Order worth millions and major investment in new plant

In January, the Ennigerloh-based technology company L.B. Bohle received another order for the manufacture of a continuous production system. The order from a German pharmaceutical group is proof of the technology leadership of the independent family-owned company. The order volume is in the high single-digit million range.

Lorenz Bohle, Chairman of the Advisory Board and pioneer of developments relating to continuous processes at L.B. Bohle, sees this order as the success of many years of work. "We have been focussing on the development of machines for continuous production in the pharmaceutical industry for more than ten years, but unfortunately there has only recently been a greater willingness to implement this process," reports Bohle. "Traditional batch production is often still the production method of choice, but with our innovative technology we are paving the way for companies to switch to continuous processes," continues Bohle.

Continuous production systems open up significant advantages for pharmaceutical companies in terms of quality, cost savings, flexibility as well as patient and operator safety, and also optimise research and development, emphasise the two Managing Directors Tim Remmert and Thorsten Wesselmann.

Challenging project with a long duration

The installation and commissioning of the system at the customer's site is scheduled for December 2022. The order will therefore keep the company busy for a good two years. The collaboration between the project team will be even more challenging than before. "Thanks to our expertise and flexible approach, our team will certainly be able to successfully realise this order, which exceeds the scope of all previous projects many times over," says Thorsten Wesselmann, looking confidently to the future.

New Plant 4 in the Haltenberg-Ost industrial estate

With the sales success of the continuous production systems, L.B. Bohle is also laying the foundations for further company expansion in the Haltenberg-Ost industrial estate. Plant 4, in which the company is investing several million euros, will be completed in Ennigerloh before the end of this year.

The new production facility will focus exclusively on the manufacture of continuous machines and components. On a 12,000 ^m2 site on the Nordring, within sight of Plant 3, a 2,000^m2 production complex is being built to the latest standards. "The building permit has been granted and the construction companies have been commissioned, so we can finally get started. The building should be completed in autumn 2021," says Lorenz Bohle, outlining the tight schedule.

Customers focus on continuous systems

"Demand for systems from our ^QbCon® series is increasing worldwide. With our machines, we are excellently positioned on the market and are technology leaders," says Dr Robin Meier (Scientific Director). "With Plant 4, we will be prepared for the further increase in demand."

This production cannot simply be integrated into the existing production facilities due to long downtimes. The continuous systems place significantly higher demands on software and Documentation. This significantly increases production time. "In the new Plant 4, we will also create the conditions to offer customers optimum testing and acceptance options," adds Dr Meier.

More specialists needed for software and service

Personnel is not only a top priority at L.B. Bohle as part of the company's expansion. "We currently employ 270 people at our sites and are pleased with the low staff turnover. But in order to realise the continuous increase in turnover and maintain our strong position in the market, we are continuing to recruit skilled workers," says Tim Remmert, Managing Director at
L.B. Bohle, is focussing on the topic of personnel. In the areas of software engineering and service in particular, the company is constantly on the lookout for reinforcements.