BKB Group acquires BLW Kunststoffen and continues to explore further growth opportunities.
December 20, 2023
BKB Group, a renowned name in the plastic processing industry, has completed the acquisition of BLW Kunststoffen today. This significant development not only strengthens BKB Group’s position in the high-quality plastic processing sector but also underscores the group’s ongoing growth and expansion plans in collaboration with 365 Capital.
BKB Precision, a part of the BKB Group, has been a specialist in turning and milling plastic components with a strong focus on the semiconductor, medical, food, chemical, and analytical industries in the Netherlands and the rest of the world since 1982. BKB Group has an outstanding reputation for manufacturing complex, precise plastic components, such as manifolds.
In April 2022, BKB Precision took a crucial step towards future growth and market positioning by acquiring ANKRO in Werkendam, a trusted partner in the production of plastic components for industries including food, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, medical, analytical, and graphic. This acquisition was seen as a perfect match in corporate culture, ambition, and craftsmanship, offering opportunities for growth and continuity.
The acquisition of BLW, a well-established name in plastic processing, brings additional expertise and capacity to the BKB Group. This enables the group to better meet the growing needs of the high-tech market in terms of capacity and capabilities for plastic products.
BLW brings rich experience and expertise in the plastic industry, including specialized services in plastic turning, milling, machining, assembly, and cleaning. These skills complement the existing capabilities of the BKB Group perfectly, allowing for a more comprehensive and varied offering of high-quality plastic products.
With the addition of BLW to its portfolio, BKB Group reaffirms its status as a leader in the plastic processing industry, continuing its commitment to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction.
In line with this development, BKB Group confirms its intention to continue growing with 365 Capital as its investment partner. Together, they continue to explore new acquisition opportunities that can strengthen the group and further enhance its market position.
Frank van Hoof, Director of BLW, expresses optimism about the future: “This acquisition by BKB Group is a fantastic development for BLW. It allows us to be part of a larger, more versatile organization while maintaining our core values and quality standards. I look forward to continuing to play an active role in the organization and contributing to mutual growth and success.”
Mannes Westhuis, CEO of BKB Group, emphasizes the strategic importance of this acquisition: “By integrating BLW into our group, we not only increase our capabilities but also strengthen our market position. This acquisition allows us to offer our customers an even more extensive range of customized plastic solutions. Frank van Hoof will continue to play a crucial role within our organization, contributing to a seamless integration and the continuation of the excellent service for which BLW is known.”
Sustainability holds a prominent position within our strategy. As a leading organization in plastic processing for the high-tech industry, we strive for a more sustainable future and take various steps to achieve this.
In line with our sustainability ambitions, we have joined the innovative ReVink program, a plastic recycling program in which we create a pure residual stream with a focus on material preservation and the reuse of granulate/recyclate. In short, a circular waste stream. By participating in the ReVink program, we come one step closer to a circular economy.
Within our organization, we aim for a significant reduction in our ecological footprint by participating in this initiative. Our commitment to sustainability reflects our vision in which we want to push boundaries in the broadest sense of the word. Click the button below for more information about our sustainability strategy.
After weeks of preparation, Thursday, September 28th finally arrived. In the morning, the finishing touches were made before the Relationship Day kicked off.
Partners, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders gathered early at the BKB Precision premises to listen, after a welcome speech by CEO Mannes Westhuis, to Frans van Lierop (Senior Vice President Sourcing & Supply Chain at ASML) and Rob Stoffer and Arend Flier from the Mercy Ships Network. During these inspiring presentations, they reflected on the past, as well as looked at the present and future opportunities and challenges. Mannes Westhuis received a beautiful gift in commemoration of BKB Precision’s 40th anniversary from Frans van Lierop.
Precision and innovation
After the presentations, it was the employees’ turn to share our dedication to precision and innovation with the present relationships. The doors of the factory opened, and everyone could take a behind-the-scenes look while enjoying delicious snacks and drinks from various food trucks. Here, colleagues and machines were still fully operational. On-site, they passionately explained to the visitors what they were working on and what makes the products they create so complex.
We look back on a successful day. We enjoyed this day and received many positive responses from our relationships. It was a wonderful opportunity to share our passion for precision in plastic machining.
Unable to attend?
Could you not attend this day for any reason and would you still like to take a look inside or taste our passion for precision? No problem! Simply get in touch with us, and we’ll be happy to show you more of BKB Precision.
Precision and quality are of paramount importance at BKB Precision when it comes to processing plastics. To further guarantee the precision and quality of our products, BKB Precision has a climate-controlled hall. This provides the ideal environment for processing plastic materials, enabling us to deliver the best results to our customers.
Having a climate-controlled hall offers a number of advantages in the field of plastics processing. One important advantage is that the dimensions of the plastic products are not affected by temperature variations. If these were to be affected by, for example, an overly warm hall, we at BKB Precision would not be able to deliver the precision and accuracy that we currently deliver.
The temperature in our hall is carefully controlled and maintained at a constant level. This ensures the material stability of the plastic product during the processing process. As a result, the product cannot shrink, expand, or deform, so nothing can go wrong during the processing of the plastic.
Our commitment to quality
At BKB Precision, our commitment to the quality of our products extends to every aspect of our work. In addition to our climate-controlled hall, we also have the latest measuring technologies and methods at our disposal to ensure that a product meets all customer requirements. In combination with our machines, we can therefore achieve the most complex shapes, tight tolerances, and refined surface finishes.
Unique requirements
Of course, every customer has their own unique requirements and wishes. Our climate-controlled hall enables us to easily meet these requirements in most cases. This applies to both single-piece production and serial production.
In the coming weeks, we will be installing eight new milling machines and two robots. BKB Precision decided to make this major investment partly due to the growth of the market, including ASML, but also with an eye on the future. These new machines will raise our capacity, enabling us to carry out more complex and accurate work at a higher level. It also supports our philosophy of continuous quality improvement.
After an exhaustive selection process, various machines were chosen and ordered last summer. Given the size of the project, we drew up a step-by-step plan for the transition to the new situation. To minimise the impact as much as possible, we are carrying out this plan with almost military precision.
The following machines will become operational between Week 51 and Week 2 of 2023. And our website will be update subsequently.
2x Hermle C32 + RS1 Robot (5-axis)
1x Hermle C52 + RS2 Robot (5-axis)
3x Datron vacuum machines (3-axis)
2x Haas VF2 (3-axis)
We will be installing a new transformer to provide the necessary electric power and laying new cables and connections. To complete this challenge, we have also upgraded our ERP package. To be honest, there are likely to be disruptions, but with prompt problem-solving and the flexibility of our employees and suppliers, we see everything coming together one step at a time.
For more information on what our new machinery could mean for you, please contact our sales department.
Successful staff outing to celebrate 40 years of BKB Precision
Although officially the Van den Berg Kunststofwerking company was forty years old on 1 May, it was on Friday 10 June that the entire staff of BKB Precision and ANKRO boarded a bus which would begin the 40th anniversary celebration. The venue was the Gelderse Vallei and Groene Hart, beautiful areas of the Netherlands . The outing was also a great opportunity for us at BKB Precision to get to know our colleagues at the recently acquired plastics machining company ANKRO Kunststof Verspaningstechnieken.
After both companies had locked up their premises for the day, everyone got on the bus at 10 am with a goody bag and new softshell jacket.
The first stop was Veenendaal, where everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch. Director Mannes Westhuis gave the group a warm welcome, sharing a look back on 40 years of BKB Precision and a look ahead to the future. The world will keep changing and our strength lies in changing with it, anticipating the opportunities that the market will offer. It’s that approach that has brought us to where we are now, and we intend to keep our market leadership position as we continue to grow and evolve.
We got into the bus with full bellies and went on to Bunnik where twelve Citroën 2CVs awaited us. After instructions on the ins & outs of the ugly duckling, we all left with treasure hunt booklets in hand and Google Maps at the ready, for a tour through the Groene Hart. For two hours, people had lots of adventures, gears were crunched, cars almost landed in ditches and one 2CV was towed away after a breakdown. But most of all, there was a lot of laughter and great connections made between colleagues.
We were very lucky with the weather during the event and afterwards most people were craving a cold beer or fizzy drink. Fortunately, that was all arranged for at Fort Vechten, our last stop of the day. The terrace was the perfect place for drinks and a BBQ and as the sun went down, the party continued with DJ Balthasar. Tired but satisfied, the last partygoers got back on the bus to head for the hotel where we were staying overnight. The following morning, stories from the day before were shared over breakfast and then we were back on the bus and heading home. In short, it was a hugely successful staff celebration. On to the 50th anniversary!
BKB Precision welcomes new majority shareholder and acquires ANKRO Kunststof Verspaning BV
BKB Precision (Van den Berg Kunststofbewerking BV) is pleased to announce 365 Capital as a new majority shareholder of BKB Precision, alongside current owner and CEO Mannes Westhuis. Together they announce the acquisition of Ankro (ANKRO Kunststofverspaningstechnieken BV).
The group will be led by Mannes Westhuis, whilst the current owners of Ankro will remain onboard to aid in the integration of the two organisations and provide support in the future growth plans. The BKB Precision and Ankro labels and propositions will both be maintained going forward.
BKB Precision, founded in 1982, is the plastics machining specialist for the high-tech industry, especially for the semicon-, medical-, food- and analytical industries, both in The Netherlands and the rest of the world. BKB Precision is well known for her capabilities to machine complex and accurate parts in high performance plastics such as manifolds.
Ankro, founded in 1998, is a well-known machining partner, supplying engineering plastics components. From their production facility based in Werkendam, Ankro produces plastic precision components for its loyal customer base in the food, pharmaceutical-, petrochemical-, analytical-, medical and graphical industries, mainly in the Netherlands.
Johan van Anrooy, together with his wife Sonja van Anrooy, founders of Ankro, says: “The acquisition by BKB Precision is the result of a perfect match in culture, ambition and craftmanship. It gives us the opportunity to make a big step forward and offers continuity for our employees and customers. I really believe we will empower each other to move forward in a fast-developing market”.
Mannes Westhuis, CEO and co-owner of the group, shares the same enthusiasm about this acquisition: “By Ankro becoming a member of the group, we enlarge our potential to fulfil the growing demands of the high-tech market, regarding capacity and capability. From the moment we got in touch with each other, we felt the same ambition and the will to move forward together to stay a trustworthy partner for our customers with all kinds of challenges ahead. Customer satisfaction is key for us”.
Reinaert Molenaar, partner at 365 Capital, added: “The end markets that BKB Precision and Ankro operate in are continuously subject to significant technological advancement, resulting in growing demands and changing roles for the component- and assembly suppliers of those end-markets. We look forward to supporting the BKB Precision and Ankro combination in mastering those challenges and to help them realise further growth, both organically and through strategic add-on acquisitions”.
For more information, please contact BKB Precision or 365 Capital:
365 Capital (contact@365capital.com) BKB Precision (info@bkbprecision.com)
We already knew what CBS figures have confirmed: that the industry is back to normal. In fact, the industry seems busy trying to reclaim its lost capacity and in some cases even increase it. This strong recovery is very good news.
With regard to the corona pandemic, it is great to have entered a phase in which most sectors are already allowed to move around as usual. We can visit customers again and the first trade fairs have already taken place.
The big question is once more how to fit everything into the order book.
However, this economic recovery also presents the high-tech chain with countless challenges. One particular challenge is that when demand picks up or even increases, this can cause scarcity with supply. This can mean scarcity of raw materials for product articles, but also scarcity of skilled workers.
Sometimes, scarcity is the result of difficulties when restarting. Let’s say factories are at a standstill with stocks all used up, and then suddenly the manufacturer has to restart production, and at capacity too. If there is a problem with obtaining metal, for example, this can lead to big delays and price increases on items like nuts and bolts and all kinds of necessary materials.
The consequence in the chain is delay or even standstill, which leads to more expensive end products, as we have also seen in the market around chip shortages.
Effects driving prices in the market are becoming visible
It is no different in plastics processing. At BKB Precision, we do everything we can to mitigate the effects of scarcity as far as possible for our customers, but we too cannot escape delays and price increases.
If the chain falters and we cannot get necessary materials on time, we unfortunately have to delay and that can also occasionally lead to hiccups further down the chain. In general, we can’t complain when it comes to the availability of plastics, but we do see that prices are rising sharply.
The degree of a price increase also depends on the type of plastic. There is a high demand for plastics coming from the US and Asia and the export business to those regions threatens availability in Europe. As a result, prices are being driven higher.
Price increases in the near future inevitable
Within BKB Precision, we stay up-to-date on what is happening with availability and prices, and we take this into account in our quotations. So, if you have any questions regarding production options and prices before submitting a production order, please do not hesitate to contact us. That way, you will know where you stand from the beginning.
The downside of recovery
This scarcity will also put BKB Precision under pressure, although we will always try to limit as much as possible any problems for both our and your customers. You can expect that from us, even in these hectic times. But the downside of the economic tide in which we now find ourselves is that we can no longer absorb the resulting price level with a regular index increase of a few percent.
This means regretfully that we cannot avoid having to pass on price increases to our customers. And with that, the good news of the improving economy has a small shadow side. We hope with you that the economy continues to prosper and that prices will quickly stabilise.
BKB Precision makes a great contribution on BNR Nieuwsradio
BNR Duitsland is a BNR Nieuwsradio programme about Germany. Over a number of episodes, companies and enterprises which have lots of experience in Germany talk about how to do business with Germans and offer practical tips and insights
On Monday 13 September, BKB Precision was a guest on the programme. This episode included an interview with our sales director, Berrie van de Burgt, talking about the challenges of the plastics market in Germany.
Berrie explained that sales in Germany have steadily increased over recent years and that we see many growth opportunities, especially in medical technology (medtech) and the semiconductor industry.
Germany will be making huge investments in medical technology over the coming years, partly due to its aging population. Many new devices in medtech require plastic components, and the same goes for semiconductors in which components have to be increasingly more accurate.
Germany will be making huge investments in medical technology over the coming years, partly due to its aging population. Many new devices in medtech require plastic components, and the same goes for semiconductors in which components have to be increasingly more accurate.”When it comes to total health costs, only 2.5% is spent on equipment. However, due to the aging population, more specifically applied equipment is necessary, because people with the right skills are not available. Therefore, the challenge is to develop this equipment quickly and effectively.’
BKB Precision joins ASML Supplier Sustainability Program
Running a business sustainably is an important starting point for BKB Precision. As an SME, we cannot do everything at once, but several small steps do add up to one big one. However, achieving this requires working together in the chain – helping and being helped in the development of sustainable plastic processing. And that is important for the chain, both now and in the future.
ASML has developed a special programme to support awareness and effectiveness on the subject of sustainability. It’s called the Supplier Sustainability Program and its aim is to create a sustainable, resilient supply chain. For this purpose, suppliers must meet ASML’s high standards with regard to the quality, logistics, technology, costs, and sustainability of their products and services. Supplier management, development, performance and knowledge also play major roles.
Participation
BKB Precision was recently approached to participate in this programme, which is primarily focused on long-term, mutual partnerships. Because we also believe in the importance of environmental sustainability, information sharing on CO2 emissions, reducing CO2 emissions and waste, and increasing the possibilities for reusing materials, we committed ourselves to working with ASML on these issues.
The Joint Sustainability Commitment was signed on behalf of BKB Precision by Jan Keller (Executive Vice President Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain) and Mannes Westhuis (CEO/Owner BKB Precision).
We hebben een verantwoordelijkheid en als BKB Precision proberen we deze verantwoordelijkheid ook te integreren in ons dagelijks werk. We staan ervoor open om samen met andere partners te leren van elkaar en informatie uit te wisselen om op deze manier een steentje bij te dragen aan de toekomst”, aldus Westhuis.
