The focus has always been on forward-looking topics. The company was founded in 1976 by Max Roßkopf and three other colleagues of the Ludwigsburg toolmaker Karl Hüller to develop assembly systems for the automotive industry. Collaborations with Trumpf and Robert Bosch GmbH strengthened the then teamtechnik Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH, and six years later the start-up moved into its own premises in Freiberg am Neckar. A first major order from Bosch in Cardiff, Wales, made the automation experts known beyond the region.
The module concept brings the breakthrough
In 1990, the company developed its first modular assembly platform as part of a European research and development cooperation. The modularity of stations and processes was a first in the industry. In contrast to the rigid special plant construction that had dominated until then, standardization made it possible to plan and build plants faster and more cost-effectively. Especially for industries with short innovation cycles, this concept proved to be a decisive competitive advantage. In the years that followed, "e-mobility", "medical technology" and "new energies" with solar technology and battery production increasingly became the focus of business activities. Since 2005, the modular concepts have been supported by its own software products.
Internationalization and market leadership
Under the leadership of Stefan Roßkopf, who took over the management from his father in 2002, the company developed internationally with subsidiaries in the USA and China and achieved the leading position in stringer technology for solar cell production in 2012. Two years later, the global market leadership in the field of transmission testing followed. The automation specialist has been part of the Dürr Group since 2021 and is part of its BBS Automation business unit. With around 2,500 employees at 20 locations on three continents, BBS Automation is the second largest company in its industry worldwide.
Commitment to the location
In 2025, BBS Automation's approximately 1,000-square-meter training center in Freiberg was modernized and expanded. Since September 2025, the training has been taking place there together with Dürr Systems AG, which is primarily active in painting technology. By investing in the promotion of young talent, the company is sending a clear signal for Germany as a business location and at the same time strengthening the competitiveness of the region.
"We combine technological excellence with a real enthusiasm for automation. In an industry that is developing rapidly, only those who remain curious and open will be successful. This has been part of our orientation for five decades – and will continue to be our compass in the future," explains Ralf Kimmel, Managing Director of BBS Automation in Freiberg on the occasion of the company's 50th anniversary.
