In 1856 John M. Sumner laid the foundations of the company named today Bastos y Cía, S.A. that has achieved more than 150 years dedicated to the sales and service of industrial machinery.

Mr. Sumner was born in Manchester and traded in products related to the textile industry. He was an indefatigable traveller that went around the world selling machinery and cotton and wool yarns. He opened branches in Germany, Alsace, Poland and Mexico. In 1856 Barcelona had a population of 156.000, the railway from Barcelona to Mataró had been working for 8 years and its streets enjoyed gas lighting. Barcelona was immersed in a fever of industrial expansion. But at the same time it was a time of political and social conflicts. John Sumner decided, nevertheless, to set up his own company in Barcelona, he had a very close relationship with european machine manufacturers, mainly english, and the company flourished during his lifetime and later on.

Meanwhile the company "Sociedad Güell, Bastos y Bertran hermanos" had been established the 22nd of January of 1913. Its purpose was to act as a business for commission and representation of material for the textile and manufacturing industry. In 1917 this company expressed its interest in the activities of John M. Sumner and negotiated, in England, its purchase and succession. The company was later modified on the 27th of February of 1920 and changed its name to a rather long “Bastos y Compañía Sociedad en Comandita a la que se antepondrá la razón comercial de John M. Sumner & Co. Sucesores”.

The activities of those days can be read in the official book "Anuarios de la Ciudad, Barcelona 1931-1932" edited by the Sociedad de Atracción de Forasteros de Barcelona. Sindicat d'Iniciatives. It can be noticed that “The former Sumner house, today Bastos y Cía, Sociedad en Comandita, is the oldest company in Spain dedicated to the installation and supply of machinery for the textile industry. Founded in 1856 it has already installed up to 60% of the textile factories in our country. It has offices in Barcelona and Madrid and agents in Bilbao, Seville, Valencia and representatives in the main industrial cities”.

On July 10th 1942 the present Bastos y Compañía Sociedad Anónima was set up, the name contained no further mention to John Sumner. On April the 16th of 1986 the Cambra Oficial de Comerç, Industria i Navegació of Barcelona celebrated its centennial extending certifications to 142 companies that had also achieved 100 years of age or more. Bastos proudly received one of this certifications. In 1984 the branch of Bastos in Alcoi was opened and in 2002 Bastos moved its headquarters to Centelles in the province of Barcelona. The head office in Barcelona had become too small for housing our projects and realities. We were leaving behind 146 years of history and we were opening new roads for expansion but also for continuity.