User:Aubravo/CSB-System

CSB-System is a family-owned, multinational German company providing software, hardware, services and specialized business consulting for the process and commerce industry. Its headquarters are located in Geilenkirchen, Germany. It was founded in 1977 by Dr. Peter Schimitzek and his brother Karl-Heinz. Its main products are CSB Factory ERP, CSB Industry ERP and CSB Basic ERP. The company has more than 1,200 installations in more than 50 countries, its software has been translated into more than 30 languages. At the end of 2015, the CSB Group had around 600 employees, with a turnover of around 77 million euros per year. 

Beginnings
CSB was founded on July 1, 1977 as a consulting company by Dr. Peter Schimitzek and his brother Karl-Heinz starting operations in a garage. The focus of the business was on providing consulting services to food manufacturers as well as on food legislation issues. In the mid-1970s, German legislation introduced new food regulations, obliging meat companies to permanently monitor their formulas. At the same time, the era of electronic data processing in companies began. Dr. Peter Schimitzek started using information technology for his customers in order to solve business challenges such as branch analysis, product calculation and formula optimization.

CSB was initially named KSB (from the German acronym Kalkulations-Service und Beratung; meaning calculation and consulting service).However, a name change took place in 1980, because the name KSB already belonged to a well-known pump and valve manufacturer, thus adopting the current term CSB System (from the German Computer, Software und Beratung mit System; Computer, Software and System Consulting).

First clients
The first major customer to implement the CSB-System software was Meica in Edewecht. Dr. Peter Schimitzek advised Meica on the optimization of formulas. Subsequently, more installations quickly followed. The first closed goods management system was installed at Schmitz Fleischwaren in Heinsberg. Meica and Schmitz are still CSB customers.

First industry specialized IT solution
CSB started with software development of product calculation and formula optimization for the meat industry. From 1981 onwards, modules for purchasing, production, sales, accounting, etc. were added to the software, so that in 1983 the first specialised IT solution for the meat industry was introduced. CSB extended the software to include the requirements of other sectors such as bakery and confectionery, delicatessen, fish, beverages, dairy products, fruit and vegetables. Therefore, CSB was the first supplier of a specialized complete IT solution for the food industry. Since 1985 the CSB software has been compatible with upgraded versions, and version changes take place automatically, allowing the latest version of the CSB-System to be ready for use in a matter of hours.

New headquarters
In September 1990, CSB moved into the company's current headquarters in Geilenkirchen, built especially for the company. The octagon has a high "symbolic value". With its uniform shape and symbol of prosperity, harmony and happiness, the octagon was to characterise the CSB building. The plan was that it should resemble the famous Castle of Mount Frederick II. In addition to the water and the green area around the building, there is now a palm garden in the inner courtyard and a coffee area in each octagon to create a pleasant working atmosphere.

Expansion
In 1990, the first foreign branch was founded in Switzerland, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, CSB rapidly expanded into the new federal states. In 1992 it was followed by a branch in France, then by Spain in 1995, Finland and Sweden in 1998, and in 1999 CSB opened in the USA. The demand for an industry-specific solution led to strong international growth.

Today, on-site CSB experts around the world implement and oversee regional projects with international experience. CSB provides services to clients in around 50 countries and operates in 25 countries with branch offices. The software is available in 30 languages. In total, CSB has around 600 employees and is one of the largest family-owned software companies in Europe.

Actuality
Nowadays, the complete CSB solution represents all areas of the CSB value chain - horizontally and vertically, that is from primary production to customer, and from machine to control. In this way, CSB-System comprehensively represents all business processes in various sectors.

Together with its customers, CSB has expanded, refined and enhanced its complete IT solution, developing for over 40 years a unique set of Best Practices for the Food, Beverage, Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic sectors. CSB-System is used today all over the world, and encompasses the knowledge of all CSB projects in the standard version.

Management
CSB-System is a family-owned and operated company. This enables CSB to conduct business with a focus on sustainable success, healthy growth and investment in high-quality products, while preserving its financial and technological autonomy. CSB is managed by two businessmen of two generations, Dr. Peter Schimitzek and his daughter Vanessa Kröner.

Dr. Peter Schimitzek
Peter Schimitzek, son of a Geilenkirchen butcher, initially chose this profession. After passing the master's examination, he graduated from the University of Siegen with a degree in Business Administration and a second degree in Economics. Parallel to his university studies, he worked for several years in an auditing firm in Frankfurt. Peter Schimitzek received a doctoral scholarship and graduated in 1980 from RWTH Aachen University for his research work in formula optimization. Since founding CSB, he has run the company. Peter Schimitzek is married and has two daughters, who also hold management positions in the company.

Vanessa Kröner
Sarah Vanessa Kröner, born Schimitzek, has been member of the board of directors since January 1, 2013, and is responsible for the areas of Finance, Sales and Marketing. After graduating in Business Administration from St. Gallen University, she gained several years of professional experience in the area of Mergers and Acquisitions of a large international bank. When she joined the CSB Group in 2008 as Managing Director of CSB System AG (Holding), she was responsible for controlling the international group and reorienting CSB's marketing department to meet new international challenges. This was followed by the expansion of the international business activities as well as strategic company orientation.

Awards and Certifications
CSB-System has received the following certificates and seals of quality:


 * Customs Certification (Zoll)
 * ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System)
 * ISO/IEC 27001:2013 (IT Security)
 * Halal
 * Family-responsible company
 * GKV certificate for its Payroll module

CSB-System has received the following awards:


 * ERP System of the Year (2016, Center for Enterprise Research)
 * IFFA 2016: Best Innovation in the Meat Sector
 * Business Ethics - Success with Good Ethical Conduct (Ethics in Business, 2016)
 * ERP System of the Year for Factory ERP (2018, Industrie 4.0)
 * IFFA 2019: Best Innovation in the Meat Sector