About REF

The Rotterdamse Elementenfabriek BV was founded by late sir J.M. Thijse sr. as a factory for galvanic elements (batteries).

His son, sir J.M. Thijse joined the company around 10 years before World War II. After that, the company slowly switched to the production of heating elements.

In the beginning, this was limited to the production of iron and toaster elements and the repairs of these appliances. The distribuition to the industrial sector became bigger and bigger and the REF occupied a prominent place in the dynamic city of Rotterdam.

The possibilities that REF offers for practically all sorts of heating elements have not been unnoticed. This is evidenced by the trust of not only multionationals, but also of small and medium sized companies around the world.

In January of 2019, REF became part of Backer AB and can now serve the national and international market even better.