Carl Berkenhoff from Westphalia founds Berkenhoff GmbH as a wire drawing company for fine wire in the Rehmühle mill near Herborn-Merkenbach.

Carl Berkenhoff patents his discovery – the multiple wire drawing machine with four consecutive drawing processes. This invention revolutionizes the production of wires, as laborious individual drawing processes can be combined.

The businessman Paul Drebes joins the company, the company name changes to Berkenhoff & Drebes GmbH.

The wire drawing plant “Asslarer Hütte” near Wetzlar is bought to produce iron and steel wires. This is the beginning of the company location Asslar at Berkenhoff & Drebes.

In 1908 Berkenhoff established a wire drawing die tool factory in Herborn.

Carl Berkenhoff founds a metal company in a former brickyard in Kinzenbach, together with two other Southern German companies. Here, copper alloys are melted, cast, rolled, cut and processed into drawing wire.

In 1923, the trading company was converted into a stock corporation and renamed Berkenhoff & Drebes AG.

At the time of its 50th anniversary, the Berkenhoff Group employs 1350 people. Inflation and war throw the company back in development, but it survives this time.

From 1952, the production facilities in Merkenbach and Asslar are modernised and increasingly specialised. In the 1960s, Berkenhoff & Drebes AG was at the peak of its entrepreneurial development. From machine casting and metal melting to the manufacture of wire drawing tools, wire drawing machines and the production of fine wires to ropes and cables, Berkenhoff & Drebes AG manufactures everything itself – from a single source.

After the death of Eduard Berkenhoff, the last director of the Berkenhoff dynasty, the AG sells all its plants to the Westphalian Union in Hamm, and thus to the large Thyssen group.

Berkenhoff & Drebes GmbH becomes a 100 percent subsidiary of Thyssen Draht AG. Cable production and plastics processing are expanded.

The ropes factory in Merkenbach is relocated to Asslar.

The Asslar plant of Thyssen Draht AG becomes a subsidiary of Thyssen Stahl AG under the name bedea Berkenhoff & Drebes GmbH.

bedea Berkenhoff & Drebes GmbH gets independent.

With the development of the measurement system “CoMeT” the company reaches a milestone in measurement technology.

New markets open up for the Technical Yarns division with the installation of a new forming line.

The Herborn production plant is relocated to the main plant in Asslar.

The cable division is separated from the company bedea and founded as bda connectivity GmbH by the new managing directors Christian Harel and Eike Barczynski.

bda connectivity signs Charter of Diversity. The implementation of the Charter of Diversity in our organisation aims at creating a work environment free of prejudice. Wefoster an atmosphere of acceptanceand mutual trust.

A new product series is introduced with the antenna technology segment. bda connectivity thus offers antennas and passive components for networks up to 5G.