Gebo Cermex

Gebo Cermex is a French end of line packaging machines manufacturer and line engineering provider, headquartered in Reichstett, near Strasbourg, France. This young company is born of the merger of two brands, Gebo and Cermex, gathering over half a century experience in case packing, shrink-wrapping, conveying, palletizing machinery but also in tunnels such as pasteurizers, crate and bottle washers for a range of market segments from beverages and food to pharmaceuticals, via home and personal care. Its expertise in line engineering and integration, is improved by a wide range of services and asset performance tools. The group employs 1,800 people and is present on an international scale with over 20 commercial facilities and manufacturing sites worldwide, with over 37,000 installations operational in every corner of the globe and an annual turnover of 320 million Euros. Gebo Cermex is part of the Sidel group (one of the Tetra Laval divisions).

History

A worldwide group specialized in packaging line engineering and equipment manufacturing :

• 1946 : Creation of "Le Monte-Vite" in Cholet, western France, conveyors manufacturer.
• 1964 : Creation of Gebo by founder Gustave Schoen (Reichstett, France), specialist in engineering and conveying.
• 1968 : Creation of Ouest Conditionnement by Jean Delapierre (Lisieux, France), expert in shrink-wrapping.
• 1974 : Creation of Cermex(Corcelles lès Cîteaux, France), leader in case packing and palletizing.
• 1978 : Creation of ENOMEC (Verona, Italy) specialized in rincers, casers-uncasers, crate washers, than in bottle washers and pasteurizers.
• 1986 : Creation of DCS Ingiénerie, packaging line engineering.

"Le Monte-Vite" is acquired by Bongrain, a major French food producer. Merged with Faiveley, it becomes Newtec palletization, expert in unit load palletizing and de-palletizing, part of Newtec International Group.

• 1992 : ENOMEC becomes “SASIB Impianti per l’imbottigliamento” then SASIB will become SIMONAZZI spa.
• 1993 : Creation of DCS Ipal in Montréal, Canada.
• 1996 : Integration of Cermex in the Sidel group.

Acquisition of the assets of American society Aidlin Corporation located in Sarasota, Florida, specialized in air conveyors.

Acquisition of Portuguese society Sorbal located in Vale de Cambra.

• 1997 : Merger/Acquisition of Gebo by Sidel Group.

Acquisition of Garro company in the USA.

• 1999 : Opening of an subsidiary in the USA.
• 2002 : Acquisition of RAFALE Technologie in Pérenchies, specialist in empty bottle air conveying.
• 2003 : Sidel Group joins Tetra Laval.
• 2005 : Integration of SIMONAZZI/Italy in SIDEL Group including facility in Verona for tunnel machine and facility in Parme for Pal/Depal + Crating/Decrating.
• 2008 : Opening of an industrial business unit in China.
• 2009 : New sales and services subsidiary in Thailand.
• 2012 : Acquisition of Newtec Case Palletizing (St Laurent sur Sèvre, France), to reinforce robotic palletizing expertise.
• 2013 : Creation of the Gebo Cermex organization.

Opening of Indian industrial facility in Pune.

Notable innovations

• 1946 : “Le Monte Vite” created by Poirier, inventor of the elevator belt on wheels for loading coal in sacks or in bulk onto trailers.
• 50’s : Invention of the first carton cases automated processing machines by Gonzague Hermier
• 60’s : 1st pasteurizing machines sold under the PAMA brand (Verona, Italy)
• 1972 : 1st palletizers produced by "Le Monte Vite"
• 1987 : 1st palletizer manufactured in the Parma facility under Simonazzi.
• 1990 : 1st machine with seamless technology.
• 1995 : First bottle-washer Oceano for customer MODELO Group
• 1998 : 1st Robo Kombi palletizer manufactured.

Launch of new side loading case packer with cantilever-design.

• 1999 : Launch of the first ER60 pendulum-design robot case packer.
• 2002 : Winner of 2 packaging awards for the Dual Injection System (DIS) for automatic reel changeover (Lisieux) and the ER63 continuous robot case packer (Corcelles).
• 2007 : 1st Robocolumn palletizer manufactured
• 2010 : Packaging Oscar for the ProSelex® product collating system
• 2011 : Launch of the first VersaFilm
• 2013 : Launch of the new EvoFlex palletizing range

Target markets

Gebo Cermex aims industries such as beverages (water, soft drinks & juices, wine & spirits, beer), food and dairy products, home care, personal careand pharmaceuticals, for both primary and secondary packaging. From PET and glass bottles, cans, cartons, bags, pouches, tubes, aerosols, tins, jars to American cases (RSC cases), wrap around blanks, trays, shrink wrapped film, shelf-ready packaging, carton and film solutions, as well as conveying, case packing, shrink-wrapping or palletizing machines.

Organization

Line engineering

Plant and line design services:

• Engineering expertise from civil work, utilities, process and packaging
• Integration of independent outsourced equipment
• Material handling specialism
• End-to-end project management
• Packaging line (incl. preliminary design, feasibility studies, simulation modeling, 3D animations, master plan, line transfer)

Packaging technology

Conveying:

From the first elevator belt built in 1964, Gebo developed a range of Conveying: solutions adapted to the complexity of handling needs, such as air conveying, laning and distribution, as well as packaging, crates and pallets conveying systems. Following sustainability requirements, the company focuses on optimizing energy and fluid consumption as well as designing equipment that requires fewer parts and less material for construction and maintenance without altering performance.

Packing: technology:

The priority is given to Packing solutions::'''in order to cover widest markets requirements. From product collation and control systems, through RSC cases to trays, shelf-ready:, the continuous motion wrap around blanks, the focus is on tailor-made solutions, adapted to a complex productivity challenges.

Shrink-wrapping and overwrapping:

First overwrapping machines used seam and sealing bars. In early 70’s, Cermex developed and patented seamless shrink-wrapping machines, able to package all types of primary packaging. Those equipment use shrink tunnel, optimized by improved air circulation and insulation generating a 30% saving in power consumption.

Crating:

Automatic, columnar or robotic craters and decratersaims beverage market needs, with its fully automatic operations, those machines are made to handle with care glass bottle packaging.

Palletizing and depalletizing:

To meet different Pallet types, sizes and every market expectations, the company has developed different types of Palletizers: layer by layer, gripping, robotic, gantry, high and low level solutions, as well as all types of pallet handling supplies : chain, belt or roller conveyors, transfer or pick up tables and pallet stackers-destackers.

Tunnels:

To pasteurize food already in their primary packaging (bottles, cans, etc.) or to wash and dry recycled bottles, the company has developed a range of pasteurizing tunnel machines, crates and bottle washers as well as coolers and warmers.

Services

Maintenance, spare parts, technical trainings or efficiency improvement tools are part of the services portfolio.

Asset performance

The Efficiency improvement tool (EITTM) is a patented range of line performance audit tools, a highly customizable monitoring solution focused on line performance improving, from redesign opportunities to energy consumption, safety and the environment, maintenance strategies, operator training and material flows. The reliability services can assist on a range of issues from the elimination of chronic losses through to the deployment of highly structured reliability programs.

Innovation

The company invests in industrializing new processes for end of line handling, from the product, in its primary packaging, to the finished pallet. Gebo Cermex produces 450 machines per year and has an installed base of 37,000 machines (data 2013), in particular within international groups. From its creation, Gebo Cermex set up an extensive design office contributing to the design and continuous improvement of the solutions proposed. Ten to 12 innovations and 15-20 patents are published per year (new developments, modules or machines).

Business units

Present on an international scale, Gebo Cermex aims to provide local support, local culture know-how and economic environment in order to insure reactivity. Industrial, sales and service subsidiaries:

• Europe
  • Reichstett - France: headquarters
  • Corcelles les Cîteaux – France
  • Lisieux– France
  • Saint Laurent sur Sevre – France
  • Bensheim – Germany
  • Huntingdon – United Kingdom
  • Parma– Italy
  • Verona – Italy
  • Vale de Cambra – Portugal
  • Moscow– Russia
• Middle east and Africa
  • Dubaï – United Arab Emirates
  • Cape Town – South Africa
• Americas
  • Laval – Canada
  • Norcross – USA
  • Querétaro – Mexico
  • Quilicura, Santiago – Chile
  • Itapecerica da Serra, São Paulo – Brasil
• Asia
  • Beijing – China
  • Ho Chi Minh City – Viet Nam
  • Pune – India
  • Ratthewi, Bangkok – Thailand
  • Brgy. Malamig, Biñan, Laguna – Philippines
  • Jakarta Selatan – Republic of Indonesia