From humble beginnings in a garage to operating in a fully equipped state-of-the-art factory in Bradford, UK, Bar Graphic Machinery (BGM) is set to celebrate over 30 years of delivering excellence in finishing machinery at this year’s Labelexpo Europe 2023.

Established in 1992, former maintenance engineer Bill Rhodes and his wife Annemarie followed their desire to work for themselves starting up a finishing machine design and production company. They initially financed the business themselves and by being astute with investments over the years, they ensured the solid growth and development that the BGM business has now achieved over the past three decades.

Annemarie Rhodes, Managing Director at BGM, says: “We have always remained close to the business day-to-day to ensure we can always survive the ups and downs of the market, whether a recession like in 2008 or the recent Covid pandemic. The pandemic created numerous challenges, none more so than supply chain issues which of course affected not only the UK but the worldwide manufacturing base. Being close to our suppliers and customers keeps us ahead of industry trends and enables us to make changes to our business well ahead of time, as well as develop timely new innovations to support our customers. This has ensured continuous growth over the past 30 years and our reputation for innovation and customer service excellence.”

Today, the team at BGM manufactures a market-leading range of highly efficient rewinding, slitting, finishing and die-cutting machines for the narrow web label and flexible packaging industry, securing sales around the world supported by a network of agents and distributor partners. The company’s machines are used to convert labels and flexible packaging for a wide range of applications in the health & beauty, medical & pharmaceutical, food, beverage and automotive sectors, to name a few.

Bill Rhodes, Chairman at BGM, comments: “We’re proud to design and develop machines that meet the specific needs of narrow web printers, both large and small, around the world. We focus on customer service and have the flexibility, agility and closeness to our customers that we believe sets us apart from our competitors”

“We manufacture a range of standard machines but invariably our customers need some adjustments to directly meet their business challenges. Whether adding flexo or inkjet print heads to a machine to free up capacity in the pressroom or simply extending a table to support the way an operator works, we are always flexible in our approach and have the technical skills and expertise in-house to advise and guide our customers to the best solution.”

From a garage at home to a unit at Five Lane Ends in Bradford in 1998 then to larger premises at Bierley in 2000, the boldest move for the business was in 2014 when the team relocated to its current facility in Oxford Place, Bradford.

Investing around £500,000 in buying and fitting out a disused 10,000sq ft premises, BGM created a state-of-the-art production facility with the support of local architects alongside Bill’s vision for the business. Alongside offices, and an extensive production floor, the latest site boasts a new product demonstration area and showroom, alongside a meeting and training room to support customers and partners alike.

Annemarie comments: “The opening of the new site had perfect timing. Our order book was full and still today, the building plays a major part in our continued growth. This facility truly reflects our commitment to quality and professionalism, which in turn has definitely helped us win new business and secure long-term success.

In 2021, the company further increased its facilities by purchasing additional premises adding another 10,000 sq ft to the site as the business continued to expand and support it’s growing customer base.

“We are proud of our commitment to manufacturing as much as we can in-house and were among the first in the industry to offer a three-year warranty on in-house spares. Of course, our aim is to make the most reliable machines available on the market today, but when we do have a problem, we have the parts and resources on site now to support our customers quickly. This is reflected in the commitment of one of the largest label manufacturers in the UK buying over 57 machines from us in recent years.”

BGM currently exports to all the major economies in Europe, as well as to the USA, Latin America, Canada, South Africa and Israel. The business is supported by an agent and distributor network that provides the local service and support that BGM customers need around the world, as well as enabling BGM to have showrooms and demonstration centres in multiple locations to help customers select the right technology for them.

“We continue to appoint distributors to support the growth of the business – it’s vital to always secure the local touch for our customers alongside our production expertise in the UK and we look forward to meeting many of them at Labelexpo in September. We know that technical and customer service are critical to our success and our partners are the key to delivering that on a local basis. We work hard to support our customers, wherever they are based, to ensure that our reputation for quality, reliability, innovation and service continues to grow.”