The BIOD story starts in Germany. In Tiefenhagen in the Ruhr area, lives Franz Maly. In the fifties he designs a streamlined caravan with a fibreglass body. By giving it the form of an egg the body is stiff enough to do without any supporting construction. He calls the caravan Fahti, short for Fahrzeugbau Tiefenhagen. 

1957: Franz Maly starts his own production. It is not a success, so in 1959 he sells the firm to Schneider, a wood industry, in Lindau, at the border of the Bodensee (Bodenlake). The first model is the Fahti Luxus 600. In 1963 the Fahti Luxus 400 follows and in 1965 the Fahti Luxus 800 is born.

1960: Schneider gives a license to assemble the models to the B.I.O.D. (Better Is Our Device) machines and devices factory in Hengelo(O), NL. The fibreglass bodies come from Germany, the assembly is done in Hengelo. The Fahti 600 is renamed to BIOD Extase, 4L and 2L (4 berths, resp. 2 berths). In 1963 the Bambi is developed in NL and is renamed to Fahti 400 in Germany, in 1965 the Fahti 800 is renamed to Expert in NL.

1964: JEKO in Oldenzaal, NL, takes over the production for NL. They delegate the construction of the interior to the "sociale werkplaats De Schakel" in Oldenzaal.

1969: JEKO is not doing well and also there are problems in Germany. Eventually De Schakel takes over everything, even the mould forms come over from Germany. BIOD caravans are really Dutch now.

The Bambi has got a lantern roof from the beginning. In about 1970 the Extase and the Expert get a lantern roof also. Later they have been modernised. Except for minor changes the "look" of BIOD caravans remain almost the same.

At the end of the seventies the taste of caravan buyers changes. They want more luxureous vans. The answer of De Schakel is a caravan with a more traditional look: the Excellent. Production of the Extase, Bambi and Expert is stopped in 1980. The Excellent is not a success, it is to expensive. Total production numbers till 1981 (estimated): Bambi 140, Extase 160, Expert 37, Excellent 20.

After 1980 Avento (another Dutch caravan maker) becomes main dealer for BIOD and so responsible for sales. The production of the Excellent is stopped. A new family of BIOD is designed, more straight with Avento interior. Models 300, 350 and 400, with various interiors and outfit. It is the "model with the brown band". 

In 1987 the models are modernised. A more streamlined front and a body in three colours. Three models: 300, 350 and 400 with various interiors and outfit.
Production in the Avento period totals to 1200 (estimated).

In 1993 MPH in Amersfoort becomes main dealer for BIOD. The models are mainly unchanged. MPH experiments with different body colors.

In 1994 BIOD is on its own again. Existing models are modernised and are now called 370 and 420. Production totals to about 50 per year. Production of these models stops in 2000.

2001, september: the new models Nomade (inside length 4m50) and Scout (inside length 3m90) are introduced.

2004: the production of new BIOD caravans is stopped. The number of sold vans is to low. Production of the last models totals to about 140 (75% Nomade, 25% Scout).

November 2004. Production of BIOD caravans will be continued by the ACC-Group (Advanced Composite Caravans) :-) Top-Craft keeps the maintenance and restauration department.

September 2005. Top-Craft stops all BIOD activities. The maintenance and restauration department is moved to Marcar in Eibergen.

In the right margin you can see that BIOD once made trailer tents. They were not so successful.

Made up by Lex Meuldijk, thanks to A Jofriet and De Schakel.