Clearing the air Beko Technologies

CLEARING THE AIR

One of the leading companies delivering high quality compressed air technology, family-owned Beko Technologies GmbH has stayed strong throughout the recession and continues to deliver complete solutions to its customers worldwide. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to the marketing and PR manager, Rainer Stützel, to find out more.

Beko Technologies GmbH knows everything there is to know about the importance of quality compressed air. As a family-owned independent compressed air systems provider, the company is fully committed to delivering safe, clean, more effective compressed air technology to its worldwide customer base.

Founded in Neuss, Germany in 1982, Beko today employs around 400 people, has 15 sales companies in various international locations including Japan and the USA, and a global network of carefully selected sales agents.

The company develops, manufactures and sells components and systems to optimise compressed air quality which, after electric current, is the second most important means of production worldwide. Marketing and PR manager Rainer Stützel told Industry Europe more. He said, “Compressed air is used widely across production applications all over the world. The quality of the compressed air is paramount in terms of production efficacy and reliability, so our products are carefully formulated to meet the different standards demanded by different applications. While it can cost a lot of money to achieve quality compressed air, there is a great energy efficiency saving to be made, which makes it a very appealing means of production.”

Reliable air quality

All of Beko’s production is subject to the very strictest global standards. Accredited with EN ISO 9001:2008 and with six global production sites, the company is able to deliver compressed air treatment of the appropriate quality for the application required.

Mr Stützel continued, “As the range of production applications for compressed air varies so much, we are dedicated to providing the right quality product for the job, so each customer will know that they are getting exactly what they need. We meet the challenges of small applications and large applications – with everything in between!”

Applications of Beko’s compressed air systems include low quality requirements such as pumping up automotive tyres, and high quality demands like spray painting cars in large manufacturing sites, as the air must be suitably treated to ensure that the process is ‘dry’ and the paint finish is not contaminated with water, oil or dirt.

The food industry is another important sector for Beko Technologies, where high precision technology instruments inject compressed air into the base mass of ice cream to make it rich and creamy, or take care of the pneumatic handling of cereals, cocoa powder and other primary matters in the production of chocolate. Here, compressed air quality has to meet strict requirements like HACCP, a preventive system which ensures the safety of food for consumers.

Understanding global trends

Beko Technologies sells its compressed air solutions worldwide, with at least 60 per cent of its turnover gained from ROW markets and

40 per cent from its domestic German market. It sees continued growth potential in Europe even though it has been active for many years, with strong opportunities developing in Asia – particularly China – as the manufacturing boom there continues apace.

Mr Stützel added, “Any country with an established or approaching established industrial production sector can and will use compressed air. It is our job to make sure that potential customers know the energysaving potentials when using compressed air for their production requirements. This of course also translates to a cost saving, which at the moment is an attractive advantage worldwide. We noticed this repositioning in the USA initially, where the cost advantage of our products initially proved more important than the energy-saving benefits, whereas now customers are more likely to be attracted by the ecological argument. The beauty of Beko Technologies is that our compressed air technology offers both cost-saving and energy-saving benefits, so we can highlight whatever one best suits our customers at the time.”

In terms of investment, Beko Technologies is unusual in that it continued to invest heavily throughout the global economic downturn. In 2008, right at the start of the recession, Beko’s board of directors instigated a €6 million extension project for its Neuss headquarters and main production site. The project incorporated new state-of-the-art training facilities for its staff and a new cafeteria as well as doubling its production capacity.

Mr Stützel commented, “The project was completed in 2010 and we are more than ready to meet the challenges of the future. We have an unrivalled infrastructure here and we’ve added new highly skilled people, have reduced our lead times and can really make the most of our terrific facilities.”

Beko Technologies is well positioned to utilise its growing opportunities for business development worldwide, and the company is ready to expand its global sales structure further, with plans to find suitable business partners in the few areas where it is not yet present. The dedicated R&D department is also continually working on new products and the development of existing products to guarantee that every aspect of Beko Technologies is ready for continued global success. n