A hundred years of high-tech

maxon motor benelux celebrates its jubilee and moves to a higher level in the chain

maxon motor benelux, founded in 1912 as Technisch Bureau Sanders Birnie, celebrates her 100th anniversary this year. In the history of the company, the central theme has always been 'high-tech' and for the last few decennia the accent has been on precision drive systems. This has produced continued growth for maxon motor - 2011 was the best year ever - and the company now has 27 employees.   

In the last few years, maxon motor benelux has been moving further up in the high-tech manufacturing chain, according to Gerwin Geukes, director of maxon motor benelux. The company has moved, in many cases, from being a component supplier to being a partner in complex development projects. In this way, maxon motor is able to offer its customers - the first line suppliers or system suppliers and sometimes also the producers of finished products - more added value. In addition to reliable and robust products, maxon motor delivers knowledge of precision drive technology, can take responsibility for parts project management and handles the necessary assembly, certification and packing of the drive systems.  With this, maxon motor benelux builds on its one hundred year history.

Dutch East Indies
On 15th January 1912, Technisch Bureau Sanders Birnie (TBSB) was established in The Hague by the married couple Sanders-Birnie. Mrs. Birnie came from an Indonesian planters family and  TBSB focused initially on building machines for coffee and rubber plantations in Indonesia. The shareholders came partly from the then high-tech industry in Hengelo, Overijssel with names such as Stork and Nering Bögel. In 1920 TBSB obtained an agency for periscopes from the Scottish firm Barr & Stroud. After the Second World War, the Republic of Indonesia was declared independent and the plantations were nationalized, at which point the trade for TBSB dried up.  

Motors
In 1969, Engineer H.A.L. de Haas from The Gooi became owner of TBSB and via his contacts at Philips he obtained an agency for Portescap, known for their brushless electric motors and stepping motors. Customers included Enraf Nonius, Vitatron, Philips and Oldelft. A few years later an agency was obtained for the German firm Engel, producer of large electric motors. The relationship with Portescap deteriorated and was ended in 1975 by TBSB which then went into business with maxon motor based in Switzerland.

Precision drive systems
The ownership changed again and there was a chance of obtaining orders from the Ministry of Defense because of the trade in telescopes but in the end it came to nothing. In 1977 the company, now called Sanders-Birnie, moved to a location in Enschede and has been there ever since. Sanders-Birnie was owned by Häwa Nederland, supplier of switch boxes from 1981 until 1993 when it was taken over by Interelectric, a Swiss firm and parent company of maxon motor. The agency was extended to include the whole Benelux area and in 2000 the name of the company was changed to maxon motor benelux. The agency for the Swiss firm Sonceboz, manufacturer of various drive systems, which was obtained in 1996, was ended in 2010 and since then more than 95% of the product range of maxon motor benelux is made up of precision drive systems from the parent company.    

Profile of maxon motor
maxon motor is a leading world-wide supplier of precision drives and systems of up to 500W output. maxon motor ag, with its head office in Switzerland and production units in Switzerland, Germany and Hungary, has more than 2000 employees and sales offices in forty countries including Belgium and The Netherlands. With her drive solutions, maxon motor serves markets such as the semiconductor industry, medical technology, laboratory and measurement technology, robotics, machine construction, industrial automation, the automobile industry and the air and space industry. The drives are characterized by their high power density: small in size but delivering high power. That makes lightweight applications possible, such as an insulin pump that a diabetes patient can carry on his or her belt.  
maxon motor benelux, with offices in Mechelen (Belgium), Enschede en Eindhoven (on the High Tech Campus), delivers the complete modular built maxon assortment: from dynamic and powerful DC motors and special transmissions to intelligent compact drivers and ceramic and metal injection molding components. In addition maxon motor benelux provides for the assembly, testing and 'plug & play' delivery of customer specific high quality drive systems. Thanks to the modular make-up of the range, maxon motor benelux can offer her customers 'plug & play' solutions.  

maxon motor benelux - 100 years of high-tech	maxon motor benelux - location Enschede

Author: maxon motor benelux bv /15.01.2012