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Bierbaum-Proenen – since 1788
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Bierbaum-Proenen (BP®) is one of Germany's 50 oldest family businesses
Bierbaum-Proenen has been a family business since 1788. Today, BP® is managed by the seventh generation and, as a manufacturer of workwear and personal protective equipment (PPE), is one of the companies with the longest tradition in its industry. In the current list of Germany's oldest family businesses, BP® ranks 46th.
Being included in the list of Germany's 50 oldest family businesses is a special recognition for BP®. It reflects a company history spanning more than two centuries, shaped by quality, reliability and a continuous willingness to evolve.
Ranked 46th among Germany's oldest family businesses
The Stiftung Familienunternehmen publishes a ranking of Germany's oldest family businesses. It includes companies that have remained continuously owned by one family or several related families for a particularly long period of time.
Founded in 1788, Bierbaum-Proenen is one of Germany's oldest family businesses and currently ranks 46th.
For BP®, this ranking is above all a sign that long-term responsibility and entrepreneurial courage go hand in hand. For BP®, tradition does not mean standing still. Every generation must find the right answers to the challenges of its time.
Quality since 1788
One idea runs like a common thread through the history of Bierbaum-Proenen: quality.
From the company's founding in 1788, the quality of the products offered was at the heart of the business. Today, BP® develops workwear and PPE with the aim of combining quality, functionality, comfort and durability.
More than two centuries of experience help BP® understand the requirements of wearers, companies and distribution partners and develop solutions for everyday working life.
Workwear for tomorrow's world of work
Today, BP® develops workwear and personal protective equipment for a wide range of industries and working environments.
At the same time, the world of work is changing. Digitalisation, artificial intelligence and robotisation are influencing work processes and job profiles. The requirements for modern personal protective equipment are also continuously evolving.
Changing climatic conditions present an additional challenge. People carrying out physical work in high temperatures need clothing solutions that combine protection, low weight, freedom of movement and a high level of comfort.
At its core, the task therefore remains the same as it has been since 1788: listen, understand requirements and develop solutions that support people in their everyday work.
Tradition also means daring to try something new
A look back at 1914 shows just how closely tradition and a willingness to change are connected at BP®.
Franz Proenen, a representative of the fourth generation of owners, travelled to the USA and visited the Ford plants in Detroit. He was so impressed by the assembly-line production used there that he wanted to apply the same principle to the manufacture of workwear.
Following delays caused by the First World War, BP® eventually introduced assembly-line production in 1929.
This episode exemplifies an attitude that continues to shape BP® today: preserving experience and values while remaining open to new technologies, processes and ideas.
“Robots don't wear workwear” – Harald Goost in an interview
Harald Goost, managing partner of BP®, talks in the interview about what being included in the list of Germany's 50 oldest family businesses means for BP® and the responsibility involved in leading a company in its seventh generation. For him, long-term thinking, reliability, credibility and staying close to people are among the key characteristics of a family business.
But his focus is not only on the past. Quality has run like a common thread through the history of BP® since its founding in 1788, while adaptability has always been equally important. One example is Franz Proenen's journey to the Ford plants in Detroit in 1914, which later provided important inspiration for industrial production at BP®.
Today, BP® is particularly focused on topics such as digitalisation, artificial intelligence and robotisation. At the same time, requirements for personal protective equipment and lightweight clothing solutions for physical work in high temperatures are increasing. Harald Goost sums up one possible change in the world of work in a simple statement: “Robots don't wear workwear.”
More about BP®
Find out more about the history of BP®, our workwear and personal protective equipment, our responsibility, careers at BP® and the ways you can contact us.
Downloads and sources
Interview: Harald on tradition, responsibility and the future of BP®
Images: Historical and current images of Bierbaum-Proenen
Ranking source: Staying young despite a long tradition
