BLM Group Deutschland GmbH officially opened its new sales and service headquarters in Unna at a ceremony on May 15, 2025. It has repositioned itself for the future and now has new capacities for face-to-face training, among other things. With her presence, owner Dr. Emanuela Colombo underlined the importance of the German branch for the Italian group of companies.
The sales and service headquarters opened 35 years ago on Alfred-Nobel-Strasse in the Unna Industrial Park was the BLM Group’s first foreign branch at the time. “My father Pietro Colombo was a visionary in many respects. He also proved this at the time with the founding of the German branch – the first step in the internationalization of our company,” said Emanuela Colombo, welcoming the guests who had come from various parts of Germany. Among them were many customers and business partners of the German sales and service organization, which now has almost 35 permanent employees.
From the very beginning, the BLM Group’s technical innovations were groundbreaking for pipe processing. Initially, this applied to the bending and sawing of pipes. Later, the Italian group of companies became a pioneer in the laser cutting of pipes and sheet metal. With the performance, flexibility and intelligent software developed in-house for its innovative machines, it was also increasingly knocking down doors in the German industry. In 1990, the time had finally come to establish a subsidiary in Germany.
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Being close to the customer
“The number of machines installed in the German market by our group of companies has risen continuously since then. And it continues to rise steadily. With our restructured and expanded head office, we are sending out a clear signal: in parallel with the growing number of our machines on the market, we are gradually expanding our sales and service capabilities. We want to remain as close to our customers in the future as they have always been used to from us,” said BLM Group Germany Managing Director Andreas Köster.
In addition to state-of-the-art offices for the administration team, the company now also has two extremely attractive, fully air-conditioned training rooms equipped with the latest IT technology at its new headquarters. These are primarily used for training courses on the BLMelements software suite from the BLM Group – including the CAD-CAM software solutions VGP3Next, ArTube and ArGo for programming and simulating production with the group’s bending machines, tube lasers and 3D laser cutting systems.
“Our customers’ machine operators learn here how to make the most of the functionality of our technology – and then know practically all the tricks of the trade for their daily work,” explained Köster during the tour of the new building. The training courses generally last two to four days. Small groups of up to six people ensure efficient learning. If required, they can be tailored to individual requirements and supplemented with on-site application training at the customer’s premises.
Customers involved in new construction
The usually very close partnership between the BLM Group Germany and its customers is also reflected in the new building and its equipment. Köster: “You won’t find any components made from pipes, profiles, wire or sheet metal here that weren’t produced using our machines.”
For example, the banister in the stairwell and the sheet metal parts of the façade were produced by F.W.Stiebich-Metallbau GmbH from Reiskirchen using a combined laser cutting machine for sheet metal and pipes and a bending machine from the BLM Group. The same applies to the sheet metal parts of the BLM Group logo, which is integrated into the garden, planted and visible on Google Earth.
Grötschel GmbH from Bernsdorf, which specializes in steel and plant construction, supplied the handrail for the terrace in the outdoor area, the sheet metal parts for the stairs in the garden and the charging points for electric vehicles in front of the entrance. It produced the handrail with its LT8.20 tube laser and the sheet metal components for the stairs with a flatbed laser from the BLM Group. The tube laser and an Elect63 tube bending machine as well as the BLM Group’s all-in-one technology were used for the charging columns. This seamlessly integrates their tube lasers with the tube bending machines and compensates for the expansions and springbacks that occur during the bending process. As a result, the machines produce flawless workpieces straight away. The charging columns are an example of the advantages of this technology: they could not have been produced in this form using conventional technology. And even the scaffolding was produced using BLM Group machines – at Alfix GmbH in Großschirma.
Some of the furniture comes from VS Vereinigte Spezialmöbelfabriken GmbH & Co KG from Tauberbischofsheim. This company works with four LT Fiber tube lasers from the BLM Group. The ergonomic office chairs and other office furniture come from Sedus Stoll AG, based in Dogern. Both bending machines and tube lasers from the Italian company group were used for production.
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Entire organization thought through down to the last detail
The latest findings of modern corporate management have been implemented in all areas of administration. For example, employees no longer have fixed workstations. Instead, they can flexibly choose one of the free desks when they start work in the morning. These automatically adjust the working height several times a day so that employees are not sitting all day but are motivated to move around in between.
There is also the ‘clean desk concept’: at the end of the working day, all desks are tidy and empty. Employees lock all their personal belongings in their boxes at the end of the working day. “Stationary PCs at the workplace are no longer in keeping with the times,” says Köster. Lighting management can also be controlled individually for each person. In short, the entire office organization is characterized by maximum flexibility. This benefits efficiency.
In the middle of the office areas, ‘communication islands’ with acoustic soundproof sofas are installed for internal meetings. Virtually no noise escapes from them. The employees at the surrounding desks are not disturbed during meetings. In addition, soundproofed floors and ceilings as well as partitions contribute to the quietness of the workspaces. “We based all of these investments on the experience of other companies,” says Köster.
Machine demos now also possible in tube bending
There is also a new showroom in Unna. An E-Turn40 tube bending machine equipped with the latest technology for right and left-hand bending in the process is currently installed here. Köster: “With tube lasers, we have a number of opportunities here in the immediate vicinity to visit customers with interested parties and show the machines in practical operation. Tube bending, on the other hand, is often primarily about mastering the software and tools. Even though there are big differences in the diameters of the pipes to be bent, we can use our E-Turn40 to demonstrate how our technology works.”
As far as possible, these machine demos are used to bend parts that are required by nearby customers. This means that there is normally no waste during the demos. At the same time, customers can access the tube bending machine installed at the BLM Group Germany headquarters if they need a back-up or need to cover production peaks.
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Designed for growth
“We want to continue to grow. That’s another reason why we built a two-storey building,” said Köster, looking to the future. “The new building in Unna is also a commitment to this central location in Germany. We have excellent highway connections here and can quickly reach our customers in all parts of Germany.”
Planning for the realignment began back in 2018, and the old east wing was demolished the following year. “We moved closer together in the west wing. This allowed us to continue our day-to-day business without restrictions during the construction work,” recalls Köster. The old west wing followed in 2019. After the coronavirus pandemic and a fire in the new building temporarily slowed down the construction work, it was completed in 2022. This was followed by the exterior work.
A highlight of the opening ceremony was the inauguration of Via Pietro Colombo in honor of the founder of the BLM Group. “There was originally a narrow path here on our premises. We turned it into a small road for our suppliers, parcel services, customers and visitors to our academy. It’s probably the only street in NRW with an original Italian road sign – perhaps even in the whole of Germany,” said Köster, who was also delighted with the successful surprise for Emanuela Colombo.
After the official program, there was a BBQ in the afternoon for the BLM Group employees and their families, as well as for the customers and sales partners who had travelled to the event. This ended late in the evening.
Web:
www.blmgroup.de
