COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION
With operations in 36 countries, Oerlikon Balzers is a major supplier of surface technologies and tools for the metal and plastics processing industries. In 2021, the company has introduced a range of new products and further expanded its global presence to better meet its customers’ needs.
F
or 75 years, Oerlikon Balzers has stood for pioneering developments and global technology leadership in thin-film coatings. Established in 1946 as ‘Gerätebauanstalt Balzers’ by Professor Max Auwärter, the first objective was to make the then largely unknown vacuum thin-film technology usable on an industrial scale. Since no thin-film coating systems or production were available at that time, the company developed and produced them in-house. A lot has changed since the company’s early days. Today the former “Gerätebauanstalt Balzers” is called Oerlikon Balzers, employs around 4,600 people, and is a part of the Surface Solutions division of the Oerlikon Group. The company’s headquarters are still located in the small town of Balzers in the Principality of Liechtenstein.
74 Industry Europe
Pioneering surface improvements The passion for innovation of the company’s founder is still reflected in the business today: more than 100 employees, most of them in Liechtenstein, are engaged solely in research and development activities, and over the years have helped the company to launch ground-breaking innovations. These include the BALINIT brand of coatings introduced in 1978, which remains a mainstay of Oerlikon Balzers to this day. Markedly improved tool and component performance is achieved with Balzers’ thin-film coatings. BALINIT coatings are just a few thousandths of a millimetre thick, but harder than steel. The composition and properties of BALINIT coatings can also be tailored specifically to the customer’s needs.
