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

The mood at L.B. Bohle is positive at the moment, as the many years of research and development in the field of continuous manufacturing 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. “In 2023, we achieved the best sales in the company’s history, and the order backlog is currently better than ever,” says Lorenz Bohle, shareholder and chairman of the advisory board of L.B. Bohle Maschinen und Verfahren GmbH.

The company’s patent-protected market leadership in continuous manufacturing, the expansion of its 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 now need to build new capacity in a measured way,” explains Bohle. To avoid overcapacity, L.B. Bohle needs a sensible mix: “We must use internal resources and expand our network to include qualified suppliers and service providers,” says Bohle, explaining the next steps.

Almost twice as many apprentices as in 2019
Last year, the number of employees increased to 310. “L.B. Bohle has always attached great importance to training and qualification,” says Managing Director Thorsten Wesselmann. The number of trainees alone has risen 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 percent of our workforce for reasons of age,” Wesselmann calculates. “We are therefore recruiting extensively. We are constantly expanding, especially in the areas of software development, global service and electronics,” he says. The company is currently hiring in more than ten areas.

New design for three machines at ACHEMA
L.B. Bohle won three awards at the German Brand Award with its new machine design. 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. We will be presenting the BFC 5 laboratory coater, the BTS 200 sieve and the BRC 25 dry granulator at ACHEMA, the industry’s leading trade fair, in Frankfurt in June,” announces Tim Remmert, Managing Director Sales.

The two managers are aware that the company is moving at a very fast pace when it comes to product development. “Not only the design of the machines is becoming more modern, but also the trade show appearance. Tim Remmert describes it as follows: “We have completely redesigned our booth – in addition to the machines and technology, we want to achieve a higher quality of stay. Warmer colors and wood elements, as well as a large lounge area, will help achieve this.
Trade shows are changing fundamentally. The number of trade visitors from Asia, South and North America attending the leading trade fairs in Germany has declined. But the quality of the visitors is increasing. “Regional trade shows and conferences are also gaining in importance,” says the Managing Director.

Goal: further growth
To ensure continued growth in the future, L.B. Bohle is stepping up its global commitment. The goals for the next few years are ambitious: “We still want to increase production in our four plants,” says Lorenz Bohle. And as Bohle’s global machine fleet grows, so does the demand for after-sales and global customer service. Lorenz Bohle comments: “Despite the dynamic development since 2021, we still see enormous potential for this additional business area.”