History

The new extruder doubled the capacity of the old extruder to further support growth. In addition, investments were also made in ergonomics. This is thanks to the addition of an automatic strip feeder, which pulls the strip from the bin without any manual intervention by the operator and feeds it to the extruder without tension. 

A major upgrade was carried out on the iCOM® line with the addition of a second Brabender feeder: a gravimetric dosing unit. Thanks to this upgrade, two different batch powders can now be accurately dosed into the compound, allowing us to produce more compounds on this line and achieve higher production efficiency. In addition, a recipe management system was also introduced, which ensures consistent mixing results and a more controllable production process.  

To continue to meet the high-quality standards of our customers at Bekina Compounds, our Colourservice system was further optimised. The addition of a new barcode system, coupled with automatic locks on the dosing units, now provides 100% traceability, significantly reducing the risk of loading errors. The additional indicator lights also provide visual support for the weighing operator during the loading process. In addition, new colour-coded indicator lights provide the weighing operator with visual guidance during the loading process. In this way we continue to strive for the highest quality and efficiency in our products and processes.   

Innovation is in our DNA. That’s why we recently upgraded our data system to a new ERP suite called SAP. The SAP suite forms a robust backbone for our data processing and ensures greater transparency across the Bekina group. Data migration from the old to the new system was a major undertaking, and it took time for our employees to adjust to the new digital environment too. The strong cooperation and considerable effort from everyone in our team was a clear reflection of our BEKI values (with the E for Engagement).

Bekina Compounds continues to invest to operate even more efficiently. In 2022, a new lab two-roll mill was added and our lab mixer was automated.

Our compounds can now be cooled in an even more environmentally friendly way thanks to the new cooling installation for granulating our rubber strips. This new installation is not only an improvement in terms of energy efficiency, but also offers a more stable cooling temperature and a shorter lead time.

At Bekina Compounds, R&D a crucial part of our organisation. To carry out all testing, research and development as accurately as possible, we installed a new state-of-the-art laboratory in 2014.

In 2014, Bekina Compounds was named East Flanders Voka Ambassador. The theme of the year was growth. As a growing global player, Bekina Compounds made the strongest impression and we were able to take the award home.

In 2011, the weighing of small components was automated: we invested in a Colourservice system. This system weighs sachets of raw materials semi-automatically, at a very high speed and with excellent weighing precision. 

We continue to invest in the optimisation and automation of our processes. In 2009 we invested in an AZO mixing system. This fully automatic dosing system allows us to add up to seven fillers and four liquids to the rubber compounds.

As part of the expansion of Bekina Compounds in 2008, we also invested in new machinery to automate our processes. Bekina Compounds continues to evolve with the addition of our own patented iCOM® mixing technology, which delivers a homogeneous, pure and stable quality.

In 2008, a new building was brought into use, significantly increasing our storage capacity in the warehouse.

The mixer line is equipped with a batch-off installation from VMI. A batch-off installation cools the hot rubber, dries it and collects it in loose sheets or strips for further processing.

Until this point, we had only produced rubber compounds for our own internal use. Now Georges Vanderbeke decided to set up Bekina Compounds as a separate business. This company would specialise in the production of coloured rubber compounds, made to the customer’s specification. From the very beginning, we made a deliberate decision to work with colour compounds, always with properties tailored to the customer’s needs.

Bekina started as a specialist in the production of rubber boots, now known as Bekina Boots. We developed our own rubber compound for the production of these boots, which we produced in-house. These were the first steps in the history of Bekina Compounds. 

Bekina Compounds is part of the Bekina group. Bekina was founded in 1962 by the first generation of this Belgian family business, Denis Vanderbeke. It creates high-quality plastic solutions for a range of niche sectors worldwide. Bekina was originally founded as a manufacturer of safety boots (Bekina Boots) and has since grown into a business group comprising three additional business units: Bekina Compounds, Bekina Indurub and Bekina BeSealed.