60 years of HANSA-FLEX

At the beginning of the 1960s, replacement hydraulic components were difficult to find in Germany. Joachim Armerding saw the potential and started assembling hydraulic hose lines at home on the green workbench in his garage. He delivered the hose lines personally to his customers. In 1969, his friend Günter Buschmann joined the fledgling firm. This laid the foundations for today’s family company. In 1986, the founders’ sons joined the company. By the end of 1988, HANSA‑FLEX had grown from a small garage operation into a company operating across Germany with a total of 21 branches.

German reunification and the fall of the Iron Curtain signal two decades of rapid growth for HANSA‑FLEX. The first foreign branch is founded in 1989 in Elst, the Netherlands, and is followed by numerous branches in other European countries. In 1995, Thomas Armerding and Uwe Buschmann take over the management of the company. Soon after that, the company’s first branch outside Europe is founded in Iskenderun, Turkey. Branches in North and South America, and Africa follow in 1999 and 2001 respectively. At the end of 2009, the company’s Asian head office is established in Shanghai, China, for fulfilling the demands of the market in Asia. By May 2008, there are a total of 338 HANSA‑FLEX locations in 35 countries, including 182 in Germany.

With the advance of global digitalisation, HANSA‑FLEX increases its investment in the company’s digital infrastructure and associated services. The HANSA‑FLEX app, online shop and customer portal My.HANSA‑FLEX provide real added value. New international subsidiaries are established in countries such as Australia, United Kingdom and India. In 2019, the global organisation and digitalisation project PHOENIX starts. In 2020, HANSA‑FLEX AG is working for more than 150,000 active customers across the world.