Technology That Connects: Buhmann Systeme Relies on the Power of Encounter

Customer stories – where connections shape the future: Trade shows are more than just places where products are displayed. They are moments of connection. Here, conversations take shape that spark new ideas, partnerships that grow, and perspectives that endure. In the “Customer Stories” series, exhibitors explain why NürnbergMesse is exactly that kind of place for them – each trade fair with its own focus, each story with its own perspective.

Written by Stefan Jablonka

A woman with short black hair, dressed in business attire, stands in front of a machine at the Buhmann booth.

When Dorothee Buhmann, Managing Director of Buhmann Systeme GmbH, talks about her company, the story does not begin in production but at the living room table. “The accounting still took place on the living room table,” she recalls. Her father founded the company in 1980, the same year she was born. Today, she leads Buhmann Systeme GmbH in the second generation and has grown alongside the company in many respects.

Mechanical engineering with high in house expertise

Buhmann Systeme is a classic mid sized mechanical engineering company. The business develops and builds packaging machines for the food industry – from design to the finished system. “We build our machines entirely ourselves,” says Buhmann. “We handle mechanical and electrical design, develop the software, manufacture the components and assemble the systems.”

The focus lies on so called end of line packaging solutions: machines that group products and prepare them for transport. “The machines collect products, group them together and pack them into cartons – fully automatically,” she explains. Output rates of several hundred products per minute are not uncommon.

Each system is a unique solution. “Every customer has different requirements,” says Buhmann. “We love technology and really enjoy working with customers to develop exactly the machine that suits their needs.”

Trade fairs as showroom and place of encounter

Precisely because the systems are large, complex, and require explanation, trade fairs play a central role for Buhmann Systeme. Since the 1990s, the company has been exhibiting at FACHPACK, Europe's trade fair for packaging, technology, and processes, and uses the platform specifically for exchange and business development.
“The most important thing is that you can conduct a large number of conversations in a very short time,” says Buhmann. “On the one hand with existing customers, but also to get to know new projects.” Personal interaction is crucial in this context: “The human element is simply indispensable in sales.”

A woman and two men in business attire talking in front of a glass-enclosed packaging machine at the trade show booth. — Direct dialogue at the trade fair helps make complex technology tangible and accessible.

At the same time, the trade fair acts as a showcase for technology. “Not every customer travels to our site in the Allgäu region,” she explains. “That’s why it often makes sense to bring the machine to the trade fair.” Only through direct experience does it become clear to many visitors what lies behind abstract terms such as “system solution.”
That this leads to concrete business opportunities is something Buhmann confirms clearly: “Every time, projects emerge that we would not have known about if we hadn’t attended the trade fair.”

A network that endures

Beyond customer contacts, it is above all the network that defines the value of NürnbergMesse for Buhmann. “The presence of other mid sized companies is a huge added value,” she says. “You explore where collaboration might be possible and get to know the people behind the businesses.”

In her view, this concentration of personal contacts cannot be replaced by digital channels. “I don’t believe that we will sell machines purely digitally in the future,” says Buhmann. “Trade fairs will continue to be a major component of our sales activities.”

Family business between tradition and change

As a family owned company, Buhmann Systeme thrives on both continuity and change. The next generation brings new perspectives without losing sight of the company’s roots. “You take over many things, but you also add new elements,” she describes the transition.

The corporate culture is characterized by closeness and long term thinking. “We treat one another with great appreciation,” says Buhmann – within the team as well as in dealings with customers and partners.

Man working with soldering tool and magnifier on an electronic component. — High in house expertise and technical know how shape Buhmann Systeme’s customized solutions.

Location and responsibility

Production deliberately takes place in Germany. “The location in Germany is very important to me,” Buhmann emphasizes. Around 100 employees work at the company’s site in the Allgäu region, including apprentices in technical and commercial roles.

The industry itself remains strongly male dominated – a fact Buhmann addresses openly. “As a woman, you first have to prove that you understand technology,” she says. “Once you’ve done that, recognition follows.”

Partnership on equal footing

Buhmann describes the collaboration with NürnbergMesse as unusually stable and personal. “You have dedicated contact persons,” she says. “That makes the relationship more personal over the years.”

For her, this reliability is a decisive factor – especially in the mid sized business sector. “For me, NürnbergMesse is a very familiar and appreciative partner,” she summarizes.

Looking ahead

For Dorothee Buhmann, one thing is clear: the company’s future is inseparably linked to continuous development – technologically and entrepreneurially. “I see it as my responsibility to guide the company into the future,” she says.

Trade fairs will continue to play a role in this journey. “I look ahead very positively because I am convinced that trade fairs will continue to provide us with significant added value,” Buhmann concludes.

Three men and a woman in business attire are chatting over drinks at a bar table at the trade show. — Personal encounters build trust and foster networks with long term value.

Author

Stefan Jablonka

Freelance journalist