Driving logistics forward with sustainable solutions is the goal of Germany-based Bekuplast, a manufacturer of plastic containers and trays that are returnable, collapsible, and recyclable.
Established in 1985, Bekuplast is now one of the leading suppliers of universal plastic boxes, trays, and pallets, with a global customer base.
Production of collapsible containers has been a core part of the business since 1993. Bekuplast’s boxes and trays are tailored to customers’ intralogistics system and conveyor technology can withstand extreme loads and are long-lasting and of high quality. They are used across a range of sectors from automotive, intralogistics and pooling, for example, fruit and vegetables, to fresh food such as bakery goods and meat and poultry.
Headquartered in Ringe near the Dutch border, the family-owned company now runs two production facilities and several subsidiaries in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland and employs a total of over 500 people.
The company’s flagship production facility in Ringe is spread over 12 hectares and is equipped with powerful injection moulding machines and state-of-the-art robot technology to produce around 29 million units annually. The second production facility is located in Poland to serve the east European markets.
However, the company is not just a container manufacturer but is also a creator of solutions, says Managing Director Jörg Deglmann who has been leading the business since 2019, pointing out that the focus is increasingly on ‘thinking green and acting green’.
Collapsible, Returnable, Carbon-Neutral
Mr Deglmann affirms that sustainability has been in the company’s DNA for a long time. More than 30 years ago, Bekuplast started manufacturing reusable containers and since then has perfected the development and production of returnable plastic solutions and environmentally friendly and sustainable containers, trays, and pallets for all industries.
“Together with our customers and in line with market trends, we have been striving to find solutions that save cost as well as protect the environment. These efforts are reflected not only in the product offering but also internally – we have been investing in energy-efficient measures for a long time: over the last 10 years, we have reduced our power consumption per kilogramme by 20%.”
He explains that the company looks at the entire supply chain when developing a new concept for a customer: “Our containers are stackable and collapsible, and given that demand for volume-reducible transport packaging remains strong, their role in protecting the environment is clear. Reduced volume during return transport saves cost as well as the environment, as fewer trucks are needed, meaning reduced CO2 emissions,” he says.
All of Bekuplast’s raw materials, additives, and colours are free of harmful substances and heavy metals, and containers for the food industry are made of approved, food-safe raw materials with traceable origins.
Being reusable, Bekuplast containers also play an important part in the circular economy. They can be used for many years before they are fully recycled at the end of their life and returned to the material cycle. The company now also offers its reusable products in a carbon-neutral form – CO2 compensation would be achieved by supporting climate protection projects that are audited and certified to international standards.
Driven by People
Bekuplast has grown continuously over the last decade, investing both in product development and capacity expansion. In 2014, a new production hall with modern, energy-efficient injection moulding machines and a high degree of automation, as well as a modern centre for further processing and finishing of the products was commissioned in Ringe. Further investment was made in 2019 to significantly expand raw material storage and in 2020, on the company’s 35th anniversary, the machinery and automation were further expanded, and a new warehouse was added in Ringe.
“We don’t invest just in machines, but also in our people,” stresses Mr Deglmann, admitting that although it is not easy to find the right people in a region with unemployment close to just 2%, people seem to like to stay with Bekuplast, and the company enjoys very low staff turnover.
“We are a stable employer; we not only provide people with jobs but also empower them to grow. We have a special team of trainers who look after our young people, helping them to find the right position for their skills and promoting their further development. The majority of our trainees stay with us and although some 70% are then engaged in additional education, they tend to return to Bekuplast once this is completed.”
Small Global Player
Retaining its trained workforce will certainly help the company to keep up with increasing demand. Bekuplast is in growth mode, says Mr Deglmann, and enjoys a strong position in all its market segments. “We collaborate with our customers from the concept stage, to find out what exactly their needs are and how to tailor our solutions to meet those needs. To this end, we have reorganised our sales organisation focusing on key accounting, to improve this understanding even further.”
This will further enhance the company’s global footprint. While Bekuplast sells most of its products in Europe, the company has many customers worldwide, particularly in the North and South Americas and is firmly rooted in its markets – a position not weakened by the pandemic thanks to the diversity of its target sectors.
Mr Deglmann acknowledges that the company is well prepared to deal with current challenges including increasing energy costs and is further investing in photovoltaics which is set to cover 20% of the company’s energy needs. “We are also looking at wind energy and biomass so that we can produce even more energy from our own sources.”
Speaking about the development of the business, he says that next year the focus will be on stabilisation, assessing the way forward and identifying the most promising growth routes, possibly increasing market share and also production capacity. “The future looks promising, we have a good position, we are experiencing increasing demand for our sustainable solutions, and Bekuplast is set to grow.”
