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Our History and Milestones

Our History and Milestones

From an idea to a global technology leader.

For more than 75 years, Oerlikon Balzers has stood for pioneering developments and global technology leadership in thin-film coatings. We live our passion for surface solutions with a unique combination of sustainability, innovative drive, entrepreneurial spirit and tradition. This benefits our customers – and our environment – yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Timeline

Timeline filter

With the support of Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein and Swiss industrialist Emil Georg Bührle, Professor Max Auwärter founds the Gerätebauanstalt Balzers. In 1976, Balzers AG is integrated into the Oerlikon Group.

This is how the success story of Oerlikon Balzers' thin-film coating began in 1946, a surface technology without which large parts of global industry would today have to produce in a significantly more expensive, energy- and resource-intensive manner – not to mention the many functionalities that would not exist in numerous products without thin-film coating.

  • With the support of Prince Franz Josef II and Swiss industrialist Emil Georg Bührle, Professor Max Auwärter founded the Gerätebauanstalt Balzers.
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