Company history

The story of ARMINIUS began in the early 1960s.
Inspired by the regional furniture industry, Manfred Brinkmann, the companys founder and a budding engineer, researched mechanical methods for the sanding process. He used the industrial breakthrough from manual work to automation as a starting point for his research.

Company history in chronological order

1940: The factory for agricultural machinery in Heiligenkirchen, Germany, founded in 1872 by Gustav Wendiggensen is taken over from the third generation of the Wendiggensen family, by Heinrich Arndt and Wilhelm Brinkmann.

1945: The company Arndt & Brinkmann, founded in 1940, employed over 20 people after the end of the war. In addition to trade and repair of agricultural machinery and tractors, the company continued with the still well-known range of Wendiggensen machines.

1955: Through business contacts with one of the Detmold furniture factories, the company became aware of the need for a sanding unit for furniture door rabbets for use on a spindle moulder. This resulted in the first sanding disc with an exchangeable sanding ring, this was made from moulded cardboard and was coated with sandpaper.

1958: Development of a fully independent edge sanding machine. This was presented for the first time at the Hanover Fair in April 1958.

1959: Manfred Brinkmann began an apprenticeship as a machinist in his fathers company. In the meantime, the range of products for abrasives had extended to include sanding rings for finishing edges and for sanding radii on the edges of furniture. Instead of the cardboard core, they switched to a thin-walled plastic form carrier early on.

1960: The machines were launched under the Arminius name. The predecessor company Wendiggensen had already marketed their mill construction products under the Arminius name, a reference to the Hermann Monument visible from the Arndt & Brinkmann factory.

1961: For the first time, an Arminius machine was also exhibited abroad, at the Basel trade fair in Switzerland, as well as at the annual Hanover Fair.

1965: An independent division was set up in the factory in Heiligenkirchen to cope with the production of the ever increasing demand for sanding rings.

1970: The founders Arndt & Brinkmann planned the future corporate structure for the company. In 1971, Arndt & Brinkmann OHG became Arminius-Maschinenbau Arndt & Brinkmann GmbH & Co KG, Manfred Brinkmann was the Managing Director.

1974: Acquisition of special machines for the manufacture of sanding rings (previously external). Wilhelm Brinkmann dies of a heart attack on a business trip.

1975: It was now possible to manufacture sanding rings and carry out all the tool making independently in-house in Heiligenkirchen.

1978: The sanding tools product division is completely separated from the machine building department. Two new production companies are founded: Arminius Maschinenbau GmbH and Arminius Schleifmittel GmbH. One of the aims of the split is to open up markets for sanding tools to other machine manufacturers too. The previous company is renamed to Arndt & Brinkmann GmbH & Co KG, its business activities are limited to letting operating premises and portable equipment.

1979: Arminius Maschinenbau GmbH relocates to Detmold-Eichholz, Arminius Schleifmittel GmbH remains in Detmold-Heiligenkirchen.

1985: The Homag Group took over Arminius Maschinenbau GmbH, while Arminius Schleifmittel focused on its core business of "profile sanding tools", where they are the sole market leader. Employee numbers increase to more than 50 people in the meantime.

2004: A 100% subsidiary, Arminius Tooling Inc., is founded in the USA, in Foreston MN.

2015: Change of ownership: at 75 years old, Manfred Brinkmann enters his well-deserved retirement. Rolf Berkemann and Heiko Lange will now lead Arminius into the future.

2016: As in recent decades, Arminius Schleifmittel GmbH is active around the world, both directly and via dealers. You can also find us at trade fairs around the world.