Global brand leader Conex Bänninger celebrates 115 years anniversary in 2025

The Conex Bänninger brand brings together two great manufacturers of fittings and valves which have emerged to become the market leader globally for fittings and valves for the HVACR industry.

At the heart of its success is a commitment to first-class technical, sales and customer support to the plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, and medical sectors.

Bänninger was founded in 1909 in Giessen, Germany, producing iron fittings. A decade later Conex Sanbra was launched in Birmingham, UK as a manufacturer of brass and chromium plated water fittings, valves, lavatory and sink mixers.

It wasn’t until 1920 that the distinctive >B< trademark was introduced into the market by Bänninger and by 1930, the company had successfully grown and the sole producer of red brass fittings in Europe.

Meanwhile, Sanbra was forging its own successful path forward and during the 1940’s launched the unique rib-nut compression range of fittings. These were a forerunner to many more products that were introduced including the development of the first copper-based press fitting N-Grip, a precursor of today’s >B< Press range.

Fast forward to 1987 and Bänninger became part of the newly formed IBP Group, which later merged with Conex, before both brands unified in 1994 to become Conex Bänninger.

The company produces an extensive range of copper, carbon, brass and stainless-steel fittings including the ground-breaking innovations such as the >B< Press, a 3-point press-fit fitting for drinking, heating and cooling applications.

A product that will be featured on the Conex Bänninger stand will include the award-winning >B< MaxiPro, an innovative press fitting for ACR applications. This high-quality fittings range is designed in Europe and distributed around the globe for use in domestic, commercial and industrial applications.

Conex Bänninger today

The company is firmly established as a market leader and employs over 900 people worldwide and has manufacturing facilities in Spain, Poland and Germany; whilst its head office is based in the UK.

The Cordoba plant in Spain is a world-class center of excellence and innovation for copper fittings production with major investment having been made in robotics, and other state-of-the-art equipment.

In Poznan, Poland, a fully equipped production facility not only makes thousands of copper and red brass fittings every day, but it also produces custom made, often complex special orders, for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

Conex Bänninger continues to develop innovative new products; is fully committed to quality control and provides expert technical sales support to ensure that the company stays one-step ahead.