Bft Automation was founded in Thiene, Italy in 1981 with a focus on being customer-orientated. The approach of focusing on the customer, providing support and being easily available to customers, quickly won the loyalty of those working across the automation world.

The name Bft comes from Bonollo (name of the family), Francesco (name of the founding father) and Thiene (the town where the business was set up).

Over time, as the business grew, Bft began acquiring companies within the automation industry. Bft Automation opened the first branch in Germany after the acquisition of one of the largest customers in 2002. This was the first foray into a local market and the beginning of the process to understand each country’s individual requirements. From this initial step, Bft Automation began to diversify products and services to suit the needs of the local markets, whilst still prioritising customer satisfaction.

Bft Automation opened the first branch in the United Kingdom in 2004 after the acquisition of an automation business in the North of England. Three years later in 2007, a second automation business in the South of England was acquired, giving Bft Automation nationwide coverage in the UK. Finally in 2010 Bft Ireland was opened after the acquisition of a Dublin based automation business. Bft Automation now operates from three offices in Stockport, Swindon and Dublin giving total coverage of the UK and Ireland.

Since 2004 Bft Automation has been part of the Somfy Group: which has given us the support to gain significant market share and build a structured distribution network. A radical change that has facilitated the transition from a family-run business to a multinational organisation.

Bft Automation design, manufacture and distribute entrance automation technology which controls access for people and vehicles in residential, commercial and urban environments.

We are best known for door and gate automation technology but over the last 35 years, our product range has expanded to include traffic barriers, automatic bollards and parking management systems.

Our headquarters are based in Schio in the province of Vicenza, Northern Italy. We operate across 120 countries worldwide through 20 subsidiary branches and 530 distributors.

Bft Automation is organised into different business units vertical groupings which carry out the functions of a company within a company, sharing the information and skills that enable us to design the solutions that our customers have come to expect.

The Residential & Industrial business unit is focused on developing automated entry systems for private homes and businesses. The second business unit Commercial & Urban is dedicated to infrastructure solutions for larger-scale operators that experience high flows of people and vehicles which includes not only road barriers, bollards and automatic doors but access control and parking systems.

We have three offices in the United Kingdom and Ireland providing a nationwide distribution network with offices located in Stockport, Swindon and Dublin.