40 Years of Braunform GmbH

Location Endingen a. K.

Location Bahlingen

Top Job 2017 Award Ceremony: Commercial Director Oliver Bornhäuser, Managing Director Pamela Braun, and former Federal Minister for Economics and Labor (2002 to 2005) Wolfgang Clement (from left to right)

New management team (from September 2015): Erich Braun (front) together with Klaus Bähler, Pamela Braun, and Emmanuel Foyer (from left to right)

Braunform – we move: Team Freiburg Marathon 2017

In April of this year, Braunform GmbH in Bahlingen and Endingen am Kaiserstuhl looked back on its 40-year success story. Thanks to the company's determination and foresight as a family-owned business, it is now one of the leading manufacturers of injection molds and cleanroom products in Europe, with over 350 employees. The continuous development of the latest technologies to the highest complexity, forward-looking investments in machinery and infrastructure, as well as the enormous know-how of each individual, write the success story. Visionary thinking combined with immense willpower creates the foundation for the life’s work of the founders Erich and Elke Braun.

As early as the founding year 1977, tools are manufactured for renowned customers in the consumer goods, automotive, and entertainment industries. Due to expansion, the company moved to its current location in Bahlingen just six years later. The development of the first two-component tool in 1986 marks a significant year in the company's technical development. In 1995, the company is certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001. Twenty years after the founding of Braunform GmbH, the founding family invests in the new business segment of cleanroom production according to GMP C and D. In 2004, the company receives certification according to DIN EN ISO 14001. Based on extensive experience in pharmaceutical technology, the MED Mold® standard for cleanroom-compatible tools is developed in 2010. In 2016, the successful implementation of an integrated management system according to DIN EN ISO 15378 (primary packaging materials for pharmaceuticals) and 13485 (medical devices) takes place.

Due to strategic considerations and increased space requirements in the core area of mold manufacturing, the owners and managing directors of the company decided in 2012 to relocate the plastics and pharmaceutical production division to Endingen am Kaiserstuhl. The relocation provides the necessary space for growth in mold manufacturing and to further expand and make the competence center more customer-oriented. In September 2015, 38 years after the company's founding, a generational change takes place at Braunform. Together with the daughter of the founder, Pamela Braun, Mr. Klaus Bühler and Emmanuel Foyer take over the management of the company.

Today, industries such as pharmaceuticals, consumer goods and hygiene, as well as automotive and electrical industries, have their solutions tailored by Braunform. Thanks to their proven material, process, and production expertise, they are often involved early in product development. Innovative technologies, injection molding tools, and cleanroom production according to GMP C and D – short "Engineering Made in Germany" – are key reasons why globally active corporations maintain long-term business relationships with the Bahlingen company.

Due to the positive business development, recent investments have increasingly focused on new technologies, which will further advance Braunform in the future. Many new machines have also been purchased. The introduction of new systems reflects a clear goal to continuously improve customer orientation and to be successful in Germany in the long term.

The award for "Excellence in Production – Toolmaking of the Year 2007" is another milestone in the company's history. In 2016, the company was awarded the regional well-known Jobmotor Prize in the category "Finding and Retaining Employees." Braunform received an outstanding recognition with the "Top Job" award as one of Germany's best employers. After receiving this award in 2014, the company was again honored in 2017 by the Institute for Leadership and Human Resources Management at the University of St. Gallen.

The employees of Braunform GmbH have largely remained loyal to the company for decades. This is the success of a strategy based on continuity, fairness, loyalty, and reliability. The company places maximum emphasis on the satisfaction and connection of its existing workforce with the company. Qualified employees are essential to remain competitive in the future. This is pursued through targeted personnel marketing measures, including corporate health management, cooperation with Hansefit, and numerous sports events. Knowledge management, outreach to young people, partnerships with schools, and sponsoring employee projects are also firmly established.

To secure the company's future, the medium-sized company has defined key points of its personnel strategy. This includes, for example, focusing on training and further education policies. Finding suitable skilled workers is becoming increasingly difficult for companies. Braunform's response is to further expand training programs. In-company training ensures qualified specialists. Above all, it is important to provide needs-based training with the goal of hiring all apprentices upon completion. Since its beginnings as a training company, over 200 skilled workers have successfully completed their apprenticeships or studies and have been directly employed in their field after training.