Bauer, Inc. has accomplished a rare feat. It has stood the test of time to join the limited number of manufacturers in business for 100 years! Throughout its history, Bauer has remained focused on finding new and innovative ways to support the evolving needs of our customers.
Bauer’s early years as a Hartford, CT-based manufacturer of high quality and reliable industrial products, set the stage for our steady, long-term growth. Frank Bauer founded the company in 1916 as an electrical contracting firm. Beginning in the 1920s and continuing into the 1930s, Pratt & Whitney in Hartford emerged as the leading innovator in aircraft engines. To support engine development testing, Pratt & Whitney requested Bauer to apply its refrigeration and heating knowledge to provide temperature simulation systems for testing engine components. As other engine related testing requirements arose, Bauer transitioned completely from the electrical business to the aircraft component test equipment business.
Bauer has remained at the forefront of the industry throughout the decades. Through the years our product lines expanded. While recognized as the industry experts in engine fuel component test systems, we steadily added to our repertoire. Now Bauer covers nearly all aspects of aircraft and engine accessory test requirements. Along the way, we introduced a series of wheel and brake assembly products that have become the gold standard at military and commercial aircraft maintenance facilities around the world.
For nearly forty years of Bauer’s timeline, which included nineteen years as President & CEO, Lou Auletta, Sr. saw the company through significant changes in engineering and production technology. “All of the changes had a tremendous impact on improving productivity, quality and effectiveness. Bauer has also realized the constantly growing importance of globalization on our business.”
Today, Bauer is led by President & CEO Lou Auletta, Jr. who continues the passion and desire to execute the company vision. “We know our business technically and we put a strong emphasis on our core strengths. The core strengths and priorities of the company have endured, even though the particular products the traditions apply to have changed and evolved over the course of the years.”
To celebrate the milestone and honor the valued relationships with our employees, vendors and customers, Bauer recently held a 100-Year Anniversary Open House. Over 300 guests attended, including Governor Dannel Malloy, who presented Lou Auletta, Jr. with his personal congratulations and a Proclamation of Recognition from the State of Connecticut. Governor Malloy told the audience, “This is not only a celebration of a 100-year anniversary. It’s also a celebration of 100 years of growth, 100 years of activity, 100 years of employment of many people, and 100 years of building a great company!”
Bauer also received Proclamations of Recognition from State Senator Henri Martin, State Representative Selim Noujaim, and Bristol Mayor Ken Cockayne. “On behalf of the city of Bristol, it is my pleasure to congratulate Bauer on their 100-year anniversary,” said Mayor Cockayne. “I wish you the best of luck in the next 100 years.”
Bauer’s celebration also included employees, active and retired, their families and friends, customers from near and far, and long term vendors. Our employees with more than 15 years of service were recognized with a display of tribute portraits. “When I walked into this facility and saw portraits of employees who had been working here for as long as 37 years,” Senator Martin said, “it magnified just how much this milestone meant.”
Guests were able to tour the production floor and see the custom test and support equipment currently being manufactured for orders from China, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and across the USA. Bauer engineers explained the complex and innovative equipment functions and applications. “We are willing to chart new territory,” said Lou Auletta, Jr., “helping industry leading companies to develop the latest in flight safety solutions and forging key customer relationships in multiple regions of the world.”
As Bauer continues to celebrate a century of success, it is forward-looking and positioned for growth. Lou Auletta, Jr. reflects on the 100-year milestone and the future, “We have worked to live the principles we believe in to obtain all of the benefits that come from building a company that is designed to last for 100 years and to embark on the next century.”