PRESS RELEASE - Zele, 19/08/2020
A few months after moving to its new premises in Zele and in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Corbeo is investing in a unique, fully automated "ball winding machine." This investment aligns with the company's vision of creating more added value locally in Flanders, a vision now fully supported by the #buylocal philosophy.
With the move to a new company building in Zele at the end of 2019, the production space has been significantly expanded, providing the necessary space for new machinery. Following an expansion of the twisting facilities in early February, Corbeo is investing in the second expansion phase, and a new fully automatic ball winding machine was put into operation in August. Following this investment, a full-fledged second shift to expand the utilization of its entire machine fleet and meet customer demand. Due to the lockdown, stores in Belgium were closed for a while, but Corbeo still saw a sharp increase in its own production turnover and expects a turnover in 2020 that will at least match that of 2019.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has further highlighted the importance of maintaining control over the entire supply chain. Retailers are once again eager to collaborate with local producers. This is partly to guarantee European quality and partly to ensure stores are supplied. The more we can do ourselves, the better for our customers," say managers Silvie and Wilfried. The ball-winding machine is the final missing link for Corbeo to produce all its own rope products: twine, bobbins, rolls, and now balls or balls of twine. The machine produces the typical sisal or flax twine balls available in supermarkets and DIY stores. The new, high-tech, German-made machine allows for fully automated production, making production costs competitive. Raw materials are sourced globally, but the entire production process, right up to the finished product, takes place in Belgium. The improved sustainability benefits of less inefficient ocean transport are an added bonus.
The fully automatic ball winding machine is unique in its kind because it allows for production to exact lengths. This ensures that retailers can guarantee the lengths on the packaging to the consumer. "Thanks to this investment, Corbeo can better manage our inventory. With its 12 parallel winding heads, the machine can produce up to 600 balls per hour," explains Wilfried. "Instead of stocking numerous items that vary solely in length in the warehouse, we now maintain a strategic stock of raw materials. This stock can be flexibly processed into the right end product. This allows us to increase our delivery rate to our customers without increasing our internal inventory. Moreover, this allows us to find new customers among European retailers. Many are reassessing their supply chains and looking for local suppliers who offer short and reliable delivery times."
Corbeo is the Belgian market leader in rope production. Their products can be found in most DIY, garden, and hobby stores under their own "Ledent" brand. They also produce for numerous Belgian and international retailers under private labels. As a family business with 25 employees, Corbeo specializes in sourcing raw materials for rope worldwide, twisting cotton for macramé applications, and creating and packaging retail items in various formats. Various professional sectors also rely on Corbeo.
