Berna

Berna was a Swiss manufacturer of trucks, buses and trolley buses.

History

1902 Joseph Wyss began in Bern with the production of motor vehicles under the brand name Berna.

1904 an extension of the premises was necessary, and the company moved to Olten. The brand name Berna was retained.

1905 Berna started the production of trucks. Customers were private industry, public and private transport companies, fire service in many communities and armies of several countries. After the First World War the company was for a few years in English hands, before it was taken over again by Swiss investors.

1929 acquired the Adolph Saurer AG in Arbon, then the market leader in Swiss truck production, the majority of shares in Berna. Under the leadership Saurer, Olten vehicles were developed jointly with the Arboner trucks, and also in the production of components synergies were used.

1944 Construction of the first cannon melee It remained, however, in a prototype.

As of 1974, the vehicle assembly took place exclusively at Saurer Arbon. In Olten only components were produced. The Berna brand was but continue to be marketed independently. Until the end of each type could also be ordered with the Bear logo and Berna lettering.

1982: When, towards the end of the 1960s the hitherto protected Swiss truck market for foreign suppliers was opened, the comparatively small Swiss manufacturer came under pressure. As a result, Saurer 1982, the end of the production of commercial vehicles was finally known. The newly founded NAW under the leadership of Mercedes still produced the already appointed private truck and the recently given yet by the Swiss army in order 1200 pieces 6DM and 10DM.

1983, the last to be built for civilian use truck was delivered.

In 1987, the last Saurer 10DM the Swiss Army was passed.

End of vehicle production

In the phase of Marktöffung in the truck recognized the management of Berna, that in the long run would not let keep the truck production in Switzerland. The company was therefore rebuilt. The surface metallurgy was developed to the core business. Two areas have been formed, a so-called thin-film and thick-film division. Wherein the thin layer systems have been developed and constructed for the coating of surfaces with metals in the PVD process. In the thick layers plasticizing were protected with a special spinning process against wear and corrosion. Both divisions were developed independently and in 2003 by the Saurer Group, which until then continue to the shares of Berna held as two separate companies sold. From the thin-film division, the company IonBond, a company that facilitates the construction of CVD and PVD Beschichtungsanlgen and offers these coatings in numerous service centers as contract coating was formed. From the thick film division Bernex the bimetal AG, the coated and plasticizing plasticizing ( new plant in the Czech Republic ) was produced.