History from 1868 till today
Milestones in the history of BORNIT®
Take a look at over 158 years of company history
Years 1868 to 1898
- 1868
01.02.1868
Founder Alwin Aschenborn passes the master plumber's examination at the age of 23 and at the same time founds the company under the name "Zwickauer Holzzement- Dachpappen- und Asphalt-Fabrik" - 1st family generation.
Inspired by the invention of roofing felt, he turned to this new type of roofing and was one of the first German manufacturers of tar roofing felt and tar coatings for building protection under the "Bornol" brand. - 1874
17.08.1874
Alwin Aschenborn acquires the property on Werdauer Straße together with his brother Heinrich.
15.10.1874
The Aschenborn brothers register the wood cement production in Zwickau.
- 1877
19.09.1877
Mrs. Marie Aschenborn (wife of Alwin Aschenborn) buys the Werdauer Straße property out of the assets of the Aschenborn brothers for the sole ownership of the founder Alwin Aschenborn.
1877
Business separation of the brothers Heinrich & Alwin Aschenborn - Heinrich Aschenborn leaves the company.
- 1887
22.06.1887
Certificate of sponsorship from the Hirschberg / Silesia Trade Association for a visit to the World Exhibition in Paris.
- 1890
1890
Intermediate orientation into the brick trade - construction of a residential and kiln building on the company premises.
- 1896
1896
Alfred Aschenborn joins the company.
- 1898
13.08.1898
Registration of the "Zwickauer Holzzement- Dachpappen- & Asphalt-Fabrik" as a sole operation by Alwin Aschenborn.
With an extensive production programme, the company had about 40 employees.
Years 1910 to 1950
- 1910
1910
Warnsdorf factory as the second company foundation.
- 1912
19.01.1912
Alwin Aschenborn (* 13.10.1844 in Hirschberg / Silesia) dies.
08.07.1912
Continuation of the company as a general partnership by the community of heirs under the management of the youngest son Alfred Aschenborn (company capital: 84,000 Marks).
Alfred Aschenborn - Managing Director 1912-1944 - 2nd family generation.
23.10.1912
Business registration of the new family company (company name: "Zwickauer Holzzement, Dachpappen und Asphaltfabrik Alwin Aschenborn Zwickau").
- 1918
01.02.1918
50th anniversary of the company.
- 1928
01.04.1928
Walther Aschenborn (*19.01.1914-09.11.1989) joins the family business as an apprentice.
After the First World War and the subsequent world economic crisis with strong inflation, the decline of the company could not be stopped despite tireless work. Nevertheless, with only 8 employees at times, modest technical improvements were achieved.
- 1933
1933
Production of the new Bornol product started, a bitumen-based insulating and protective coating that can be applied cold with a brush.
- 1938
16.02.1938
Paul and Walter Aschenborn are granted procuration.
- 1939
01.04.1939
The grandsons of the founder, Paul and Walter Aschenborn, after their training and several years of practice, become the owners of the 3rd family generation as personally liable partners (general partners).
- 1944
End of 1944
Alfred Aschenborn is replaced by his son Walter Aschenborn.
- 1945
Since 1945
Walter Aschenborn becomes sole managing director and plant manager.
Hans Kurfels, as the first laboratory technician, begins to consolidate production analytically.
20.03.1945
Shortly before the end of the war, the company suffers severe damage from British bombs - part of the plant (roofing felt production) was destroyed.
20.06.1945
The Allied Military Government permits the start of the business operations at 50 % of the level before the beginning of the war.
- 1946
14.05.1946
The industrial development of building protection material production begins with the first walled-in melting and solution ladle with roofing and chimney.
- 1947
Since 1947
Company name "Zwickauer Dachpappen - und Asphaltfabrik Alwin Aschenborn".
- 1949
24.06.1949
The continuation of business operations is approved by the Saxony state government.
09.11.1949
Installation of the first BORNIT® storage tank.
1949
Simultaneous modernisation of the roofing felt plant and first steam boiler installation.
- 1950
1950
New beginning after the Second World War under the new trademark "BORNIT®".
With 34 in-house developments, including corrosion protection materials specially adapted to the technical needs of the Reichsbahn as well as other bituminous building protection materials, production had already doubled compared to the pre-war years.
Years 1954 to 2000
- 1954
1954
Urban planning and development of the area around Werdauer Straße made it necessary to relocate the factory with its explosion- and fire-hazardous production.
In Reichenbacher Straße, the size of the site and the existing railway siding offered an ideal location in a former brickyard.
A tax exemption approved by the Zwickau city council in 1954 for the purchase of equipment for the new plant also provided the financial basis for such a new start. - 1955
1955
Start of new construction on the new site at Reichenbacher Straße.
In the preceding years, structural preparations were already made on the new site on Reichenbacher Strasse and the necessary equipment for the new plant was purchased.A permit for the relocation and thus for the start of production in a modernised plant is only granted on the condition that the labour requirement is not increased; furthermore, a permit is also only granted for a production capacity of up to 5,000 tons of building protection materials.
BORNIT® products successfully pass the tests at the Office for Material and Goods Testing (test certificates see "BORNIT® Compass")
- 1956
1956
Great leap in quality and breakthrough to sole supplier for the Reichsbahn.
- 1957
01.07.1957
A new era of development was initiated with the partnership of the state through its capital participation in the company.
20.07.1957
Commissioning of the new production facility in Reichenbacher Straße.
1957
Introduction of a new company logo.
- 1960
01.01.1960
Change of name to "BORNIT-Werk Aschenborn KG" after discontinuation of the former asphalt production.
1960
In the course of the company's further development and specialisation, the production of roofing felt was discontinued.
- 1962
01.10.1962
Hans-Jörg Aschenborn joins the company.
- 1964
1964
Expansion of the site in Reichenbacher Strasse, in the course of complex factory reconstruction. The goal was to expand the production of specialised building protection materials to 21,000 tonnes until 1968.
- 1965
21.06.1965
An explosion fire raged on the company premises in Reichenbacher Straße and destroyed a large part of the production facilities, paralysing production for several months.
- 1968
1968
100th anniversary of the company, Mr. Klaus Walther conducts guided tours of the company with the guests.
- 1972
1972
State takeover and renaming to "VEB Bitumen-Chemie Zwickau" - the largest producer of bitumen building materials in the former GDR
- 1986
1986
Construction of an emulsion factory on the Reichenbacher Strasse site for cationic road construction emulsions.
- 1990
01.07.1990
(Monetary union)
Reprivatisation as one of the first companies in East Germany under the name BORNIT-Werk Aschenborn GmbH and transfer back to the founding family Aschenborn from Zwickau. 1990
Appointment of Hans-Jörg Aschenborn as managing partner - 4th family generation.
- 1991
26.04.1991
New registration of BORNIT-Werk Aschenborn GmbH.
1991
DEUTAG AG, Cologne, acquires a stake in BORNIT®.
1991
Commissioning of a filling plant for barrels and sheet metal containers.
- 1992
1992
Extensive investments in modern production facilities and environmental protection, as well as demolition and reconstruction of old buildings.
- 1993
1993
Construction of a powder production mixer with bag filling plant.
1993
Start of in-house production of anionic thick bitumen coatings in an existing mixer.
- 1994
1994
Commissioning of the new joint tape production plant, based on innovative extruder technology.
25.02.1994
Hans-Jörg Aschenborn passes away.
1994
Construction of the 1st special mixer for anionic bitumen thick coatings.
1994
Reorganisation of distribution, logistics, advertising and brand strategy, listings with all major trade co-operations.
01.08.1994
Marcus Aschenborn joins the company as the 5th generation of the family; the older brother - Erik Aschenborn - works in logistics.
- 1995
01.01.1995
Klaus Walther, who has been with the company since 1966, becomes the new Managing Director at BORNIT®.
- 1996
1996
Development and expansion of sales structures abroad (USA, Austria, Switzerland, etc.).
- 1998
1998
Commissioning of the production plant for anionic bitumen emulsions in Zwickau.
- 2000
2000
Takeover of DICO Isolierbaustoffe GmbH and thus creation of a new sales and production location in Dresden.
Years 2001 to today
- 2001
02.11.2001
Demolition of the old brick kilns on the site in Reichenbacher Straße.
2001
Expansion of sales structures in Eastern Europe such as Poland, Ukraine, etc.
- 2002
2002
Opening of the new production facility and the new distribution warehouse in Dresden, Saydaer Straße.
- 2004
05.10.2004
Demolition of old building structures in the area of the production site for anionic building protection products (behind the steam control room).
- 2005
30.03.2005
Introduction of the new product line "BORNITtools" into the market in connection with the sale of the 1st "BORNIT®-Flexomat".
März 2005
Construction of a new cold storage hall for packaging and raw materials.
- 2006
Juli 2006
Expansion and modernisation of the factory's own laboratory.
07.08.2006
Construction of a new 100 m³ tank for the production of anionic basic emulsion.
07.11.2006
Production of the foundation for a new high-bay warehouse.
13.12.2006
Grant of a word/figurative trademark.
- 2007
30.01.2007
Construction of the new 10 m³ agitator mixer in the production facility for anionic building protection products.
03.08.2007
The new high-bay warehouse (“K. Walther hall”) with approx. 1000 pallet spaces for frost-sensitive products is officially handed over.
31.12.2007
Farewell to Managing Director Klaus Walther after more than 41 years with the company (officially on 24.01.2008).
- 2008
03.01.2008
Frank Metzner, who has been with the company since 01.05.1995, becomes the new Managing Director at BORNIT®.
- 2009
2009
Introduction of the ecological waterproofing product range “BORNIT® Greenline”.
01.12.2009
Relocation of the Dresden sales office to Freiberger Straße.
- 2011
June 2011
Opening of the official representative office of BORNIT® in Russia.
- 2012
March 2012
New construction of the hazardous materials warehouse and the roofing of an open area to increase storage capacity.
04.04.2012
Registered design: Joint tape 7 (DE 20 2013 003 044 U1).
May 2012
Installation of the new 6 m³ agitator mixer for solvent-free coatings in the K. Walther hall.
December 2012
Construction and commissioning of a 30 m³ silica sand silo for the automation of powder production.
- 2013
March 2013
Rehabilitation of the “Südstraße” (in front of the quarantine store).
June 2013
Commissioning of a new production plant for solvent-based coatings and demolition of an old warehouse.
09.10.2013
Patent: Joint tape for insertion in connection or repair joints in the upper area of a road surface.
October 2013
A new lightweight warehouse is completed in the western part of the company's premises. 700 m² of storage space now facilitates the accommodation of packaging, trade goods and pre-commissioned pallets for loading.
- 2014
February 2014
Refurbishment and redesign of the administration building and street view in Reichenbacher Straße at the headquarters in Zwickau.
May 2014
Demolition of another old warehouse with built-in tanks to make room for the construction of a new, central transformer station in the following year.
31.07.2014
Patent: Two-component, flexible and fast-curing combination waterproofing for waterproofing of structures, roofs and for repair of traffic areas.
2014
Takeover of the shares held by Deutag AG by Wilhelm Werhahn KG.
- 2015
05.01.2015
Introduction of a new ERP system (SAP).
18.06.2015
Construction of the new silica sand silo on the "Oststraße" for the production of BORNIT® Asphalt Pore Sealer.
July 2015
New construction and commissioning of the modern transformer station, construction of a new, central high-voltage supply, new installation of electricity, water and sewage pipes.
August 2015
BORNIT® receives certification of energy management according to DIN EN ISO 50001:2011.
21.10.2015
Demolition of the old pipeline bridge and laying of the supply lines in the ground.
November 2015
Fundamental renovation of the entire "Oststraße"; gutting and conversion of the old laboratory on the "Oststraße" as a recreation room for the production staff.
- 2017
March 2017
Fundamental renovation of the large storage and logistics area in the centre of the site.
May 2017
Commissioning of an automatic filling and packaging plant for powder products.
July 2017
Start of the planning work for the renewal of the aged 13 main storage tanks at the "Mittelstraße".
December 2017
Construction of another lightweight hall for the storage of frost-resistant raw materials.
- 2018
01.02.2018
Ceremonial act on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the company in Zwickau, in the historic rooms of the "Neue Welt" ballroom in Zwickau.
August 2018
Deconstruction of the 1st half of the over 30-year-old solvent tank farm.
October 2018
Demolition and rebuilding of the catch basin for the new solvent tank farm (construction phase 1).
November 2018
Start with the redevelopment of the western storage area (next to car dealership).
20.11.2018
Setting of the first 6 storage tanks (4x heated, 2x unheated).
- 2019
January 2019
Complete redesign of the CI and market launch of BORNIT® at the World Construction Trade Fair in Munich - BAU2019.
06.05.2019
Asphalting of the new storage area for marketing and the BORNIT® application technology.
24.06.2019
Word/figurative trademark: BORNIT®.
30.07.2019
Construction of the 1st marketing tent hall.
19.11.2019
Word/figurative trademark
November 2019
Start of the new construction of the catch basin for the new solvent tank farm.
06.12.2019
Concreting of the new support bearings for the 12 tanks of the new solvent tank farm.
- 2020
April 2020
BORNIT® receives the silver sustainability certificate.
Juli 2020
Commissioning of the new tank farm for solvent-based bitumen products with a total capacity of 350 m³ and automated process control.
04.08.2020
Installation of a new, more efficient but nevertheless more energy-saving cooling unit for the joint tape plant.
- 2021
Januar 2021
Start of the expansion investment of two new 10 m³ mixers for the production of bitumen thick coatings - planned to be completed in spring 2022.
02.11.2021
Revision of the website - the layout and the connection to a database were put online. BORNIT® now also presents itself worldwide in the new CI and with comprehensive company and product information.
November 2021
Completion of the newly renovated meeting room at BORNIT®. Layout and technology were brought up to date.
- 2022
01.01.2022
Mr. Jörg Schramm takes over the position of Sales Manager at BORNIT® and succeeds Jürgen Finke, who will retire on 31.12.2021 after 28 years with the company. Mr Schramm has been with the company since 2000.
- 2023
January 2023
After an extensive 2-year development phase, the newly revised homepage is now fully integrated into the newly created product database. All product information is now presented to the user just in time. February 2023
After a long and gruelling investment phase - finally the commissioning of the expansion investment of the first of the two new mixers for bitumen thick coatingsSeptember 2023
Start of civil engineering work for the new hot warehouse with a capacity of 1680 pallet spaces.- 2024
18.07.2024
Handover of the new hot warehouse to the employees and the associated commissioning. 08.08.2024
The second production line of the waterstop system starts test operation and is ramped up to the planned output over several test phases.21.08.2024
Installation of the new pipe bridge for the pipes for the temperature control of the new hot storage hall and the cable harnesses of the new PV system.16.09.2024
Completion of the installation of the new PV system on our hot warehouse - approx. 440 modules will soon be supplying clean solar power.November 2024
The second production line of the Joint Tape Attachment has passed the test phase - all components are working flawlessly.- 2025
10.04.2025
Completion of the connection work for the PV system. The first kilowatt hours of clean solar power are produced.
With a target of 160,000 kwh per year, around 100 tonnes of CO2 can be saved. 28.08.2025
The floor slab for the new hazardous materials store is being poured
04.10.2025
Commissioning of the new hazardous substances storage facility
- 2026
04.02.2026
Commissioning of a new 10 m³ mixer for the production of two-component thick coatings
30.06.2026
Delivery of the new 10 m³ mixer for the production of single-component thick coatings
08.07.2026
Completion of the new retention basin at our EMU refuelling facility
2026
...our new robotic stacking cell is coming soon... we can’t wait!