BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik

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BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG
TypePublic ISIN: DE0005196232
IndustryAutomobile manufacturing
Founded1970; 54 years ago
HeadquartersSchiltach, Germany (Global) Braselton, Georgia (United States)
Key people
  • Jurgen Klingelmeyer (Germany)
  • Erwin Eigel (Germany)
  • Craig Donnelly (USA)
  • Kenny Baynes (USA)
  • Jesse Hemans (USA)
ProductsAlloy Wheels
Revenue163 Mio. Euro (2006)
Number of employees
1,200
ParentKW automotive GmbH (2021-)
Websitewww.bbs.com
BBS wheels on a Porsche 911 GT3 Coupe.

BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG (English: BBS Automotive Technology AG) is a high-performance automobile wheel design company headquartered in Schiltach, Germany. BBS produces wheels for motorsport, OEM, and aftermarket applications.

The company employs approximately 1,200 employees worldwide (2018).[1] BBS trades on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Symbol: BKS3) with a market capitalization of €8.15M[2]

1985 BMW M635CSi wearing the stock BBS RS007 wheels.

History

BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG began in 1970 in Schiltach, Germany, by Heinrich Baumgartner and Klaus Brand as a manufacturing plant for plastic auto body parts. The initials BBS are based on the last names of the two founders and the city in which the company was founded (Baumgartner, Brand, Schiltach).[3]

In May 1987, BBS had its initial public offering, and continues to be traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In 2007, BBS went bankrupt and was taken over by the Belgian firm Punch International.[4] As of 1 July 2015, South Korean firm Nice Corp became the majority owner.[5] In 2020, BBS automotive GmbH filed for insolvency, but was acquired by KW automotive GmbH in March 2021, a multinational automotive suspension parts company.[6][7][8]

BBS has a long history in the world of motorsport, having produced wheels for Formula One, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, IndyCar, DTM, NASCAR, and other racing series from as early as 1972. The company pioneered technologies in the production of racing wheels and making wheels lighter and stronger for race usage. In 2012, BBS Motorsport & Engineering GmbH became an independent division under the Japanese Ono Group.[9]

Technology

In 1972, BBS pioneered the development of a three-piece racing wheel, a revolution in motorsport design.[3] In 1975, BBS developed the popular cross-spoke design, and developed the counter pressure process. BBS entered into a technical cooperation agreement in 1990 with ASA, a Korean company that was starting wheel production.[10] In 1993, BBS merged the gap between their three-piece forged wheel and one-piece cast wheel with the two-piece design found in the RSII. BBS developed a magnesium forged wheel in 1994 for motorsports use, especially in Formula One, which was over 20% lighter than the standard cast aluminum wheels. In 1995, BBS developed the first one-piece flow-formed cast wheel, with the use of FEM analysis. The first hollow-spoke wheel was developed by BBS, in collaboration with Porsche and Kuka, in 2000.[9]

The multi-stage forging process used by BBS wheels is complex in that it uses multiple stages of compression at 8,000 to 10,000 tons of pressure to densify the wheel blank, while being heated to over 400 °C (750 °F) between steps. This process achieves an ideal material structure with high density and strength, which allows for lightweight and thin milling.[11]

In modern times, BBS engineered the Air Inside Technology (AIT) in 2002, where hollow chambers are created within the wheel structure to compensate for the small air volume in modern ultra-low-profile tires, reduce unsprung weight, improve handling dynamics, and increase fuel efficiency without sacrificing strength and rigidity. This innovation earned BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik the Automechanika Innovation Award 2006 in the tuning segment.[12] BBS continues to produce one-, two-, and three-piece forged wheels out of aluminum and magnesium alloys, as well as high performance flow-formed wheels and low-pressure cast wheels.[13] BBS also actively uses specialized quality and weight optimization methods, such as CNC back-milled spokes, x-ray inspection , flow-forming, and heat treatment.[14][15]

OEM applications

Japanese company Washibeam Co., Ltd. manufactures the BBS F1 Magnesium wheel and All racing Aluminum wheels.[16] Since BBS is a customer of Washibeam, manufacture of the wheel will not be discontinued if BBS goes bankrupt.[17]

BBS has and continues to supply OEM wheel applications to a number of automobile brands. In street vehicles, their products can be seen on brands such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Mitsubishi, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Infiniti, Renault, Saab, Subaru, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Volvo. Lexus began using BBS wheels on its IS-F when launched in 2008, updating the design for the 2010 model year and again for 2012.

BBS forged aluminium wheel on a 2002 Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A

The cross-spoke design (pictured), which superficially resembles a wire wheel and was common on Sports cars produced from the 1980s to the early 1990s. This design is light in weight compared to many other styles of the time. One of the most popular BBS produced wheels was the three-piece RS released in 1977,[18] which became a popular aftermarket wheel and was often Replicated by other manufacturers. Another popular and commonly replicated wheel design is the RG, the company's first wheel produced.

The company also supplies motorsports applications and is also the largest supplier of wheels for IndyCar Series and the main supplier of Formula One teams.[3] BBS will supply wheels for the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2022, when the Next Gen car makes its debut.[19]

References

  1. ^ "BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG, BKS3:FRA profile - FT.com". markets.ft.com. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  2. ^ Yahoo! Finance UK. Retrieved on 8 March 2007
  3. ^ a b c BBS Homepage. Retrieved on 8 March 2007
  4. ^ "Punch takes over leading wheel manufacturer BBS". Punch International. 29 June 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  5. ^ Barber, Will (2 June 2015). "NICE Holdings Co. Becomes Majority Shareholder of BBS GmbH". VWVortex. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Wheel Manufacturer BBS Has Gone Bankrupt". Car Throttle. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. ^ "BBS Wheels - Home - Technology from motorsport". www.bbs.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  8. ^ "KW automotive Group acquires manufacturer BBS". KW Automotive Blog. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  9. ^ a b "BBS Wheels - Home - Technology from motorsport". www.bbs.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  10. ^ ":: ASA Alloy Wheel ::". Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  11. ^ "BBS Wheels - Home - Technology from motorsport". www.bbs.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  12. ^ Automechanika Innovation Awards Archived 26 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine 16 August 2006. Retrieved on 8 March 2007
  13. ^ "BBS USA - Technology Through Motorsports - Braselton, GA - Technology". bbs-usa.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  14. ^ "BBS USA - Technology Through Motorsports - Braselton, GA - Processes and Features". bbs-usa.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  15. ^ "BBS Wheels - Home - Technology from motorsport". www.bbs.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  16. ^ Washibeam manufacturing BBS wheels
  17. ^ BBS is an exclusive customer for Washibeam
  18. ^ "All BBS wheel styles | BBSwheels.info".
  19. ^ Albert, Zack (2 March 2020). "NASCAR moving to single lug-nut design for Next Gen car". NASCAR. Retrieved 3 March 2020.

External links

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