Story of Buetfering

 "60 Years of BÜTFERING – 60 Years of Superior Sanding”

60 years have passed since the brothers, Franz and Anton Bütfering, founded the
"Gebrüder BÜTFERING Maschinenfabrik".

The six decades of innovative developments to take place from the first "BÜTFERING" of 1946 to the present day high-tech products have been characterised by numerous patents and awards. From the beginning, Bütfering was built on the solid foundation of a progressive family company which was embedded in the HOMAG Group AG structures and was therefore a part of the global market leadership, and this continues today.
This incorporates customer-orientated performance, continuity, credibility and competence, which are all ensured by highly qualified and motivated employees.

On 15th March 2006, the company BÜTFERING Schleiftechnik in Beckum, Westphalia celebrated its 60th anniversary - Let's cast our minds back to the course of development of the long-standing market leader in wide abrasive belt sanding for the handicraft trade.



On 15th March 1946, the brothers, Franz and Anton Bütfering, founded the "Gebrüder BÜTFERING Maschinenfabrik" after being given two oak trees from their parents' courtyard which were to act as seed capital.
The oak wood served the manufacture of non-corrosive tubs for a steelworks in Dortmund, Germany, which in turn provided the first five tons of steel.







The business' workforce of 12 men was both diligent and competent.
The currency reform in the summer of 1948 came about overnight whereby the solid Deutschmark took the place of the worthless Reichsmark. This left both Bütferings, along with everyone else, with only 40 DM in their pocket and with no available warehouse which could provide the desperately needed operating capital.

However, the machines manufactured before the currency reform also proved their worth under the scarce Deutschmark, and the introduction of full-scale competition meant that there was no lack of orders.
The Second World War resulted in free trade reaching its full potential; import and export became the sole effective methods of economic expansion.
However, this required rationalisation in all sectors, including in the furniture industry.
To a certain extent, the promising market in wood working machines was right on their doorstep.
The countless businesses in the East-Westphalian furniture centre signalled a real need for more rational operating resources.
To that effect, the business activities of both of the company's founders initially appeared to be many-sided : Chain routers, special mitre saws, veneer presses and, what was then known as the "pointy headed machine" for sanding and buffing the legendary high-gloss polyester surfaces.
A short while later, the machining of veneered and painted surfaces became Bütfering's main field of activity.

Abrasive belt sanders, particularly the legendary C 55 model, of which more than 10,000 will be built in the coming decade, paved the way to the specialisation in and development of wide abrasive belt sander technology.




The rapid growth in the family company came at the time of the economic boom of the German post-war era. In 1958, a second factory was constructed near to the East German town of Sendenhorst.
With the increase in production capacity in the 1960s and 70s, exports grew bit by bit to eventually encompass more than 100 countries. Both proprietors actively made contact with their domestic and foreign customers and personal contacts. They endeavoured to travel to Asia, the USA, the Eastern Bloc countries and to all European countries.
The 1960s brought about the introduction of wide abrasive belt technology and with it the ultimate specialisation.
In the following decade, thousands of machines from the undersanding models in the FBS series were built especially for the German and Western European market. The growth continued with this development; not a year passed without massive investment activities.
Numerous patents and awards are proof of the technology's high standing as regards construction and manufacture. This was the reason that, in 1984, the Bütfering brothers were awarded the "Bavarian State Prize" by Prime Minister Franz-Josef Strauss at the Munich trade fair.

Another highlight in the company's history, and one which was associated with a noticeable increase in the quality of handicraft and interior fittings, was the development of the electronically controlled segmented pressure pad in 1989, which, for the first time, made it possible for customers of smaller and medium sized workshops in the to incorporate this high-quality technology into their facilities at an affordable cost price.

The first AWS – E displayed at the time is currently hailed as the ground-breaking machine which revolutionised surface technology in the handicraft business.
In 1990, BÜTFERING received the German Department of Trade and Industry's "Federal Prize for Innovation" for this development.



In 1989, after the sudden death of Franz Bütfering, the sons of the company's founders, Antonius and Franz-Josef Bütfering were appointed to the company's executive board.
They seamlessly followed the course developed by their fathers and strengthened the company's market position in the 1990s with innovative and credible machine technology.
In 1996, the company's 50th year, Antonius and Franz-Josef Bütfering set-up the metal grinding branch, whose machines had been very successful throughout the preceding 10 years, when they were distributed under the brand name "Steelmaster".
Also in 1996, the company received the "European Award" for the further development of the electronic segmented pressure pad at the "Woodmex" trade fair in Birmingham.
In 1998 the foundations were laid for further activities to promote growth in Asia and particularly in China.
BÜTFERING established production facilities, firstly in Northern China and since 2003 also in Shanghai, primarily in order to supply the markets in China and South East Asia.

In 2002, a turning point was reached in the history of the company:
The family company decided to become affiliated with the HOMAG Group AG in order to take a large step on the way to becoming not only the market leader for Germany and Western Europe, but also with the long-term ambition of becoming the global market leader in the wide abrasive belt sanding sector.
Therefore, it is currently represented by 18 of its own distribution companies and more than 60 distribution partners worldwide and is able to profit from the synergy effect of a global market leader with 5000 employees.
Expanding the global market shares remains an urgent goal.
In 2006, BÜTFERING presents itself as a customer and employee orientated, medium sized company with over 60 years experience, which aims to grow still further within the scope of the HOMAG Group AG. A training rate of more than 10 % makes it clear that BÜTFERING is taking its responsibilities in Germany seriously.

With production facilities located in Shanghai and Beckum, with 170 highly-motivated and qualified employees in Germany alone and with the global network of the HOMAG Sales Department, BÜTFERING surrenders itself to the tasks of the future.

Since the beginning of 2006, the Technical Director and son of one of the company's founders, Antonius Bütfering, gave up his managerial functions to Michael Mrachacz in order to primarily look after important strategic projects for the extension of the market leadership.

Thus, in 2005 the new SCR series was envisaged for the demanding furniture industry, on the occasion of the Ligna. In 2006, emphasis is also going to be placed on the introduction of brush technology. Likewise, several attractive special models for the wooden handicraft trade with the description, "60 years Limited Edition" have been presented to customers as a thank-you gift.

The entrepreneurial Managing Director and Speaker of the Executive Board, Franz-Josef Bütfering saw to it that the old principles of the company's founders continued with the appointment of the new Managing Director: "Customer satisfaction is one of the leitmotifs of the BÜTFERING company philosophy.
We stand by our roots in Westphalia and want to ensure that subsequent corporate management safeguards our location, and therefore our product quality and employment possibilities for the future.