History

How it all began

Alfred Thun established the company in 1919, initially under the name of "Saure, Thun & Co., Fahrradzubehör" ("Saure, Thun & Co., Bicycle Accessories"), since at the time there were three other partners involved.

During this period immediately after the First World War, there was a lack of transportation. Wealthy people could indeed afford cars and horses, but what the masses needed were bicycles. The first production facility was a closed hammer mill on a street called Am Brauck, where Alfred Thun started to manufacture steering kits for bicycles.

Development, setbacks, shut-down and recovery in Ennepetal

In 1933, "Saure & Thun" took over another hammer mill on a street named Peddenöde, where it introduced a procedure that was little-known at the time: cold processing. This method enabled cost-effective yet high-quality products to be manufactured and supplied to a wide range of bicycle makers. In 1935, Alfred Thun became the sole owner of the company. A major fire destroyed the factory in 1937, although it was quickly rebuilt in its entirety. By 1939, the workforce had grown to 120 employees.

However, the company's development was brought to a halt by the Second World War. Many employees were called up for military service or were obliged to work in firms that were critical to the war effort. By the end of the war, only 30, mainly female, employees remained. But thanks to the "permit to reopen" granted by the British occupying force, production of bicycle components began again shortly after the war ended. This was also the time when 21-year-old Alfred Thun II joined the company. The currency reform of 1948 allowed German industry and, as a consequence, this Ennepetal-based firm to experience a much longed-for recovery.

Due to this upturn, by 1952 the Brauck factory was already in need of expansion. An administration building was also constructed at the Peddenöde site in 1958. By now, the company employed an impressive 250 people. Its core business was in steering kits and sprocket fixtures, with the latter being produced by seven manufacturers in Germany alone at that time, with other competitors found in France, Spain, Italy and England, for example.

Internationalisation

Alfred Thun S.p.A. was founded in 1960, thus taking over the business operations of Tarditti S.r.l. Production of sprocket fixtures began in 1961, initially in rented premises in Borgomanero, Italy. 1966 saw the construction of the company's own factory in Briga, covering 41,000 square metres and employing over 200 people.

In the early 1960s, the company benefited from the innovations introduced by Alfred Thun II, with these developments influencing first European and later worldwide production of sprocket fixtures. New production technologies offered significant advantages in terms of low material consumption, high energy efficiency and process reliability. So by the mid-1990s, the Briga factory had risen to become the world's market leader as regards the technology used to manufacture sprocket fixtures. Thun was making 35,000 sprocket fixtures every working day at this one site alone. During this time, around 30% of turnover was regularly invested in new production plants.

Thanks to joint venture agreements made with production facilities in the USA, Belgium, France, Italy, Mexico, Yugoslavia and Brazil, cold forming technology spread throughout the entire western world. In 1980, with the foundation of Thun Inc. in Tennessee, USA, the company even reached the position of market leader for this part of the world. The Far East market finally started to be developed in 1988, when a branch factory was established in Taiwan. By then the Thun Group had 2000 employees around the world.

The launch of the mountain bike

In 1990, Thun had a global presence, thanks to its leading production technology, which was recognised as such all over the world. It was at this time that the sector experienced a sea change: In just a few short years, the mountain bike (designed in the mid-1970s in California) squeezed out familiar bicycle models such as sports, touring, racing and folding bikes. This meant that a new generation of bicycle components, such as shifting systems, brakes and sprocket fixtures, also known as "component groups", were in a position to push existing components out of the market, which led to dozens of providers going under all across Europe.

Thun gradually sold or closed all its international joint ventures. Since the end of the 1990s, production has been solely focused on the Ennepetal site.

Focus on Ennepetal

After 40 years in northern Italy (from where the family's ancestors hailed), Thun returned to Ennepetal, where Alfred Thun III focused on producing inner bearings in the mid-price range. Today, around 40,000 inner bearings are manufactured here on a daily basis and then sold all over the world - even in China.

Today and tomorrow

Of eight global manufacturers of inner bearings, Thun is the only one in Europe: Where there were once 100 providers of sprocket fixtures, no others now remain in the region. This situation is also reflected for many other components. Just a handful of providers remain in the relevant segments, who now do business on a global level.

Since 2005, Thun has been concentrating on process quality, cost management and creating the right focus and it has recognised that this combination requires a new generation of employees - young people with excellent training. However, every step is well thought through and taken in the context of almost 100 years of experience and tradition.

Alexander Thun joined the company in 2009, thus representing the fourth generation of his family to do so. Christian Thun will join in 2013, once he finishes his studies in London.

Electromobility

Just like all its other partners and competitors, Thun saw the idea of "electromobility" as a challenge to be met. Growing populations in large urban centres, the up-and-coming buzzword "intermobility" and the urgent need to reduce CO2 emissions are just the three key issues at play. Since 2010, the product range has therefore also included system components for pedelecs, as well as safety cabinets for lithium batteries (with the latter closing a known safety gap).

Timeline