The word BOMAG usually conjures images of bright yellow equipment used for compacting soil and asphalt. However, we’ve managed to uncover some interesting facts about the company -- like what the name is an acronym for. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we’d like to talk about the BOMAG company.

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The Basics

According to their website, BOMAG in an award-winning company that specializes in machines for compaction -- and that includes the compaction of asphalt, refuse, and soil -- but their portfolio also includes pavers and milling machines. About every seven years, they introduce a new generation of updated equipment.

BOMAG has their American headquarters in Ridgeway, South Carolina. They employ about 2,200 people and bring in an annual revenue of over $900 million. They have production plants in China, Italy, Brazil, Germany, and the United States.

What BOMAG Stands For

BOMAG stands for Bopparder Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft mbH, and their headquarters are located in Boppard, Germany along the shores of the Rhine River.

BOMAG’s Founder

BOMAG was founded by Karl Heinz Schwamborn and Benno Kaltenegger. They began the company, now an undisputed worldwide leader in compaction technology, in a two-garage garage in a small German town with a population of less than 16,000. However, this location was excellent: it was across from a freight depot and only 56 miles from the much larger city of Mainz Germany.

How Old is Bomag?

BOMAG was founded in 1957, making them 61 years old in 2018. They are certainly not a new company in the construction and compaction market, but they remain at the forefront of innovation and research.

BOMAG’s Trademark Color

Most, if not all, equipment manufacturers have a trademark color for their equipment -- Bobcat is white and orange, John Deere is green and yellow. Since the 1990s, Bomag is known for a distinctive bright yellow coating made by Worwag. This makes it easy to spot and recognize BOMAG equipment.

By Classiccardinal [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Who Owns BOMAG

Currently, the German company BOMAG is owned by the Fayat Group of France. Fayat acquired BOMAG in 2005 from the American SPX corporation.

Some Notable Accomplishments

BOMAG machines have helped to create over 3.7 million miles of road worldwide. One of BOMAG’s most notable accomplishments was the invention of the world’s very first double vibratory rollers with an all-drum drive. This hand-guided machine was known as the BW 60 and came out during their first year of operation. A few years later, the BW 200 came out. This machine also had double vibratory rollers, but unlike the BW 60 it was a ride-on machine.

In 1996, they introduced a system for automating compaction, which proved to be the world’s first, and then two years later adapted it so it could be used on self-propelled rollers. BOMAG also launched a system for optimized compaction of asphalt known as Asphalt Manager in 2001.

Currently, BOMAG operates the world’s largest facility for the research of compaction, which was originally built in 1972.

Conclusion

BOMAG equipment is considered by many owners and operators to be the gold standard for heavy equipment in road preparation and compaction. If you need a final drive for your BOMAG, let us know. We carry a wide variety of hydraulic motors for BOMAG machines.