised supplier of innovative, energy storage solutions with reliable bull power.
Banner’s Commercial CEO, Andreas Bawart and its Technical CEO, Thomas Bawart, are successfully leading the company into the future. Moreover, they can rely upon their highly coordinated team of more than 800 employees across Europe. A team, that every day gives its very best in the company’s Automotive - OE/IAM and Energy Solutions business units.
photo: Artur Bawart - the Banner founder
PRODUCTION THEN & NOW
Everything began in 1937, in a garage in Vorarlberg, where the first hundred batteries were manufactured. This total increased year by year, and with the relocation to Linz in 1952, for the first time more than 10,000 batteries were delivered. The next milestone was achieved in 1972 at the current company location with output of over 100,000 units and after another twenty years the one-million-battery milestone was also passed.
INNOVATIVE, STRONG AND SERVICEORIENTED
Every year, Austria‘s sole manufacturer of starter batteries invests ten million euros in new product research and development. The demand is enormous and from the locations in Linz/Leonding and Thalheim bei Wels, as well as the branches across Europe, over four million starter batteries are sold yearly in more than seventy European, African and Asian countries. Annual sales revenues amount to some € 270 million. Numerous well-known customers such as Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Bomag, Caterpillar, Jungheinrich, Käss- bohrer, Knaus Tabbert, KTM, Linde, Liebherr, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Rammax, Rolls-Royce, Schmitz Cargobull, Seat, Suzuki, Volvo, VW and Wacker Neuson all trust in Banner quality and service. Moreover, thanks to the preservation of its independence, the commitment of an outstanding team and numerous precautionary measures, the company has succeeded in overcoming past times of crisis and is well positioned for the future. Accordingly, the success story is set to continue...
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1937Artur Bawart founds the Banner company in Rankweil/Vorarlberg.
Begin of the second term of US president Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Bernd Rosemeyer drives an Auto-Union car at a speed of 440 km/h.
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1953Move to Linz/Kleinmünchen in the central region of Austria.
Coronation of Queen Elisabeth II in Westminster Abbey.
Volkswagen reduces the price of the VW Beetle from DM 4,400 to DM 4,200.
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1959Building of a new location on the Salzburger Strasse.
The “Mini” is launched onto the market and wins the legendary Monte Carlo Rally four times in succession (1964 – 1967).
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1968Banner produces its first dry charged starter battery and is thus among the European branch leaders.
The first manned Apollo flight takes place with the Apollo 7 mission.
At the Mexico Olympics, Bob Beamon leaps into the 21st century with a long jump of 8.90m.
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1976Development of the production technology for welded polypropylene (PP) batteries.
On the Patscherkofel, Franz Klammer wins downhill gold at the Winter Olympics.
In Western Germany, the wearing of safety belts in the front seats of cars becomes compulsory.
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1980Start of production of zero-maintenance Banner batteries on a lead-calcium-zinc basis. With this innovative technological first, the Banner plant sets a new battery manufacturing benchmark in Europe.
Erno Rubik’s “cube” starts its triumphal global conquest.
Austria’s Reinhold Messner becomes the first man to climb Everest alone and without oxygen equipment.
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1988The zero-maintenance Banner Uniturbo starter battery comes onto the market and solves the problem of model diversity with regard to starter batteries.
Steffi Graf wins all four tennis Grand Slams.
End of the first Gulf War between Iran and Iraq.
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1994ISO 9001 accreditation by the TÜV Product Service.
A referendum decides in favour of Austrian accession to the EU.
The Finn, Toni Nieminen, becomes the first ski jumper to pass the 200 m mark during a ski-flying event on the Planica jump.
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1996Andreas und Thomas Bawart assume the executive management of the Banner Group.
In the world’s largest company merger to date, the Baslebased chemical groups, Ciba-Geigy & Sandoz, join forces to form Novartis.
Russia becomes a member of the Council of Europe.
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2000Audi AG presents Banner with its coveted Quality Award for 1999.
Microsoft markets its Windows 2000 operating system.
France wins the European Football Championship final in Rotterdam.
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2004Banner wins a Stiftung Warentest product test! First place is captured with the Power Bull 62 Ah, the battery with the buffalo symbol.
SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately built aircraft to enter space.
Michael Schumacher wins his 7th World Championship title.
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2007Investments of around EUR 7 m at the Linz locations (logistics centre, AGM production).
In Lisbon, Portugal, the new Seven Wonders of the World are selected.
At the initiative of Al Gore, the Live Earth Concert takes place on all seven continents.
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2012Banner Power Bull wins the Stiftung Warentest and ADAC 2012 conventional starter battery test. In the latest 2012 battery study carried out by Stiftung Warentest in conjunction with ADAC, the German Automobile Club, the Banner Power Bull P72 09 battery was awarded a top “very good” rating (1.4). This is the first occasion in this millennium that the test panel has given a “very good” to a starter battery.
Moreover, the Austrian starter battery specialist also subjected its Running Bull EFB and AGM start/stop batteries to what is Europe’s toughest and most independent battery test and emerged with two “goods”.
At the age of 25, Sebastian Vettel is the youngest three-time world champion in Formula 1 history.
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2015During the nomination process for its 2015 Supplier Awards, the Daimler AG selected Banner as one of its top three in the “Quality” Category.
Måns Zelmerlöw from Sweden wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with his song "Heroes".
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2017Banner celebrates its eightieth birthday.
And in the course of the last eight decades it has produced some 80 million starter batteries. Banner’s history has been shaped by the twin values of continuity and independence.
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2018Introduction of new technologies in the commercial vehicle segment – EFB and high current, as well as significant product range expansion in the passenger car segment.
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2021A new production location for the Energy Solutions business unit is opened in Thalheim near Wels (Austria). Around 10 million euros have been invested in this.
