BGM celebrates 30 years of excellence at Labelexpo

Bar Graphic Machinery (BGM) will celebrate over 30 years of delivering finishing machinery at Labelexpo Europe 2023 at booth D24 in Hall 3. 

Established in 1992, former maintenance engineer Bill Rhodes and his wife Annemarie Rhodes 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, said: ‘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 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 and beauty, medical and pharmaceutical, food, beverage and automotive sectors. 

Bill Rhodes, chairman at BGM, commented: ‘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.’  

The company manufactures a range of standard machines but customizations available for customers whether adding flexo or inkjet print heads to a machine to free up capacity in the pressroom or extending a table to support the way an operator works.   

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 GBP 500,000 in buying and fitting out a disused 10,000 sqft premises, BGM created a production facility with the support of local architects alongside Bill Rhodes’ 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.  

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

The company manufacturers as much as possible in-house and is among the first in the industry to offer a three-year warranty on in-house spares. The company has the parts and resources on site now to support customers quickly. This is reflected in the commitment of one of the largest label manufacturers in the UK buying over 57 machines from BGM 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.