Working together to mix things up in the market place
BEBA and Vogelsang – a perfect match
A revolutionary mixing technique, down-to-earth machine makers and solution-driven inventors – those are the hallmarks of BEBA Technology GmbH & Co. KG. The medium-sized company has been part of the Vogelsang family since 2017 and is a perfect fit for the corporate motto “engineered to work.”
Exchanging ideas and tapping into new markets
To expand BEBA’s international sales network farther and to considerably broaden the range of its product portfolio, Witte began looking last year for an investor and strong partner. When his telephone rang in summer 2017, with Harald Vogelsang at the other end of the line with a solid proposition for the acquisition of BEBA, Witte did not take long to accept the offer. “We are very happy to be part of the Vogelsang family. Vogelsang’s global sales network allows us to offer BEBA mixing technology on international markets.” For existing customers and BEBA employees, nothing changes with the takeover. “We couldn’t have made a better decision. Our employees are being taken on, and for the moment we can largely go on working as before – with an experienced partner by our side,” said Witte. Moreover, the physical closeness of the two companies in Essen allows intensive interaction and close cooperation in research, development and production.
With the addition of BEBA’s innovative solutions to the portfolio, Vogelsang is continuing on its constant course of growth. As providers of diverse solutions, the combined companies can meet increasingly demanding requirements, especially in the food and non-food processing industries.
Tackling challenges, staying curious, training and learning
In addition to their geographical proximity, there is another, very important quality that BEBA and Vogelsang share: their corporate culture. “Many of us are down-to-earth craftsmen with a love of technology and an instinct for trends and new developments,” said Witte. “More and more often now, ideas are being exchanged between the Vogelsang design engineers and their colleagues at BEBA. We love it! We understand each other, we share our insights, we help each other out. For me, BEBA and Vogelsang are a perfect match.”
Just like Vogelsang, BEBA is committed to the thorough training of new personnel. The company will continue to take on trainees and apprentices in the areas of precision mechanics technical product design, industrial mechanics, and mechatronics. In Witte’s words, “We invest in training in order to assure the consistent refinement and further development of BEBA mixing technologies. This gives us a strong position in the marketplace.”
From customer request to fully developed product
This ideal baseline position is also the result of the unique, patented mixing technique that BEBA has developed with its dynamic oscil- lation method. With this method, the vibrations of the mixer head and the inertia of the mixed mass homogenize the air and the medium. “This mixing technique permits a gentle beat- ing process, as the shear forces at work are weaker than with conventional mixing techniques. Also, by eliminating a mechanical seal on the mixer head, the wear on the mixer is reduced considerably,” said Witte. The mixing technique had its origins in a customer inquiry. “Several years ago we were approached by a manufacturer from the textile industry, who was paying about 2.500 to 3.000 euros per month for maintenance of his rotor stator mixer. He asked me for a solution that would let him mix more efficiently and with lower costs. I had an idea in mind right away and got to work on it with my team. Our first attempts were experimental; we tried out a lot of different things and eventually developed a functional technique." The result: a revolutionary mixing method using dynamic oscillation, and a satisfied customer.
Unique mixing technique – now also for the food industry
In recent months, BEBA has succeeded in making this special mixing and beating technique available for the food industry. The vertical arrangement of the mixer head allows the mixed medium and the flushing fluid to run off completely – in full accordance with the principle of “CLEANING IN PLACE” (CIP). This means that the BEBA mixer fully satisfies the high hygiene requirements of the food industry. The oscillation method can also be used for extra-gentle beating of lumpy products that would disintegrate under conventional mixing methods due to the high shear forces involved. The technique achieves a looser consistency in the end product and economizes the raw products. The food mixer is primarily intended for the production of sweet and baked goods, such as creams, chocolate, waffles, agar-agar gelling agents and meringues, yogurt, blancmange, cheese, curd, and other dairy products.
At Anuga FoodTec, the leading international trade show for the food and beverage industry in Cologne, BEBA presented a prototype of the food mixer to the public for the first time. There was great interest in the new product. Witte said, “It’s now up to us to turn the prototype into a fully developed prod- uct for the food industry and to adapt it to individual customer requirements. It’s a project with great promise – for both us and our customers.”
Learn more about BEBA and its mixers here.