Media Info 75 years of power, mobility & safety Leonding, September 24, 2012. The two core values of continuity and independence have shaped the Banner’ history, forming a thread that has run through the past 75 years. Accordingly, the family-owned company, which numbers among Europe’s leading battery producers, intends to remain true to these values in future. A policy that is more than vindicated by the fact that as of now Porsche numbers among Banner’s OEM reference customers.
What began on September 16, 1937 in Rankweil/Vorarlberg/Austria with the pioneering spirit of Artur Bawart was successfully continued by his sons Norbert and Roland in Linz-Leonding. In the 1970s and 1980s, they turned Banner into an international synonym for high-quality products and launched the first maintenance-free battery onto the market.
In 1996, the third family generation in the shape of Andreas and Thomas Bawart assumed the management of the company and introduced rotary expanded metal as a new production technology. Furthermore, their timely investment in start-stop technology and internationalization through the foundation of additional sales branches has resulted in market leadership. Banner has now surpassed the four million batteries per year mark, operates 28 branches in fifteen European countries and employs a workforce of 760.
The future consists of innovative power and environment-friendly mobility. The company has accepted present challenges and is intensively involved in the preparation and advancement of energy concepts for the environment-friendly mobility of today and tomorrow. Together with a market-adequate expansion policy, this is a clear indication that in the years to come Banner will continue to play a major role in the automotive sector.
Against the background of global warming and the further indications of a shortage of fossil fuels, the European automotive industry has set itself ambitious targets with regard to a reduction in CO2 emissions. In response, Banner offers two differing types of further develContact: Günther Lemmerer, Marketing and PR Banner GmbH Banner Strasse 1;4021 Linz-Leonding (A) Tel. +43/(0)732/38 88 – 21550; Fax Ext. 61550 Mobile +43/(0)676/873 81 550 E-mail: guenther.lemmerer@bannerbatterien.com www.bannerbatterien.com
Media Info oped lead batteries consisting of the AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) batteries for micro-hybrid vehicles (the Banner Running Bull AGM power pack for family and premium class cars) and the EFB (Enhanced Flooded Battery) for small cars with start/stop functions (Banner Running Bull EFB). These two batteries are supplemented by the Banner Running Bull BackUp, which primarily supports starter batteries as a second battery in vehicles with extremely high energy requirements. According to estimates, by 2020 roughly 90 per cent of all the new vehicles produced will be equipped with start/stop systems and therefore will either be fitted with an AGM or an EFB battery for the related energy supply.
Porsche – a new OEM reference customer. As of now, Banner is also supplying the premium class manufacturer Porsche with AGM starter batteries. In concrete terms, 70Ah, 80Ah and 95AH performance class batteries are being delivered to the production plant in Zuffenhausen for the 911 series. Moreover, Banner is providing Running Bull AGM batteries to VW Osnabrück (the former Karmann), where the Porsche Cabrio, Boxster and Cayman models are manufactured. These sales clearly indicate that a growing number of automotive producers are turning to top quality Banner batteries for first fitting. These companies include names such as Audi, BMW, Caterpillar, Dethleffs, Jungheinrich, Kässbohrer, Liebherr, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Skoda, Volvo and VW, not to mention a number of special machinery manufacturers. Andreas Bawart, Banner’s commercial CEO: “We are proud of the fact that we have obtained Porsche as a new customer. The Banner brand will certainly gain additional status through this partnership.”
Production capacity enlargement. Banner manufacturing is concentrated in a single plant in Linz-Leonding, Austria, which operates virtually permanently at the limit of its capacity. Therefore, owing to the fact that the family-owned company also pursues a policy of continuous growth, a record sum of over EUR 25 million was invested in additional plant and storage capacity in the period from 2010 to 2012. This resulted in an increase in production of 20 per cent, which was required primarily for high-potential AGM batteries. In the 2011/2012 financial year, Banner was able to sell over 700,000 AGM batteries and current automotive industry demand for these batteries remains strong. Contact: Günther Lemmerer, Marketing and PR Banner GmbH Banner Strasse 1;4021 Linz-Leonding (A) Tel. +43/(0)732/38 88 – 21550; Fax Ext. 61550 Mobile +43/(0)676/873 81 550 E-mail: guenther.lemmerer@bannerbatterien.com www.bannerbatterien.com
Media Info Banner is Europe’s no.4. The European market absorbs a total of 65 million starter batteries annually, whereby some 40 million go to the free retrofitting market. On a sales basis, Banner is the number four in the European starter battery branch and during the last financial year, the company plant in Linz-Leonding manufactured and sold four million batteries. As opposed to the preceding financial year, in 2011/12 total Banner sales revenues rose by more than five per cent to EUR 237 million. Photo captions 1) Competence: 75 years of battery design and production experience 2) Modern production: AGM batteries are manufactured using high-tech systems 3) The company management: Andreas Bawart, Commercial CEO (r.) and Thomas Bawart, Technical CEO
Banner at a glance Banner GmbH is an innovative, steadily expanding producer of top quality starter batteries. The company, which is based in Linz-Leonding, Austria, has been manufacturing batteries for all types of vehicles since 1937. The family-owned firm, which is headed by Andreas Bawart and Thomas Bawart, employs a workforce of around 760 across Europe. Banner produces and sells over 4.0 million starter batteries annually and thus numbers among the oldest, most experienced and important brands in the battery production field. Banner batteries are used for the first fitting of numerous models from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Skoda, Volvo, VW, Kässbohrer, Liebherr, Caterpillar und Jungheinrich. In Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Denmark, Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey dealers are served via Group sales companies with a total of 28 branches. Moreover, Banner products are sold in more than 50 European, African and Asian states via direct importers. Future-oriented technology and outstanding quality underline the international reputation of these exemplary products with “buffalo power”, which are also characterised by the Banner logo. Further information is available under: www.bannerbatterien.com
Contact: Günther Lemmerer, Marketing and PR Banner GmbH Banner Strasse 1;4021 Linz-Leonding (A) Tel. +43/(0)732/38 88 – 21550; Fax Ext. 61550 Mobile +43/(0)676/873 81 550 E-mail: guenther.lemmerer@bannerbatterien.com www.bannerbatterien.com