Have you ever wondered how your butter or cheese ends up on your plate? It’s often said that when you love what you do, you never truly work a day in your life. For Larry, John, and Paul Bashkier, the three brothers who run the LEDA Group based in Killarney Gardens, Cape Town, this sentiment rings particularly true. Beyond being a family endeavour, their passion for their work and the innovative solutions they devise to tackle challenges across various industries is unmistakable. This enthusiasm permeates the shop floor, where each employee shares the same dedication. One such employee has been with them for an impressive 32 years.
The company was founded 37 years ago in 1986 by their parents, David, and Lesley Bashkier, but officially began operating as LEDA Engineering Services in 1988 – LEDA being an acronym for Lesley and David.
Lesley and David Bashkier
David initially worked for a large German engineering company in Cape Town, primarily focused on tobacco and food processing machinery. In addition to the tobacco industry, the company represented various agencies for dairy equipment, including packaging machinery for margarine and butter.
Starting as an electronic support technician, David later transitioned into the mechanical aspects of the business. He began at the grassroots level, working on the bench with fitting and turning tasks. Over time, he mastered the operation of various engineering machinery, honing skills in turning, milling, gear cutting, and grinding, while also gaining extensive knowledge of the machinery the company supplied. Eventually, ascending to a management position as factory manager.
The LEDA Group provides specialised services to the food packaging and processing industry including the repairing, servicing, maintenance, modification and overhauling of the various machines that produce the packaging for products such as butter and cream cheese
A precision machined component
After 22 years with the company, David decided to venture out on his own. He initiated the business from home, utilising the family’s double garage as a workshop space. With the purchase of a small lathe and milling machine, he laid the foundation for what would become LEDA Group. The humble double garage expanded into multiple spaces, eventually evolving into several factories in Killarney Gardens. Remarkably, the original lathe and milling machine that were used to start the business still stand on the LEDA shop floor, actively contributing to daily operations.
The pivotal moment for David and Lesley came with their first significant project: The rebuilding of a butter packaging machine. This endeavour marked the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey together. Despite Lesley’s passing a few years ago, David, who will celebrate his 90th birthday later this year, still visits the factory occasionally to offer guidance and observe operations.
Packaging machinery is complex work and therefore a broad understanding of all the engineering involved is essential
The LEDA Group don’t just rebuild packaging machinery but also fully restore and rebuild various lathes, mills and other machines
David instilled invaluable knowledge, discipline, and passion for engineering in his sons from a young age. Larry recalls evenings when the house lights flickered and surged from the various machines in the garage drawing power as David would work late into the night completing an urgent job for a customer.
Growing up, the brothers displayed a natural affinity for mechanical devices, often tinkering with motorbikes and enhancing stock parts for optimal performance in their free time after school. Thus, it was inevitable that they would follow paths into design, engineering, and manufacturing.
John explains, “Essentially, our business is divided into three main facets: Assessment and design, component manufacturing, and fitting and assembly.” These three divisions must work collectively to make any of LEDA’s projects a success.
Components are not always small and intricate with large production runs, one-offs and machine specific components are also a feature. The LEDA Group uses their EDM machine where necessary
One of the CNCs on the shop floor is a Doosan (now DN Solutions) Lynx 2100LSY CNC horizontal turning center, supplied by Puma Machine Tools
“Over the years we have earned ourselves a name for our high-quality machine rebuilding services, catering to various sectors within the food and pharmaceutical industries,” adds John. “We have a strong design team backed by a top-class machine shop capable of reverse engineering high-end components and developing custom machines entirely in-house.”
The company also manufactures their own range of ice cream packaging machines – currently there are a number of these up and running in various parts of Europe. Although these machines were specifically designed for the European market there has been significant interest from local ice cream producers and hopefully soon there will be several running here in South Africa.
“Lately however we are getting more involved in larger turnkey process lines for the bigger dairy processing plants in the country. In some instances, we will design the whole line, procure the necessary equipment overseas, rebuild existing and bought in machinery where necessary and install and commission the full plant ready for production including all pipework, CIP and automation.”
“Notable such projects include a two-ton-per-hour mozzarella cheese dicing line, cheddar block forming lines, butter packaging lines and cream cheese lines. We’re also capable of integrating packaging lines, refurbishing, and reconfiguring packaging machinery to accommodate various client specifications. Additionally, we work closely with our customers to cater for packaging design changes that evolve over time, this invariably results in different tub formats and packaging sizes.”
Another of the CNCs on the floor is a DMG MORI Ecoline CTX 310 lathe
Gear cutting is something the LEDA Group has been doing for many years
John notes the importance of honesty and integrity when dealing with their customers. “These relationships have been built over many decades. The same goes for our overseas customers and suppliers in Europe,” LEDA is well established in these markets. “When you say you are going to do something, you do it,” it’s all about doing honourable business.
LEDA also exports new and refurbished machinery and components to Europe for these clients. Often LEDA will be able to procure second-hand equipment from various suppliers and agencies across Europe and import this equipment for stripping, cleaning, repairing, and rebuilding, before selling it on to either the local market or back overseas.
Three brothers, one common background
Of the brothers’ backgrounds, Larry, the oldest of the brothers, initially pursued a career in IT before joining LEDA full-time some 25 years ago. While still taking care of the IT side of the business he is now more involved in design and technical aspects, having spent many years programming and running the various CNC machines on the shop floor. Today Larry is involved with the technical management of the machine shop and machine design.
Some larger components machined by the LEDA Group
The LEDA Group make use of two Fanuc Robodrills on the shop floor
“John, Paul and I share a common background steeped in the business. While I transitioned from IT to a more hands-on role in design and technical management, I leveraged my programming and machining expertise. Our involvement in the business traces back to our formative years, accompanying our father on service visits to factories, instilling in us a deep understanding of the trade,” says Larry.
“We were all actually always involved with the business from a young age – I can remember John and myself going to site with my father to help servicing machines when I was 16-years-old.” John, with a strong mechanical engineering background, has been integral to the business since its inception. With extensive experience spanning both the engineering and dairy industries he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. Having spent many years honing his skills in these fields, John possesses a deep understanding of the intricacies of machinery and manufacturing processes. While the dynamics have shifted over time, so too has John’s role within it. While he continues to draw upon his engineering expertise, his focus has shifted towards managing the overall operations of the company. This includes overseeing day-to-day activities, planning, coordinating with clients and suppliers, and ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget.
Components and billet in various stages of production
LEDA ustilises a strong in-house design team and design work is carried out using SolidWorks
John’s hands-on experience, coupled with his technical acumen, has been instrumental in the success and growth of LEDA over the years. His leadership and dedication serve as a driving force behind the company’s continued growth and success.
The youngest of the brothers, Paul runs the medical equipment side of the business but is equally at home attending to the electrical and mechanical design of the various machines LEDA produces.
The medical equipment manufacturing side of the business specialises in the repair of various types of medical instruments as well as the manufacturing of numerous instruments and machine components that can be found in the medical and pharmaceutical industry, examples of which include machines for powdered medication sachets and pill bottles. Further to this, doctors and surgeons will bring in their apparatus for tasks such as resharpening and even redesign according to a specific operation they may want to perform.
The original lathe and milling machine that were used to start the business still stand on the LEDA shop floor, actively contributing to daily operations
The medical equipment manufacturing side of the business specialises in the repair of various types of medical instruments as well as the manufacturing of numerous instruments and machine components that can be found in the medical and pharmaceutical industry. Doctors and surgeons will bring in their apparatus for tasks such as resharpening and even redesign according to a specific operation they may want to perform
Specialised machine shop
In the LEDA machine shop, precision is paramount. “While we maintain some older manual turning and milling machinery on the shop floor, the bulk of our manufacturing operations are carried out on CNC machines. These CNC machines are the backbone of our production process, enabling us to achieve high levels of accuracy, efficiency, and consistency in the manufacturing of components and parts.”
“We utilise Mastercam for programming CNC machining operations, harnessing its advanced features and capabilities to optimise toolpaths and maximise machining efficiency while our design work is carried out using SolidWorks, allowing seamless integration with manufacturing processes.”
Paul, John and Larry Bashkier
The LEDA Group have specialised shop floor facilities where the packaging machines can be serviced, refurbished, stripped, cleaned and rebuilt to client specifications
“To analyse the composition of materials used in our manufacturing processes, we rely on a handheld Bruker XRF analyser, enabling us to perform rapid and accurate material analysis in-house. This capability ensures that we maintain strict control over material quality and consistency throughout the production process, safeguarding the integrity of our finished products.”
LEDA staff: The heartbeat of the company
“At LEDA, we recognise that our most valuable asset is our dedicated and skilled staff. They are the driving force behind our success, embodying our commitment to excellence in every aspect of our operations. Our team members are more than just employees; they are the heartbeat of our company, bringing passion, expertise, and a relentless commitment to quality to everything they do.”
With many years of experience in the food packaging machine industry, the LEDA Group reverse engineer and manufacture components that can outlast OEM parts
LEDA rely on a handheld Bruker XRF analyser that enables them to perform rapid and accurate material analysis in-house
An example of a packaging machine. “In some instances, we will design the whole line, procure the necessary equipment overseas, rebuild existing and bought in machinery where necessary and install and commission the full plant ready for production including all pipework, CIP and automation.”
“From our seasoned engineers and technicians to our meticulous machinists and administrative staff, each member of the LEDA team plays a vital role in delivering innovative solutions and exceptional service to our clients. Their unwavering dedication to excellence ensures that we consistently meet and exceed the expectations of our customers, maintaining our reputation as industry leaders in precision engineering services.”
Despite the changing dynamics over the years, Larry, John and Paul remain deeply committed to upholding the values of quality, integrity, and customer satisfaction that have been the hallmark of LEDA’s reputation.
Today, the small business David and Lesley started all those years ago has flourished. Currently LEDA is intensively using about 2 000m2 of space and employs 50 individuals.
For further details contact LEDA Group on TEL: +27 21 557-6774 or visit www.leda.co.za
