Bender Celebrates 75 Years

“Prove what you can do by doing it."

This was the motto of Dietrich Christian Bender, son of the inventor of the ISOMETER® and company founder Walther Hans Bender. This way of thinking guided Dietrich through four decades of management and helped create the conditions for the company we have come to know as Bender. This company exemplifies this motto by growing globally and providing innovative solutions to many vital industries.

Our beginnings

In May 1945, after several months of looking for a job and being unsuccessful in finding one, Walther Bender began working from his shed. He turned his attention back to his patented idea from 1937 — insulation monitoring for mining applications.

Walther knew working in mines was a risky business. Poor circulation of air, low visibility, and low-quality equipment have led to many serious mining accidents over the previous few centuries. In the 1940s, powered tools and electric lights were introduced as a significant step forward, but any maintenance still required power to be switched off. Shut down mines meant all work halted, and workers went unpaid for this period. 

Thanks to Walther's invention of the world's first insulation monitor, a constant and reliable power source was always available to keep miners safer and continuously monitor the electrical supply. Walther initiated a revolution in electrical safety with his insulation monitoring devices from that moment on. In 1946, he founded Walther Bender GmbH & Co. KG, in Grünberg, Hessen Germany.

Bender today and the next 75 years

Today, Bender comprises subsidiaries on four continents with nearly 1,100 employees worldwide. We continue to see our mission for the future to offer even more innovative and intelligent solutions that enable people and machines around the globe to handle electricity safely.

Mutual respect and acting as a community are indispensable elements of our company values. This also includes assuming social responsibility, which is part of the company’s DNA and reflects the thinking and actions of Walther Bender. In 2021, Bender supported the SELAM Children’s Village & Training Center in Ethiopia to support this mission. The goal is to provide 20 young people with electrical engineering training leading to an accredited vocational qualification. Bender is proud to support this mission and will provide more project details to our internal colleagues and external connections as this initiative progresses.

Further information about the anniversary, including historical posts, Bender’s vision for the future, and exciting news, can be found on our LinkedIn page.