Leading food and drink IT specialist CSB-System is planning further growth and expansion to help companies increase their digital capabilities and meet the increasing demands of global markets. The company has launched a new demonstration facility, the CSB Smart Factory, at its headquarters in Geilenkirchen, Germany, together with further enhancements to its market-leading ERP system. At the same time, CSB is changing its legal entity to better reflect and support the increasingly international nature of its business.
The CSB Smart Factory – digitisation and automation first-hand
The new CSB Smart Factory underlines how the company has evolved from a pure ERP software provider into an innovation partner for the process industry, offering digitization and automation solutions. The facility provides demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies such as industrial image processing, RFID, and artificial intelligence, all controlled by CSB’s ERP system, allowing customers and prospects to experience how the perfect harmonization of hardware and software systems can bring important benefits.
The company´s innovative approach to artificial intelligence was recently confirmed by the winning of a Silver Medal in the prestigious International FoodTec Award 2021 for its new CSB Jamboflash for the grading of hams.
According to Dr. Peter Schimitzek, CSB-System founder and Chairman of the Board, digitised food production is the key benefit for food companies: “Companies need to further digitise themselves,” he explains. “This is the only way for them to meet the increasing demands of consumers, trade, and lawmakers while continuing to be profitable. In the CSB Smart Factory, for example, we can demonstrate how the fat content of pig sides is determined automatically, how the quality of ham is tested, and how reusable packaging is identified, counted and captured automatically.”
Horizontal and vertical product development
The new Version 6 of CSB’s ERP system reflects the company’s commitment to adapt its products to the needs of users by the continuous expansion of its solution portfolio. It incorporates advances to the breadth and depth of many functions such as production planning and business intelligence. As well as improving the user experience, the focus is on promoting the use of the latest web technologies. In addition, the software can be installed remotely.
“The digital transformation trend, propelled forward by the Covid-19 crisis, opens up new opportunities for CSB,” comments Vanessa Kröner, member of the CSB-System Board. “Flexibility, automation, transparency – these topics are increasingly relevant for all companies. And this is precisely where the CSB-System as the central nervous system of the company proves its strengths.”
CSB-System will be a European company
With customers now in over 50 countries, CSB-System has underlined and supported its enhanced internationalization by changing its legal form from the German Aktiengesellschaft into an SE (Societas Europaea). As before, members of the Board are Dr. Peter Schimitzek and Vanessa Kröner, while the company’s Supervisory Board now comprises five members with Karl-Heinz Schimitzek (chairman), Dr. Florian Hotz (deputy chairman), and Dr. Roland Henzler being joined by Pia Schimitzek-Emonts and Prof. Dr. Michael Trautwein.
