Bito-Lagertechnik Bittmann GmbH bids farewell to its owner Fritz August Bittmann, who passed away at the beginning of November at the age of 88.
Since 1959, Fritz August Bittmann has strongly characterised the company in the fourth generation. Bito was founded in 1845 and originally manufactured hollow spheres for the jewellery industry and metal fittings for the leather goods industry. Fritz August Bittmann managed the family business, which was still based in his birthplace of Idar-Oberstein-Weierbach (Bito stands for Bittmann Oberstein), and then took it to the next level. into the world of warehouse technology and made Bito from a regional manufacturer to an internationally active intralogistics group of companies and one of the largest employers in the region.
When he joined the company, it employed around 40 people. Today, 1,330 employees work at Bito worldwide, of which 890 are at the two sites in Meisenheim and Lauterecken. The company is also currently represented by a total of 19 subsidiaries in almost all European countries, in Dubai, in the USA and in Canada and operates a further production plant in Poland.
His commitment to the region was also evident in his commitment to the region and was expressed in his social commitment. Together with his wife, he founded the Bittmann Foundation, which supports children and young people in the areas of education and sport, as well as medical care in the region. For its entrepreneurial and social performance he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in 2013. The town of Meisenheim awarded him the seal of the town in 2005 and in 2018 he was presented with the strictly limited town ring of honour.
Even after his Resigned from the company as official managing director in 2009 Fritz August Bittmann was involved in the fortunes of his company until the very end. He also ensured at an early stage that the entire group of companies would continue to exist on a solid basis after his death. His wife Sabine Bittmann as owner, Winfried Schmuck as Chairman of the Managing Directors, Dominik Freyland-Mahling as Managing Director Production and Uwe Sponheimer as Managing Director Sales have been jointly responsible for the management of the company together with the Bito Advisory Board for many years.
Source: Bito
