At the Augsburg-based machine manufacturer MBM innovations, everything revolves around vacuum packaging. The company's own VSM vacuum system enables evacuation directly in the pouch packaging using special suction nozzles. A few years ago, Sabrina Mayer-Mai and Julia Mayer, the third generation, joined the family business.
In the 1970s, Sebastian Mayer developed his energy-saving vacuum system for packaging machines. It does not require a vacuum chamber and evacuates directly in the bag using special suction nozzles - under normal atmospheric pressure. This protects the packaged product, is easy to handle and saves resources. Bernd Mayer took over the management of the company from his father in 1996 and has been running the company with his wife Ina Mayer ever since. Daughter Sabrina Mayer-Mai joined the company in 2013 after studying business administration and is now primarily responsible for sales.
„It was a special step for me to join the family business, as this career path was not set in stone for me from the outset. However, what was originally planned as a trial year has now turned into more than twelve years, and I not only feel professionally challenged at MBM, but have also arrived personally. My parents were all the more pleased that my sister and I decided to take this step - also because it was our own decision, as they never pressurised us, but always encouraged us to go our own way.“
Sabrina Mayer-Mai
Her sister Julia Mayer has been working in the family business since 2017 and explains: „It was clear to me for a long time that I would like to join the company and continue the family business of my parents and grandparents. Even as a small child, I always enjoyed looking at the machines we build with my father, and so my interest in science was awakened early on. So the step to studying mechanical engineering was not far away. Immediately after graduating, I joined the product development department at MBM.“ Today she is responsible for technical project management and supports customers from the planning stage to the finished project.
The Intergenerational cooperation within the family works well. „That's not a given,“ says Sabrina Mayer-Mai. „But we have a good relationship with each other. Our father really appreciates it when we contribute our own ideas. Of course, we occasionally disagree, but we always find a good consensus and simply work well together as a family. That's what makes us successful.“
Expertise in special machine construction
The vacuum packaging machines from MBM are primarily used in the B2B sector and are versatile. For example, maturing packaging for cheese is produced on it, as is transport packaging for onions in brine, atmospheric packaging for meat products, sausage, ham or fresh fish. Vegetables, dried fruit and nuts can also be packaged in large containers. From cleaning cloths to electronic components and textiles, the systems also pack non-food items. Vacuum-packed textiles, for example, can be transported in a more space-saving and therefore more environmentally friendly way.
„What sets us apart above all is our expertise in customised machine construction. We don't produce off the shelf, because our solutions are always customised to each individual customer, and we also make special requests possible. These can be customised adaptations to standard machines or complete special solutions with a fast time-to-market. Our product portfolio includes a large selection of fully and semi-automatic packaging systems as well as special vacuum testers designed specifically for our VSM machines.“
Julia Mayer
The company also produces customised transport technology for ideal space utilisation and additional equipment for handling products in the production and packaging process. The VSM vacuum system is part of all MBM machines.
The success story in the cheese maturing market began with the construction of the first vacuum packaging machine with a VSM system in the early 1970s. Julia Mayer: „Our family business grew up with packaging machines for cheese ripening, and this market is still our core market today.“ MBM is now represented with its machines in 17 countries. „Our situation is currently good. Demand for our systems is high and our order lists for 2025 are already full. However, we are of course monitoring current economic and global political developments, as rising costs are an issue everywhere,“ says Sabrina Mayer-Mai.
Energy-saving vacuum system
Sustainability is also a major issue for the Augsburg-based mechanical engineering company. „However, our investments have always been sustainable, This is because our VSM system is extremely energy-efficient compared to other vacuum systems on the market - for example, it does not require permanently heated sealing bars or preheating,“ explains Julia Mayer. „Vacuum systems for comparable applications use energy-intensive shrink tunnels or large vacuum pumps for chamber vacuum, for example. This is not necessary with our system. Therefore our machines consume around 36 per cent less electricity in comparison.“ As the topic of sustainability has become increasingly important to customers in recent years, the advantages of the VSM system are becoming even more apparent. „We offer them future-orientated solutions and can also process mono and recycled films with our vacuum system, for example. Or we can retrofit existing systems with special components - just as the customer wishes.“
In the future, the sisters want to continue and expand the family company's growth trajectory. Sabrina Mayer-Mai: „Our core market of cheese packaging remains important. But we also want to expand our presence in other markets. However, it is always important to achieve sustainable growth in which we can take all employees with us.“ Julia Mayer adds: „We will continue to optimise our systems according to the state of the art in order to continue to impress in existing markets, but also to open up new markets, such as the pharmaceutical market. MBM is innovative and flexible. For our customers, this means that if they are looking for new solutions that don't yet exist - we can do it.“
packaging journal 2/2025
