Precision and personality in the Hohenlohe region BASS GmbH: Where high-tech "Made in Niederstetten" is created

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Bass GmbH & Co. KG

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In the middle of the Hohenlohe countryside, between fields and half-timbered houses, stands a building that hardly seems to fit into the rural setting: glass, light, clear lines - architecture that breathes high-tech. This is where BASS GmbH produces threading tools that are used worldwide in turbines, landing gear and structural components in the aerospace industry. A hidden champion that shows that innovation, sustainability and a familiar corporate culture are not a contradiction in terms.

Since 1947, BASS has been developing and manufacturing tools for internal thread machining - cutting, forming and milling tools that are used worldwide in machines, engines and structural components. What once began as a small toolmaking company is now a company with 166 employees and an international reach. Since 2019, BASS has been part of the Japanese OSG Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of precision tools. And yet the spirit of the family business has remained: reliable, approachable, with high standards for its own work.

A tour of the production halls makes this claim visible. Tools with tolerances in the micrometer range are produced in three wings - soft machining, hard machining, storage and dispatch. Everything seems well thought out, calm, almost meditative. The processes are organized in such a way that every move is perfect. The atmosphere is more reminiscent of a laboratory than a workshop.

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"We see ourselves as a technology partner to our customers," says Head of Development Norbert Kuhnhäuser. "Our tools have to work in materials that are a challenge even for experienced machinists - such as titanium, Inconel (nickel-chromium superalloys) or Hastelloy (nickel-based alloy)." It is precisely where conventional tools reach their limits that BASS feels at home.

Precision for extreme materials

Behind every tool is a deep understanding of the material, process and application. BASS combines decades of experience with modern simulation technology and precision manufacturing. For the aerospace industry, we produce taps and thread milling cutters that are specially designed for high-strength and difficult-to-machine materials - materials that are used in turbines, landing gear or structural components.

The AVANT TIH13 and VARIANT NI series are among the company's best-known developments. They are optimized for titanium and nickel alloys with high temperature resistance and low thermal conductivity. A conventional tool would overheat or break out here - BASS meets these challenges with adapted chip formation, newly developed cutting edge geometries and precisely controlled hardening.

The company also focuses on diversity when it comes to the manufacturing processes themselves: thread cutting, thread forming and thread milling cover different applications - from maximum dimensional accuracy to high process reliability in series production. Even J-profiles and rounded 60-degree profiles, which prevent cracks from forming at thread outlets, are standard.

"We don't just supply customers with catalog products, but solutions," says Kuhnhäuser. "When a customer develops a new component, we are often already involved in the design phase in order to safeguard the processing." This close integration between development, production and application technology is what makes the medium-sized company a genuine technology partner.

The expertise that BASS has built up here extends far beyond the craft. It is the result of decades of experience in materials science, process analysis and tool geometry. Anyone who works with high-strength steels, duplex materials or nickel alloys knows that machining reaches its physical limits. Tool manufacturers such as BASS must therefore not only manufacture precisely, but also understand the structure of the materials.

It is remarkable how naturally tradition and the future are combined at BASS. The tools are produced in a building that is itself a statement: ecologically designed, with recooling units for energy-saving air conditioning, heat exchangers for machine cooling and recycling systems for grinding sludge. For this concept, BASS was awarded the Hugo Häring Prize and the Grand Nike - two of the most prestigious architecture prizes in Germany.

Just as the production exudes efficiency, the company structure also conveys stability. 166 employees, 13 of whom are in training - that is remarkable for a company of this size. Training is a central component of the corporate culture. In addition, there are flexible working hours, job bike leasing, health offers and individual training programs.

Those who work here seem to know why. "We have employees who have been with us for over 40 years - and those who stay straight after their training," says Thomas Deschle, Head of Marketing. "This mixture of experience and curiosity is one of our greatest values."

In Germany, industrial production is often regarded as a discontinued model, which is why a visit to Niederstetten is like a reminder of what precision and craftsmanship are all about. This is no mere showroom, but a functioning piece of industry: clear, concentrated and surprisingly modern.

Made in Germany is not an advertising slogan here, but an attitude: precision as a matter of course, quality as a daily exercise.

And perhaps this is what makes this company so special - the unagitated way in which world-class products are created here. (mbf)