How Cimbria is redefining operational excellence for customers across the globe
As a name synonymous with excellence in industrial processing, Cimbria has been responsible for a vast range of custom-built solutions since its inception in 1947. Focusing on seed and grain processing, food production, and recycling, Cimbria designs, manufactures, installs, and services complete processing facilities under its unique ‘Cimbria Complete’ approach. Its recycling segment focuses on developing advanced high-precision optical sorting technologies that separate complex post-consumer waste into high-purity, recyclable materials.
In 2024, Manufacturing Today spoke with Thomas Mohr, Vice President and General Manager of Cimbria, about the company’s sustainable, efficient solutions, as well as its R&D processes. Thomas rejoins us, alongside Corrado Mida, Vice President and General Manager of Cimbria Optical Sorting, and Morten Krog, Operations Director, to elaborate on the strategic investments and initiatives shaping the company’s approach to delivering continued operational value for its customers.
Today, following investment from American Industrial Partners (AIP) and a recent organizational redesign, Cimbria is reinforcing its position as a leading global partner for agricultural businesses and food processors worldwide. Thomas begins by explaining how these changes are benefiting the company. “Decision-making is now faster and better aligned with the rapidly evolving global agricultural landscape,” he says. “We’re building a Winning Culture grounded in clear Winning Values and Winning Behaviors, supported by a flatter organizational structure that reflects Cimbria’s strong technical heritage while welcoming fresh perspectives to accelerate digital and operational excellence.”
“The creation of Grain & Protein Technologies (GPT), with Cimbria as one of its leading platforms, has provided new focus, clear priorities, and a set of competencies derived from dozens of AIP investments in other industrial groups,” Thomas adds. “Being a core part of GPT provides us with a level of investment and R&D backing unmatched in the seed and grain industry. GPT’s support allows us to invest in long-term sustainability goals that smaller competitors simply can’t reach, securing our position as the industry benchmark for decades to come.”
Delivering measurable impact
Cimbria’s mission to deliver positive operational impact and measurable results like reduced downtime, increased stability, and lower maintenance costs, remains at its core. Cimbria Complete drives innovation and operational value for customers, lowering total cost of ownership (TCO) through precision engineering, intelligent applications, quality controls, and complete turnkey processes.
Thomas elaborates on Cimbria’s approach using a recently completed project, Barter Port. “Although we’ve had huge success in port projects for decades, our recent technology advancements and equipment upgrades have redefined our capabilities,” Thomas says. “There’s no better example to illustrate the impact of our work than the Barter Port project in Romania, where we modernized and expanded its grain handling infrastructure through a carefully structured, multi-phase development.”
Indeed, what began as a pilot installation designed to test and optimize systems in a live operational environment evolved into a comprehensive terminal upgrade integrating advanced dust filtration, ATEX-compliant safety systems, and controlled automation. The result is a facility that not only delivers enhanced operational performance, consistency, and reduced maintenance and downtime, but also cleaner air, greater worker protection, and increased energy savings.
Innovative technology
Central to Cimbria’s ability to deliver measurable results like those of the Barter Port project is the company’s position at the forefront of innovation through continued investment in cutting-edge technologies, from AI-powered optical sorters to automation and loading chutes. As global energy prices fluctuate, Cimbria’s technical innovations are playing a key role in further lowering TCO for its customers.
“By combining advanced technology with high-performance engineering, we’re setting a new benchmark for efficiency across the industry,” Corrado says. “For example, we’ve embedded AI into our SEA.XL and SEA.IQ PLUS optical sorter lines, creating the BRAIN™ AI-powered SEA series. This ‘brain’ enables our sorters to significantly reduce waste while improving purity. Since purity directly impacts our customers’ profit margins, these AI-driven solutions not only enhance operational efficiency but also deliver meaningful cost savings and a lower total cost of ownership.”
“Investing in AI means customers aren’t just purchasing a sorter; they’re investing in a more sustainable global food system and solutions that advance the green economy. Alongside the Barter Port project, our recent SEA.XL optical sorter installation in Spain highlights this evolution. By consolidating the capabilities of two traditional sorters into a single high-output system, the customer significantly reduced total cost of ownership, while also benefiting from lower upfront capital costs, decreased energy consumption, and simplified maintenance.”
Thomas adds: “Aside from these technologies, other product innovations include new smart features on our Delta mechanical screen cleaners, more sustainable fans for our dryers, safety and environmentally friendly loading chutes, high-tech optical sorters, and new HMI interfaces across our machines.”
Manufacturing excellence
Cimbria’s approach to continued investment in innovation and technology drives another of its core goals – consistent global manufacturing excellence. “Manufacturing and operational excellence is the foundation of our growth strategy,” Morten confirms. “We have aligned our manufacturing facilities to operate under the same standards, processes, and high-quality mindset, ensuring every product we deliver represents the unmistakable Cimbria Gold Standard regardless of where it is built. Our sites operate to ISO 9001, 45001, and 14001 certifications, and we have introduced 5S and 6S, structured workplace organization frameworks focused on sorting, standardizing, and sustaining efficient working environments to drive transparency, discipline, and continuous improvement at every level of our operations.
“Implementing standardized manufacturing processes and strengthening our focus on manufacturing excellence also creates greater transparency, stability, and ongoing improvement across the entire value chain. To support this, we have reorganized manufacturing under one Manufacturing Direction, giving us far greater flexibility between sites and enabling faster, more coordinated support. This is complemented by our ability to shift production whenever one facility reaches peak capacity. As a result, we can secure delivery times and remain agile in responding to fluctuations in market demand. Our new operational setup is designed to reduce lead times by 20 percent.
“Another key investment is our transition to a unified ERP platform, which removes data silos and provides real-time visibility across our global supply chain,” he adds. “This shared system strengthens collaboration between sites, improves planning accuracy, and ensures we can respond swiftly by leveraging competencies and capacity wherever they are available.”
Global approach, local value
With a strong operational foundation in place and an ever-evolving technology solutions portfolio, Cimbria is now carrying its Gold Standard of quality into new markets across the globe. In terms of geography, the company is continuing to grow in North Africa and the Middle East, where its priorities center around strengthening local food security and national storage independence, compared with the focus on high-efficiency, sustainable upgrades and processing solutions in Europe and the Americas.
Cimbria is also entering new markets, as Thomas explains. “While grain remains king, there’s huge potential in the high-value food segment, namely in coffee, pulses, and specialty crops, and our technology is uniquely suited for the precision required in these markets,” he shares. “To meet these new demands, we have restructured our sales function to focus on industry expertise and customer proximity. We now have dedicated regional teams, meaning our customers talk to people who understand their specific processing challenges.”
Looking ahead
With a streamlined organizational structure, unified operational standards, and strategic backing from GPT, Cimbria is entering its next chapter with clarity, confidence, and renewed ambition. The organization’s restructuring is a proactive alignment for a new era, backed by a strong family of world-class brands under the umbrella of GPT, which aims to become THE Best Grain and Protein Business in the World.
“We remain committed to advancing our Cimbria Complete concept as we grow,” Thomas concludes. “Our ambition goes beyond selling equipment, as we aim to design fully integrated, turnkey plants that enable sustainable growth and support global food security. By combining our strong technical heritage with cutting-edge AI solutions and world class global manufacturing, we are focused on one clear objective: delivering greater value, enhanced efficiency, and a lower total cost of ownership for our customers.”