Alloy Profiles: Borbet
History:
Borbet Leichtmetallräder (literally: Light Metal Wheels) was founded in 1881 as a brass foundry in the German province of Westphalia by Gustav Borbet. The foundry began sand casting aluminum in 1928, and the modern company was born in 1962 when Peter Wilhelm Borbet started sand casting, die casting and low-pressure casting of various aluminum parts and components, and born again in 1977 when the production of alloy wheels began.
Today, the company employs about 3,500 people in the main plant at Hallenberg-Hesborn, Germany, as well as many more in facilities across Germany, in South Africa, Austria and the United States.
Borbet is a well-respected wheelmaker, one of the oldest and considered one of the very best of the German aftermarket makers. It also produces OEM wheels for BMW, VW, Audi, Ford and other carmakers, and has the capacity to produce about 13 million wheels per year. Its Design A and Design C wheels are some of the most immediately and viscerally recognizable wheels ever designed.
Philosophy:
Borbet not only produces some of the greatest classic wheel designs of all time, but also continually pushes the envelope with respect to casting and design technologies. In recent years Borbet has been behind some of the most exciting new ways of finishing wheels, including the Borbet Brushed finish, and the brand new ExaPeel laser-assisted process.
Borbet is somewhat involved in motorsports sponsorship, supporting an FIA WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) team, as well as the MINI Challenge, and provides support for Instruktoren Börse, which provides driver safety training and competitive driver training across Germany.
Borbet also supports many other sports, including handball, bobsledding and equestrian teams. Borbet's equestrian support goes almost all the way back to the company's founding, and the company directly sponsored the German dressage team that won gold at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Technology:
True to their origins, Borbet's wheels are all cast aluminum, there is no forging taking place at their plants. Borbet's main plant in Hesborn runs 24 casting machines for 24 hours a day, with other plants that perform more casting and final machining of wheels. All of Borbet's plants use helium to test their wheels for imperfections instead of the usual water bath.
Borbet is one of the first light alloy wheel manufacturers to be certified to the ISO 9001 standard for its quality management system. Borbet has also earned ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system as well as ISO 9001 certification for quality management.
Inventory:
Design A:
One of the most recognizable wheel designs in the world, the Design A is a classic 5-star with very thick spokes that cover almost the whole face of the wheel.
Design C:
The seven very slightly flared spokes of the Design C also say Borbet loud and clear, although they are often imitated.
Design MA:
The brilliant machine-polished top finish contrasts well with the gloss black undercoat on this complex spoke design. The deep machined channels give an impression of the spokes being cradled by an independent supporting structure.
Design CC:
The wide spokes on the Design CC wheel function very well as canvasses for Borbet's innovative finishing technologies, whether the Borbet Brushed finish, which imprints haunting shadowy designs into the machined finish, or the newer ExaPeel process, which uses a laser to remove perfectly defined areas of paint to expose the colored primer beneath.
Borbet Leichtmetallräder (literally: Light Metal Wheels) was founded in 1881 as a brass foundry in the German province of Westphalia by Gustav Borbet. The foundry began sand casting aluminum in 1928, and the modern company was born in 1962 when Peter Wilhelm Borbet started sand casting, die casting and low-pressure casting of various aluminum parts and components, and born again in 1977 when the production of alloy wheels began.
Today, the company employs about 3,500 people in the main plant at Hallenberg-Hesborn, Germany, as well as many more in facilities across Germany, in South Africa, Austria and the United States.
Borbet is a well-respected wheelmaker, one of the oldest and considered one of the very best of the German aftermarket makers. It also produces OEM wheels for BMW, VW, Audi, Ford and other carmakers, and has the capacity to produce about 13 million wheels per year. Its Design A and Design C wheels are some of the most immediately and viscerally recognizable wheels ever designed.
Philosophy:
Borbet not only produces some of the greatest classic wheel designs of all time, but also continually pushes the envelope with respect to casting and design technologies. In recent years Borbet has been behind some of the most exciting new ways of finishing wheels, including the Borbet Brushed finish, and the brand new ExaPeel laser-assisted process.
Borbet is somewhat involved in motorsports sponsorship, supporting an FIA WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) team, as well as the MINI Challenge, and provides support for Instruktoren Börse, which provides driver safety training and competitive driver training across Germany.
Borbet also supports many other sports, including handball, bobsledding and equestrian teams. Borbet's equestrian support goes almost all the way back to the company's founding, and the company directly sponsored the German dressage team that won gold at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Technology:
True to their origins, Borbet's wheels are all cast aluminum, there is no forging taking place at their plants. Borbet's main plant in Hesborn runs 24 casting machines for 24 hours a day, with other plants that perform more casting and final machining of wheels. All of Borbet's plants use helium to test their wheels for imperfections instead of the usual water bath.
Borbet is one of the first light alloy wheel manufacturers to be certified to the ISO 9001 standard for its quality management system. Borbet has also earned ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system as well as ISO 9001 certification for quality management.
Inventory:
Design A:
One of the most recognizable wheel designs in the world, the Design A is a classic 5-star with very thick spokes that cover almost the whole face of the wheel.
Design C:
The seven very slightly flared spokes of the Design C also say Borbet loud and clear, although they are often imitated.
Design MA:
The brilliant machine-polished top finish contrasts well with the gloss black undercoat on this complex spoke design. The deep machined channels give an impression of the spokes being cradled by an independent supporting structure.
Design CC:
The wide spokes on the Design CC wheel function very well as canvasses for Borbet's innovative finishing technologies, whether the Borbet Brushed finish, which imprints haunting shadowy designs into the machined finish, or the newer ExaPeel process, which uses a laser to remove perfectly defined areas of paint to expose the colored primer beneath.
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