With the acquisition of the companies SBS Steel Belt Systems USA and Esico, the Berndorf Band Group establishes itself as a supplier of process equipment on the global market and continues its course as a supplier of complete systems for steel strip and strip processing lines. In the portfolio have long also been complete solutions around steel belts for the baking oven industry.

With its latest integration of the companies SBS Steel Belt Systems USA in Gilberts, Illinois, and Esico B. V. in the Netherlands, the Berndorf Band Group, headquartered in Berndorf/Austria near Vienna, has significantly expanded its steel belt systems portfolio for the chemical, pharmaceutical and food product industries. Esico and SBS Steel Belt Systems enable the conglomerate to close an important gap in its machinery portfolio. With its new “Process Equipment” (PE) business segment, Berndorf Band Group is the only market participant in the USA, Europe and Asia that has its own on-site test centres for steel belt cooling systems and pastillators. This en-ables the group to equip all of the productions around the world that use continuous steel belt systems, covering everything from the system itself to service and maintenance.

Founded in 1843 by Alfred Krupp and Alexander Schoeller as Berndorfer Metallwarenfabrik, this latest move demonstrates the company’s continuing loyalty to its growth philosophy. Starting in 1992, a mechanical engineering division was built up alongside the company’s core business. In 2008, the division eventually resulted in the foundation of the subsidiary Berndorf Band Engineering GmbH, focused solely on the external steel belt systems business, thus creating a second business pillar for the group.

Today, the group has more than 400 employees around the world, and as in the past, the main business of this “international hidden champion” is concentrated in Berndorf: this is where Berndorf Band GmbH, Berndorf Band Engineering and Berndorf Sondermaschinenbau are primarily responsible for the production of steel belts and the machinery division. Additional subsidiaries along with SBS Steel Belt Systems and Esico include Berndorf Belt Technology USA, Beijing Berndorf Technology in China, Berndorf Steel Belt Systems in Korea, Nippon Belting in Japan and Berndorf Band Latinoamerica in Columbia.

Each subsidiary executes specialized assignments in their specific fields. “Our service team is on-call around the world and around the clock to react to customer wishes right away,” explains MA Herbert Schweiger, CEO of the group. Berndorf profits from the new know-how of the subsidiaries, and they also provide an insight into new markets. “With this knowledge and technology, we work on new, innovative solutions for our customers”.

This pioneering spirit has always characterized the company’s history. It began in the early 1920s with the production of the first film cast belt, back then made out of copper and nickel. In 1960 came the switch to rust-free stainless steel under the brand name “Nicro” (steel type chrome-nickel 18/8), which Alfred Krupp had trademarked. Another major success that continues today is the revolutionary Berndorf Band longitudinal welding technology enabling steel belts to be combined according to their length to achieve widths up to 3 m.

Gradually, the belt production was expanded for numerous different industries, including the wood and paper industries, the baked goods and the food products industries as well as automotive testing. Steel belts with a dark surface are used in the baked goods and food products industries to store the heat that is used, saving energy and simultaneously ensuring consistent product quality. Berndorf’s steel belts and their specifications are respected throughout the baked goods industry for how they ensure a long service life, easy cleaning, precise compliance with the highest industry hygiene requirements and for their excellent thermal conductivity with temperatures up to 400 °C. Vanessa Rakitnik, Marketing Manager International Commercial Division, comments: “Customer orientation is especially important to us at the Berndorf Band Group. We want to satisfy our customers and meet their needs”.

In the meantime, the group has achieved a global presence with subsidiaries, representatives and training centres for better coverage of the entire market. At present, the majority of the biggest customers in the baked goods and food products industry are still located in Europe. Ms Rakitnik explains: “Yet, around the world we are seeing a conversion to continuous baking and production systems. New markets profit from this upswing, and it additionally has a very positive effect on us”. Accordingly, Berndorf enjoys strong growth above all in new markets including Asia, Eastern Europe and South America.

Through its subsidiary Berndorf Band Engineering, the group is also able to offer related accessory equipment such as belt control systems and conveyors. This allows smaller customers to rely on the company’s expertise in the machinery segment to develop customized systems. Mr Schweiger stresses: “This is a win-win situation for our customers, since they now only have to deal with one company. But it’s also a clear benefit for us that we can now apply our many years of know-how in belt production to the systems segment”.

As a matter of course, R&D is also an important field for Berndorf Band Group. In order to constantly stay on the ball in these fast-changing times and dynamic markets, the team is constantly working on developing the products further. Innovations and new materials are increasingly more important, and the R&D division is consistently working to adapt the products to the market needs of the industry.

Berndorf keenly observes the development of the baked goods and food products industry. Mr Schweiger reports: “Capacity plays a major role. We are constantly producing more at a faster pace. This is very notable for us, since the tendency at present leans toward wider systems with steel belts up to 1,500 mm wide”. The company offers customized steel belts for the baked goods and food products industry in a variety of widths.

Another topic of increasing focus is energy efficiency. Considerations regarding saving money and, above all, sustainability have long been at home in the industry. Ms Rakitnik elabo-rates: “With baking, in particular, there is savings potential if heat generated during the baking process can be stored and reused for more production runs. This saves energy and ensures a continuous, consistent production”.

Even the design and construction associated with steel belt is becoming more efficient. The system architects are increasingly focused on reducing maintenance needs and accordingly adapting to the wishes of the customers. For example, baking ovens are being designed in a more user-friendly way to simplify cleaning the interior parts and exchanging components. Berndorf steel belts benefit from all of these new developments, since cleaning on a regular basis also increases the service life of the belts.

The decision-makers at the group maintain contact with both the end customers and the system design partners in designing baking production lines, with some of the largest and most important baked goods and food products industry companies in both sectors counting among the company’s references. “This gives us the advantage that we can react
immediately to innovations in mechanical engineering and adapt our steel belts to these new features. In addition, we also support our customers in the further development of sustainable products manufactured on our steel belts and machinery,” Mr Schweiger explains.

The focus of the group is on top quality and fast service to be able to react immediately to customer in-quiries and support them even quicker with the advice and assistance they need. Within the company as well, the top priorities are the quality of the belts and machines, the services and company processes, its responsibility to the environment and society at large and, of course, work safety. This dedication is underscored by Berndorf Band GmbH’s certifications in accordance with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and EMAS. The future direction is clear for the CEO, who says: “It’s important not to stand still. The competition never sleeps. And the satisfaction of our customers is our top priority, so we’re interested in continuously expanding our service network”.