bito AG is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-incorporated company based in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. It was first a wholesaler, and later a manufacturer, of industrial

paint Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

s and finishes.

History

The company was founded in Berlin in 1966 by Rudolf Spitzley as a wholesale trader for industrial paint, pigment, colours and lacquer-varnish. Co-founders were Hans-Peter Haas and Gunther Wirth. In 1989, bito took over Wilhelm Detel GmbH in Uelzen. Today, the company owns branches in Eberswalde, Heinersdorf,

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

Spandau Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smallest borough by population, but the fourth largest by land ...

and

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. bito went public in 1999 under Joachim Spitzley, the founder's son.

Shift to production

In 2009, bito shifted from wholesale to production with a focus on research of colours and lacquer-varnishes. One major innovation of the company was the introduction of a green deposit system for containers and the use of recycled containers making Bito a pioneer of green chemical engineering and wholesale in Germany.

Sponsorship and charity

bito is a supporter of Berlin's local ice hockey team ''Die

Eisbären Berlin Eisbären Berlin (; English: ''Berlin Polar Bears'') is a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey, and is also one ...

'' and of ''

Robert Harting Robert Harting (; born 18 October 1984) is a retired German discus thrower. He represents the sports club SCC Berlin, his coach is Torsten Schmidt (athlete), Torsten Schmidt. He is a former Olympic, World, and European champion in the men's dis ...

'', the current Olympic, world and European champion in the men's discus throw, and local small business as well as artists. Joachim Spitzley founded the Initiative ''Made in Berlin'' a network to support regional trade and commerce.
. Made in Berlin . Retrieved on 19 January 2012.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official WebsiteTriangle Painting
German brands Paint manufacturers Manufacturing companies of Germany Companies based in Berlin Companies based in Hamburg Business services companies established in 1966 1966 establishments in Germany 1999 initial public offerings Chemical companies established in 2009