Draft:Bartec

BARTEC Top Holding GmbH

Industry	Industrial safety technology
Founded	1975 (1975)
Headquarters	Bad Mergentheim, Baden-Württemberg
Key people	Dr. Martin U. Schefter (Managing Director)
Number of employees	1,300 (2025)
Website	bartec.com

Bartec (stylized as BARTEC) is a German multinational company and a global provider of hazardous area safety and security solutions, products, and services with its headquarters in Bad Mergentheim in the region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company specializes in explosion protection and safety technology and has thirteen production sites in Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, the UK, the USA, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and China.

Bartec services customers in a wide range of industries and regions to secure working environments, meet legal requirements, and improve productivity. Initially an Oil and Gas company for explosion protection technology, Bartec has progressed in the development of areas for explosion protection with solutions for mobile working, wireless connectivity, smart factories, turnkey trace heating, analysis and measurement, lighting and electrical infrastructure, energy distribution, automation and machine control and road transport. In the last couple of years, Bartec also offers safe energy generation, transport, and industrial consumption of hydrogen.

The company has 1,300 employees with more than 50 subsidiaries and 13 manufacturing facilities on four continents (2025). Its customers come mostly from the chemical industry, the oil and gas sector, the pharmaceutical industry, new energy sector, the petrochemical industry, and the mining industry.

History

The company was founded in 1975 by Reinhold A. Barlian as a one-man operation. He initially focused on the development and manufacture of a safety switch to prevent explosions at petrol pumps.

In 1979, subsidiaries were established in the Netherlands and France under the slogan "Europe is domestic". In 1987, the first subsidiary in the Far East was founded in Tokyo. After German reunification, branches were established in Gera, Glesien (North Saxony) and Leipzig. A further subsidiary was founded in the USA in 1994. In Germany, sites in Menden (Sauerland) (AEG production facility) and Gotteszell were added in 1996. In the same year, Bartec secured 10 million € worth contract for the Leuna refinery project, supplying heating technology. Another production plant for electrical motors was acquired in Slovenia named Bartec Varnost. Two years later, the diverse product division of Siemens Bergbau in Menden (Sauerland) was integrated into the Bartec Group.

In order to further finance investments and company expansion, Allianz Capital Partners - the private equity company of the Allianz Group - became the new majority shareholder in 2002. In 2003, Bartec took over Benke Instrument & Elektro GmbH in Reinbek/Hamburg and founded a new division for analysis technology, engineering and services, Bartec Benke GmbH. The Bartec Group thus developed into a leading provider of complete solutions in industrial safety technology and ranks among the top three companies worldwide in this market segment. Bartec concluded a joint venture in China in 2004. The aim was to develop new products to further increase safety in the Chinese mining industry and to produce them locally. In the same year, the Bartec Academy was founded and designed as a place for customers, partners and employees to exchange knowledge and experience.

Reinhold A. Barlian (right) handed over the management of his company to Ralf Köster.

In 2005, the management of the company changed from founder Reinhold A. Barlian to Ralf Köster. Furthermore, the first Bartec congress for innovation and safety technology was organized and the joint venture plants in Changzhi (China) and Russia were founded.

In 2008, the Swiss investment company Capvis acquired the majority of Bartec shares. A further sales company was founded in India. In 2009, the company received an award as one of the 100 most innovative medium-sized companies in Germany. A new production facility was added in Shanghai (China). The Bartec Group took over the communication and security system provider Vodec Ltd. and founded the new Bartec Vodec division. In 2010, the acquisition of the Norwegian market leader for explosion-proof devices and systems, Technor Safe Ex AS, took place. The Polaris touch panel PC product range was expanded to include widescreen LED displays.

In 2012, Bartec founded a joint venture in Saudi Arabia. For the second time, the company was one of the "TOP 100" award winners. The private equity company Charterhouse became the new owner of Bartec that year.

In 2013, Bartec acquired Pixavi, a provider of mobile communication devices and wireless infrastructure for hazardous areas. In 2014, ORB, one of the world’s leading providers of physical property analyzers based in Chicago/USA, was acquired. The largest acquisition in the company's history was the takeover of the Italian TOP Group consisting of companies: FEAM, NUOVA ASP, and FENEX.

In 2015, Bartec presented solutions providing additional safety and efficiency at Achema. They launched the Orbit X explosion-proof Wi-Fi camera for remote inspections, videoconferencing, and recording in the EX zone.

In 2019, Bartec was acquired by EQT Credit Opportunities Funds. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) program is launched to leverage business potential in digitalization.

In 2020, Bartec launched its LEAN initiative whose aim was to improve processes throughout the organization.The Bartec Varnost division was given a new strategic direction with a new center of operations in Zagorje (Slovenia).

That same year, the division for safety-related electrical engineering for underground mining and industry in Menden (Sauerland) was sold to the investment company FairCap GmbH. The new company name is Exprotec GmbH. The measurement and control technology division remained with Bartec Sicherheits-Schaltanlagen GmbH.

On the 6^th of September 2023, Bartec acquired Extronics, Ltd the British Wireless IIoT and Real-Time Location Systems to become part of the digitalsolutions for hazardous area.

Solutions and products

The company specializes in technology for explosion protection. It offers solutions for mobile working, wireless connectivity, smart factories, turnkey trace heating, analysis and measurement, lighting and electrical infrastructure, energy distribution, automation and machine control and road transport for hazardous areas.

First key area is the process technology and the handling of fossil fuels such as coal, crude oil, natural gas and flammable substances. Additional focus is on automation technology for which explosion-protected components and systems are developed and produced that are used for identification, visualization, control and regulation in industrial plants. Sensors, measuring and analysis systems are manufactured for the chemical, petrochemical, natural gas, pharmaceutical, environmental and energy sectors, as well as components for use in mining.

In the field of heating technology, Bartec develops and produces electrical trace heating systems for frost protection, temperature maintenance and heating. These systems are used in the aviation, chemical and petrochemical industries to keep liquid and gaseous media at a desired temperature.

Measuring and data acquisition systems form another product area. Bartec develops and produces systems for the transportation, storage and distribution of flammable liquids, with a focus on petroleum products. In the area of control and connection technology, Bartec offers the development, production and supply of components and systems that increase the safety standard of devices, apparatus and machines.

Under the name Bartec Academy, seminars are offered on various topics in the field of safety technology and the fundamentals of explosion protection.

Structure

The company's international network is divided into thirteen production sites as well as more than 50 subsidiaries worldwide (2024).

In Europe there are production sites in:

• BARTEC GmbH in Bad Mergentheim,
• BARTEC Benke GmbH in Gotteszell and Reinbek,
• Extronics Ltd. in Cheshire, Great Britain,
• BARTEC FENEX s.r.l. in Moraro, Italy,
• BARTEC FN s. r. l. in Milan in Italy,
• BARTEC AS in Sandness, Norway,
• BARTEC Nederland B. V. in Ridderkerk, the Netherlands,
• BARTEC Varnost d.o.o. in Zagorje ob Savi in Slovenia.

Outside Europe there are production sites:

• BR. BARTEC MIDDLE EAST LCLC in Dammam in Saudi Arabia,
• BARTEC Pte Ltd in Singapore, Signapore,
• BARTEC China in Shangai, China,
• BARTEC ORB in Chicago, USA.

Awards

• Regula Award (2006)
• Innovationspreis der Deutschen Industrie (2007)
• AUTOMATION AWARD (2007)
• expo PetroTrans Innovation Award (2008)
• TOP 3 PROCESS Innovation Award (2009)
• Successful participation in the TOP 100 company comparison (2009, 2012)
• Inclusion in the lexicon of German world market leaders - Lexikon der deutschen Weltmarktführer (2010)
• TYPO3 Website award for the new website (2023)