CASE STUDIES

Open Business Solutions > Case Studies > CBI Central Bottling

Central Bottling International Limited (CBI) is a British Company based in Doncaster with over 25 years of experience. Specialising in providing quality industrial manufacturing equipment and services to the food, beverage and packaging industries worldwide. Central Bottling International is part of the Barry-Wehmiller group of companies, a $1.2 billion global supplier of engineering consulting and manufacturing technology solutions across a broad spectrum of industries.

Formed in 1979, the Company initially began by trading redundant or surplus brewery plant and equipment. As the business developed and the Company gained a reputation for efficient line removal and professional services, custom-built buildings were erected and the acquisition of a second site completed. To meet the increasing demand for overhauled and reconditioned machinery, the Company built up it’s engineering capabilities, enabling it to undertake multi-million pound ‘turnkey’ projects involving the most sophisticated packaging equipment.

As Central Bottling International developed a reputation for quality, reliability, cost effectiveness and reduced lead times, the product range increased. The Change Parts Division was created and now supplies an alternative to the OEMs. Simply supplying parts and spares has developed into a major revenue stream in its own right. Ninety per cent of these parts are manufactured in-house. This business has gone from strength to strength and is now the largest independent change parts supplier in Europe.

From a manufacturing perspective, the bespoke nature of the business poses complex challenges. The key manufacturing issue is never selling the same machine twice. Each machine ends up as a one-off, which can make it extremely difficult to plan and forecast demand. It is very difficult to anticipate what types of machines are coming in and what customers will want in the future.

Central Bottling International has installed Infor software tools, which are standard to Barry-Wehmiller, across the entire Company. The overall strategy is to link design with production and production with stock control to improve scheduling and forecasting with a direct link from the design office to machine programming.

Seventy-five per cent of output is exported, mainly to developing economies in the Far East although Central Bottling International’s field service team might find themselves in Syria one week, Russia the next.

Taking things a stage further, the Company also offers complete reconditioned lines to suit exact specifications, along with a full project management and installation service if that is what the customer requires.