HERMA GmbH: New wrapping facility commissioned
• HERMA has commissioned a new roll wrapping plant in Filderstadt for the rapidly expanding self-adhesive materials business.
• Around 10 million euros have been invested in this second development phase of the coating plant.
• The facility is capable of automatically picking and making ready for shipping as many as 60 stacks of rolls an hour.
In response to the rapid expansion of the self-adhesive materials business, HERMA has commissioned a new fully automatic wrapping plant at its headquarters in Filderstadt, Germany. The 10 million euro investment completes the second phase of the ultra-modern coating plant II, which opened for production in 2008 and ranks among the most advanced of its kind worldwide. "Having commissioned the new packing facility, we are now operating two entirely separate coating plants on the same site," remarks Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner, HERMA managing director and head of the self-adhesive materials division. In recent years HERMA has also completely refurbished coating plant I, which includes both slitting and wrapping operations. He continues, "These dual systems enable us to offer customers maximum security of supply and punctual deliveries, which together represent a critical advantage in a hotly contested market." Fellow managing director Sven Schneller insists, "We have demonstrated our serious commitment to doing business in Europe. I am exceptionally pleased that our strategy of reinforcing production in Filderstadt, despite the current climate of global upheaval, is already bearing fruit." Depending on capacity utilisation, the entire new coating plant II, together with the slitting and wrapping operations, is creating up to 70 new, ultra-modern jobs.
60 stacks an hour
The building that accommodates the new wrapping plant is 61 metres long, 21 metres wide and 5 metres tall. It is attached to the existing machinery building, which has a prominent curved roof, and was erected within 10 months. Among the highlights of the wrapping plant is the computerised picking facility. This is where the different rolls of adhesive material belonging to an order are automatically assembled in stacks up to two metres tall, which can weigh as much as two metric tons. Sixty individual stacks an hour can be wrapped in shrink film on pallets and forwarded for shipping.
Plans for additional roll slitters
Besides the wrapping facility, the entire investment package for this development phase also encompasses two new slitters, plus a further two that are to be purchased in the next few years. "Our available production capacities put us in a very strong position to continue growing faster than the market," says Dr. Baumgärtner. "In particular, we expect the launch of adhesive materials with innovative multi-layer technology, which HERMA has been pioneering since 2010, to stimulate fresh growth."