Lorenz Bohle: "Our order backlog is better than ever" - New design for more machines

The mood at L.B. Bohle is currently positive, as the many years of research and development in the field of continuous production and the establishment of the Global Service division are paying off. At the same time, the new machine design introduced in 2023 promises further potential. "We were able to achieve the best turnover in the company's history in 2023, and the order backlog is currently better than ever," says Lorenz Bohle, Partner and Chairman of the Advisory Board of L.B. Bohle Maschinen und Verfahren GmbH.

The market leadership in continuous production secured by patents, the development of the Global Service division and the high demand for machines for the batch production of tablets have led to a strong market position and demand. "However, we want to continue to grow organically in the future and must now build up new capacities in a measured manner," explains Bohle. In order to avoid overcapacity, L.B. Bohle needs a sensible mix: "We need to tap into internal resources and expand our network to include qualified suppliers and service providers," says Bohle, explaining the next steps.

Almost twice as many trainees as in 2019
Last year, the number of employees grew to 310. "L.B. Bohle has always attached great importance to training and qualifications," says Managing Director Thorsten Wesselmann. The number of trainees alone rose from 15 in 2019 to 27 in 2023, but demographic change will present the company with major challenges in the coming years. "In the next four years, we will lose around ten per cent of our workforce for reasons of age," Wesselmann calculates. "We are therefore recruiting extensively. We are constantly expanding, particularly in the areas of software development, global service and electronics," says the Head of Technology. The company is currently recruiting in over ten areas.

New design for three machines at ACHEMA
L.B. Bohle has won three prizes with its new machine design at the German Brand Award in 2023. Following the successful launch of the BRC 100 Dry Granulator, the BFC 400 Tablet Coater and the QbCon® 1 Continuous Granulator and Dryer, three more machines are on the agenda for 2024. At ACHEMA, the industry's leading trade fair, in Frankfurt in June, we will be presenting the Laboratory Coater BFC 5, the Sieving BTS 200 and the Dry Granulator BRC 25," announces Tim Remmert (Managing Director Sales).

The two managing directors are aware that the company is setting a very fast pace in the area of product development. "It's not just the design of the machines that is becoming more modern, but also the trade fair appearance. Tim Remmert describes it like this: "We have completely redesigned our trade fair stand - in addition to machines and technology, we want to achieve a higher quality of stay." This will be helped by warmer colours and wooden elements as well as a large lounge area.

Trade fairs are fundamentally changing. The number of trade visitors from Asia, South and North America attending the leading trade fairs in Germany has fallen. However, the quality of visits is increasing. "Regional trade fairs and specialist conferences are also gaining in importance," is the Managing Director's impression.

Goal: further growth
To ensure continued growth in the future, L.B. Bohle is increasing its involvement worldwide. Because the goals for the next few years are ambitious "We are still aiming to increase production in our four plants," says Lorenz Bohle. And with the Bohle machine park growing worldwide, the demand in the areas of After Sales and global Customer Service is also increasing. Lorenz Bohle comments: "Despite the dynamic development since 2021, we still see enormous potential for this additional business area."