beLaser has been a competent partner for laser engraving, laser marking and product labelling of a wide variety of materials for many years. The company location in Lehrberg near Ansbach, lies in the beautiful Middle Franconia.
Interview with Ronny Baumert, CEO of beLaser GmbH.
Easy Engineering: A brief description of the company and its activities.
Ronny Baumert: beLaser is a laser system manufacturer, based in the heart of Bavaria / Germany.
The company is divided into four main business areas: Construction of individual laser marking systems in our own laser workshop, contract marking, and rental of laser machines both as an event highlight or for production bottlenecks.
As a specialist in laser systems with over 25 years of experience and a one-stop supplier, all our expertise is stored under one roof. Therefore, whether the question may be regarding software issues or laser construction – our experts are just one call away.
E.E: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
R.B: The areas of application for our laser marking system are wide-ranging and cross-sectoral. Mainly we build laser systems for the processing of metal and plastic components. Therefore, our customers are located in the automotive sector, medical technology, mechanical engineering, plastics processing, electronics as well as tool, and mould-making companies.
As many of the mentioned sectors require traceability of components, whether, by serial number or Data Matrix Code, the long-lasting laser marking is ideal. Furthermore, as a non-contact marking method, the laser applies no mechanical stress to the parts, so shrinkage can be minimised.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
R.B: Individuality is the key to success – every production plant is different and special requirements must be met. Be its limited space, an adaptation of the speed of existing conveyor belts, or flexibility with regard to the material to be labelled. We place great value on unique systems.
Therefore, our laser systems are not a product that can be bought off the peg, but rather it is individually customized according to your own needs. As we have our own laser workshop on site, we can implement additional features very easily. For instance, we just switched the original beam source case of a CO2 laser to a rather smaller one. Therefore, the additional available space can be used for other purposes such as extra axes.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
R.B: Our product range is very broad, starting from a tabletop laser, to a stand-alone workstation over to an integrated laser system or even marking on the fly for constantly working production lines. For limited quantities of marking products, it is also possible to rent a laser system or use our contract labelling facilities.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
R.B: With the relaunch and our attendance at many international Trade fairs in Europe, we had the impression that many companies are relying on old tried and true methods of product marking such as mechanical engraving or pad printing.
The solution of laser marking systems is becoming more and more popular in the market. The need for more information about laser marking is clearly noticeable, often users are not even aware that a fast and more effective solution for their product labeling is just around the corner. Therefore, our goal is to spread information about the possibility of laser marking even more in the industry and highlight the advantages for productions with a promising future.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
R.B: Overall, the market for laser marking is expected to grow between 7,2 – 8 % from 2022 to 2027 (depending on which market growth report you trust). As in previous years, the market for metal marking applications will hold the largest share. This is consistent with our perception of the increased interest in fiber laser marking systems, which are typically used for metal and plastics applications in the machine tool industry.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
R.B: Fitting to the buzzword of the 21st Century, sustainability, our most recent invention is the laser logo and direct product labelling.
The advantage is that with a recycled material base in combination with the lasered product, 100% recyclability can be guaranteed. Often, recycling fails due to the use of sleeves, water-insoluble adhesives or even printing inks for the product information.
These shampoos are already available in various drugstores and in the online shop.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?
R.B: We will move into our new company building this summer and expand our workforce. Furthermore, in the new premises, we enlarged our laser workshop by 4 times and have the capacity to store more laser systems, which results in a shortened delivery time for our customers.
Also, since 2023 we are officially a training company certified by the chamber of Industry and Commerce of Middle Franconia and will offer various apprenticeships in marketing, office management, and technical professions. This meets our ideas of training our own junior staff and familiarizing them with the laser systems.
