BERNSTEIN AG manufactures industrial safety technology, enclosure technology and system solutions at four sites in Germany, Hungary and China.
Bernstein Aktiengesellschaft
Porta Westfalica (DE) · Hille-Hartum (DE) · Budapest (HU) · Taicang (CN)New on Amplifa
Protection for People and Machines since 1947
BERNSTEIN AG is an internationally active manufacturer of industrial safety and enclosure technology headquartered in Porta Westfalica (North Rhine-Westphalia). In the DETECT business division, the company develops and manufactures position switches and sensors, safety switches, rope pull switches, emergency stop devices, foot switches and system solutions such as the SMART Safety System; in the PROTECT division, standard, control and Ex enclosures, pendant arm systems and industrial control stations are produced from aluminium, polycarbonate, polyester and ABS. In addition to standard products, BERNSTEIN offers custom enclosure machining (milling, drilling, engraving, screen printing), an in-house powder coating facility, galvanizing, component assembly, complete wiring as well as the assembly of membrane keypads and displays. The products are used primarily in mechanical engineering, elevator technology, railway technology, energy technology, packaging technology and the automotive industry. Founded in 1947, the family-owned company employs more than 600 staff in 10 countries and is run in its third generation by Nicole and Achim Bernstein.
- Site
- Porta Westfalica
- Processes
- Enclosure machining – milling, Enclosure machining – drilling, Enclosure machining – engraving, Powder coating (in-house powder coating facility, custom colour), Galvanizing, Screen printing / printing, Coating, Enclosure assembly (membrane keypads, displays, complete assembly, wiring, population)
- Materials
- Aluminium, Polycarbonate, Polyester, ABS, Aluminium die casting (protective hood foot switch), Aluminium sand casting (F3 protective hood), CNC milling, drilling, engraving, Powder coating
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 (environmental management system, certified since 2016), ISO 14001:2015
- Founded
- 1947
- Employees
- over 600
- Industries
- Mechanical engineering, Elevator technology, Railway technology, Energy technology, Packaging technology, Automotive industry
- 01
Engineering and product development
- 02
Machining (milling, drilling, engraving)
- 03
Surface technology (powder coating, galvanizing, screen printing)
- 04
Component assembly and wiring
- 05
Assembly
- 06
Testing and quality assurance
- 07
Warehouse and shipping
Materials and Processes
Aluminium
Material for standard, railway and Ex enclosures, pendant arm systems and foot switch protective hoods made from die-cast and sand-cast aluminium.
Polycarbonate
Plastic for standard enclosures of the CT series with high impact resistance for industrial environments.
Polyester
Material for standard and Ex enclosures for demanding and explosion-hazardous areas.
ABS
Plastic for cost-efficient standard enclosures for various applications.
CNC milling, drilling, engraving
Machining of standard and custom enclosures according to customer specifications.
Powder coating
In-house facility for custom enclosure colours and surfaces on aluminium and steel.
Galvanizing
Electrolytic surface treatment for corrosion protection of enclosure components.
Screen printing
Printing of enclosures for labels and custom customer designs.
Assembly and population
Membrane keypads, displays, circuit boards, cables and terminals including complete wiring through to ready-to-use units.
Manufacturing Sites
Porta Westfalica
DEHeadquarters, administration and switch and sensor technology manufacturing
- Materials
- Switch and sensor technology
- Manufacturing of switch and sensor technology
Hille-Hartum
DELogistics centre, switch and enclosure production, warehouse and shipping
- Materials
- Aluminium, polycarbonate, polyester, ABS, steel
- Modern machinery for enclosure machining (milling, drilling, engraving)
- Powder coating facility
Budapest
HUBernstein Kft., manufacturing of switches and sensors
Taicang
CNBernstein Safe Solutions, manufacturing of switches, enclosures and support systems
Components and Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enclosure machining – millingMachining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Polycarbonate, ABS, Polyester |
| Enclosure machining – drillingMachining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Polycarbonate, ABS, Polyester |
| Enclosure machining – engravingMachining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Polycarbonate, ABS, Polyester |
| Powder coating (in-house powder coating facility, custom colour)Surface | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Steel |
| GalvanizingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Screen printing / printingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| CoatingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Enclosure assembly (membrane keypads, displays, complete assembly, wiring, population)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Component assembly (circuit boards, cables, terminals, mounting rails)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| RF & EMC technology (shielding, EMC-compliant implementation)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Special enclosures / custom adaptationsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Polycarbonate, ABS, Polyester |
| Testing & quality assurance (tests and inspection)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powder coating facility | – | 1 | – | – | Hille-Hartum (site not explicitly stated) |
| Modern machinery for enclosure machining (milling, drilling, engraving) | – | – | – | – | Hille-Hartum |
Additional services
Quality and Certification
Production is carried out according to DIN-standard certified management systems (ISO 9001:2015, DQS, valid until 26.09.2028; ISO 14001 since 2016). Following careful material selection and precise in-house development and production, products are inspected and tested.
| Evidence | Porta Westfalica |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| ISO 14001:2015 |
Company History
- 1900
Robert Hugo Bernstein founds an electrical wholesale business in Döbeln (Saxony).
- 1925
Hans and Herbert Bernstein take over the company after the death of their father; based in Leipzig, under the name "Monopol".
- 1947
Hans Bernstein founds the "Hans Bernstein Spezialfabrik für Schaltkontakte" in Porta Westfalica as a branch plant of the Leipzig company.
- 1949
Material procurement from Leipzig via the "Green Border" in the Harz mountains.
- 1950
First visit to the Hanover Fair.
- 1982
Opening of the Hille-Hartum manufacturing site.
- 1985
Start of internationalization with the first international locations.
- 1996
Introduction and certification of the quality management system according to DIN EN ISO 9001.
- 2001
Headquarters in the BERNSTEIN Business Center Porta Westfalica-Hausberge.
- 2005
Opening of the Taicang site, China.
- 2006
Opening of the Budapest site, Hungary.
- 2013
Groundbreaking for the new logistics centre in Hille-Hartum.
- 2016
Certification of the environmental management system according to DIN EN ISO 14001.
- 2022
75th company anniversary on 23 May.