When we started selling rolling bearing and drive technology out of our garage 20 years ago, the first iPod came onto the market and the EURO was introduced as the new currency. A lot has happened since then – and so have we.
We thank you, our customers, business partners and suppliers, for 20 years of loyalty and cooperation. It is great that you have accompanied us over many years of growth.
Events at W+A and in the world from 2001-2021
Hugo and Sven Bäuerle start their successful family business. In their garage, the idea of W+A is born.
The IPod is launched. The German Wikipedia is launched. The Bundeswehr begins basic training for women in arms. The most memorable event was the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the USA on 11 September 2001.
"Dayligth in your eyes" – No Angels, "Can`t get you out of my head" – Kylie Minogue, "Lady Marmelade" - Christina Aguilera
Harry Potter", "The Lord of the Rings", "The Chronicles of Narnia".
W+A goes WordWideWeb. Our first company website goes live.
Introduction of euro coins and banknotes in the EU. Flood of the century on the Elbe. Halle Berry becomes the first African-American actress to win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Mensch – Herbert Grönemeyer, Hot in here – Nelly, Get the party started – Pink, Las Ketchup – The Ketchup Song
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ice Age
Frank Wezler, today's sales manager, begins his career at W+A.
The deposit on one-way bottles is introduced in Germany. Arnold Scharzenegger becomes Governor of California. Casting show boom in Germany, triggered by Deutschland sucht den Superstar. The band Modern Talking breaks up in the summer. Voodoo is officially recognised as a religion in Haiti. The last Beetle rolls off the production line in Mexico.
Lose Yourself- Eminem, Where ist the love – Black Eyed Peas, White Flag - Dido
Pirates of the Caribbean, Bruce Almighty, Good Bye Lenin, The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
W+A doubles turnover since its foundation in 2001.
Mobile phones are increasingly equipped with colour displays and integrated digital cameras. Mark Zuckerberg starts the company Facebook as a student at Harvard University. Greece becomes European football champion for the first time. Coach Otto "Rehakles" Rehhagel. SpaceShip One becomes the first private craft to reach space. Musician Ray Charles dies.
Shut Up – The Black Eyed Peas, Perfekte Welle - Juli, Lebt Denn Dr Alte Holzmichl Noch...?
The Day after Tomorrow, Troy, (T)Spaceship Surprise, The Fall, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The expertise in all sectors is growing. The demand increases. Plans for the expansion of the business and storage premises are maturing.
Angela Merkel is elected by the Bundestag as the first female Chancellor in the history of Germany. Joseph Ratzinger is elected as Pope. Excellent year for German Riesling wine. Worldwide, 6,912 languages are actively used - of which more than half are threatened with endangerment because they are hardly or no longer passed on to children.
Schnappi das kleine Krokodil - Schnappi, Durch den Monsun – Tokio Hotel, Emanuela – Fettes Brot, Don`t Cha – The Pussycat Dolls
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Anika Bäuerle joined the successfully growing company.
Summer fairy tale: The Men's World Cup in Germany sparks an unprecedented euphoria in Germany. Wikileaks is founded. The Wii console is launched. Brown bear Bruno is spotted in Bavaria.
54, '74, '90, 2006 Sportfreunde Stiller, Crazy – Gnarls Barkley, Maneater – Nelly Furtado
Ice Age 2, James Bond 007 – Casino Royal, Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean 2
We reduce printing costs, create space in our file racks - We start the paperless office. Digitalisation helps us to run the company more efficiently with the right processes.
Apple's iPhone is launched. For the first time in human history, more people live in cities than in the countryside. Schengen Agreement: Since 21 December, citizens of the European Union can cross the borders to the new EU countries without passport control. The Bundestag passes the pension at 67. 7 new wonders of the world are named: including the Colosseum, Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, Great Wall of China.
Ein Stern (… der deinen Namen trägt) - DJ Ötzi & Nik P., Don`t stop the music – Rihanna, Hamma – Culcha Candela
Keinohrhasen, Ocean`s 13, Shrek 3, Transformers, 300, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Lissi & der wilde Kaiser
The sales office was expanded and the storage area extended. Regional sales continue to grow, new colleagues join the team. W + A now has 8 employees.
The Blu-ray Disc prevails over the HD DVD in the years-long high-definition format war in 2008. It is seen as the legitimate successor to the DVD. Global financial crisis. Barak Obama is elected the first African-American president of the USA. Inauguration of the world's first automatic underground in Nuremberg.
I kissed a girl – Katy Perry, This is the Life – Amy McDonald, Mercy - Duffy
Mamma Mia, James Bond 007 – Quantum of Solace, The Dark Knight
In mid-2009: As part of the business succession of Schmitz Kugellager GmbH, W+A is expanding its business in Rheinstetten near Karslruhe. The Schmitz family and Susanne Greif continue to run the branch in the spirit of W+A.
The Bitcoin is launched. Michael Jackson the King of pop dies. We have survived swine flu and the car scrappage bonus, the near collapse of the SPD and the Growth Acceleration Act, Tokio Hotel and the climate change crisis.
Ayo Technology – Milow, Dance with somebody – Mando Diao, Heavy Cross- Gossip, Haus am See- Peter Fox
Slumdog Millionär, Twillight, Avatar, Harry Potter and the halfmoon prince, Inglourious Basterds
W + A is growing despite the tense economic situation. With the new employees Sylvia Sattmann and Joachim Klapper and even more storage capacity, the desire for a larger building grows. The planning begins
The growing influence of YouTubers, bloggers and influencers on the internet and in the media is giving rise to a new profession. Sebastian Vettel becomes the youngest Formula 1 world champion. Lena Meyer-Landrut wins the 55th Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo for Germany with her song "Satellite". The Eyafjallajöküll volcano brings air traffic to a standstill.
I Like- Keri Hilson, I Will love you Monday – Aura Dione, Geboren um zu leben - Unheilig
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I, Inception, Eclipe - Until the Sunset
Ten-year company anniversary. Claudia Diemschnig and Toni Köhler join the team. Focus on sales in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. Mr. Schmitz from the branch in Rheinstetten goes on his well-deserved retirement.
Nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The last edition of "Wetten Dass" with Thomas Gottschalk. Arab Spring. Wedding of Prince William and Cathrine Middleton. Germans have searched for smartphones, block games (Minecraft) and tablet computers more often this year than ever before.
Rolling in the deep – Adele, Good Feeling -Flo Rida, Grenade – Bruno Mars, Born this Way – Lady Gaga
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II, The Kings Speech, Kokowäh, Breaking Dawn
The new, welcoming, bright company building in Langenargen is ready for use: with 300 sqm of office space, 1,000 sqm of storage space - and potential for the future. W + A becomes a trading partner of NSK Deutschland GmbH.
The Austrian base jumper and extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner dares a stratospheric jump from a height of 39 kilometres at a speed of up to 1,324 kilometres per hour. A huge ship lies off the Italian coast, unable to manoeuvre. Dance of the year: Gangnam Style.
Skyfall – Adele, I Follow rivers – Lykke Li, Tage wie dieser – Die Toten Hosen, Diamonds – Rihanna
The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey, The Dark Knight rises, James Bond 007 – Skyfall, Türkisch für Anfänger
EN ISO 9001 certification is awarded. Christian Schorer joins the sales team.
NSA affair by Edward Snowden. London Underground, the oldest underground railway in the world, turns 150. Pope Benedict is the first pope to resign since 1294.
Royals – Lorde, Wake me up – Avicii, I see fire – Ed Sheeran
The Hobbit: Smaug's Desolation, The Tributes of Panem - Catching Fire, Gravitiy, Fack Ju Göhte!, Frozen.
The number of distribution cooperations increases. Distribution partnerships are signed with Henkel (Loctite/Teroson) and OKS. Irina Grischko joins the team.
The 25-year-old singer and travesty artist Thomas Neuwirth wins the Eurovision Song Contest as the full-bearded art figure Conchita Wurst with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix". The men's German national football team wins the 20th World Cup in Brazil. The Apple Watch is introduced in the USA.
Atemlos – Helene Fischer, Rather be- Clean Bandit, Auf uns – Andreas Bourani, Au revoir – Mark Forster
The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies, Honig im Kopf, Monsieur Claude and His Daughters
We celebrate 15 years of W+A. Sales partnership with TIMKEN GmbH. Expansion of the portfolio in the area of rolling bearing and drive technology.
Refugee crisis. Attack on the editorial office of the satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo" in Paris. VW emissions scandal. Angelo Merkel is Time Magazine's Person of the Year. For the first time, the world agrees on a common climate treaty.
Astronaut – Sido, Sugar –Robin Schulz, Hello – Adele, Ain`t nobody – Felix Jaehn
Minions, Star Wars - The Force Awakens, Fack Ju Göhte 2, James Bond 007 -Spectre
Ralf Becker took over the purchasing department and has since managed the merchandise management at W+A.
Angelique Kerber wins Australian and US Open. Jan Böhmermann publishes defamatory poem about Erdogan. The British vote to leave the EU. Bob Dylan becomes the first musician to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Pokemon go comes to Germany. Donald Trump becomes the 45th President of the USA.
Faded – Alan Wlaker, Cheap Thrills – Sia, Die immer lacht – Stereoact feat. Kerstin Ott
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Revenant, Pets, Deadpool
W + A becomes a trading partner of STIEBER GmbH and Koyo Deutschland GmbH. The international trade will be extended continuously.
Marriage for all - The Bundestag passes same-sex marriage. Donald Trump is sworn in. Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg opens after 11 years of construction.
Shape of you – Ed Sheeran, Despacito – Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee, Thunder – Imagine Dragons
La la Land, Fack Ju Göhte 3, Star Wars -The Last Jedi, I- simply incorrigible
Our new website is launched. W+A becomes the new distribution partner of Wippermann jr. GmbH and Koyo.
The 15-year-old Swedish Greta Thunberg and her school strike for the climate "Fridays for Future" are attracting worldwide attention. Hundreds of thousands demonstrate in Germany and around 100 other countries. The GDPR is introduced in the EU.
Perfect – Ed Sheeran, In my mind – Dynoro & Gigi D`Agostino, Nevermind – Dennis Llloyd
Fantastic Beasts - Grindelwald's Crime, Avengers - Infinity War, Fifty Shades of Grey
Our long-time employee Ernst retires. We win 2nd place at the Company Run, even if only in the costume category.
30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Climate crisis. Major fire in the cathedral Notre Dame de Paris. Abolition of the german solidarity tax is decided.
Bad Guy – Billie Eilish, Old Town Road – Lil Nas X, Someone you loved – Lewis Capaldi
Star Wars 9, Frozen 2, Joker, Avengers: Endgame
Leadership change
Anika Bäuerle becomes the new managing director alongside Sven Bäuerle. From now on, Hugo Bäuerle will be at W+A's side as an advisor.
The year is marked by the COVID 19 pandemic. Demand for toilet paper increases by 211% in March. Wirecard scandal. 30th anniversary of German unification. Joe Biden becomes the new President of the USA. Great Britain leaves the EU. The last episode of Lindenstraße is broadcast. Opening of Berlin-Brandenburg Airport nine years after its completion.
Blinding Lights – The Weekend, Dance Monkey – Tones and I, Roller – Apache 207
Greenland, Jim Knopf und die wilde 13, Tenet
W+A Wälzlager- und Antriebstechnik GmbH was founded on 28 March 2011. In 2021 we celebrate our 20th anniversary with AHA rules and home office.
Current statistics:
employees
27
41%
59%
age Ø 38
“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
(Henry Ford)
Thank you for the many years of partnership:
Without our partner network, we would not be where we are today.
