New coating plant to be extended

Press reports Self-adhesive Materials

10. May 2010

10 million euro investment comprising fully automated packing line, slitting machines and a new building tract / Highly automated processes thanks to intelligent conveyor technology / HERMA management comments: "We have kept our word".

HERMA is investing a further ten million euros in its adhesive material production at Filderstadt. The excavation work for the next development stage of the coating plant, which was commissioned at the beginning of 2008 and is considered to be one of the most modern of its kind, has begun in May. The building tract under construction will house a new, fully automatic packing line, which is scheduled for commissioning in summer 2011. In June a new slitting machine has already commenced operation, which also forms part of this investment package; another slitting machine was installed back in mid-2009. In total, the self-adhesive technology company will have invested more than 45 million euros in the space of four years in this production division. Depending on capacity utilisation, the entire coating plant is creating up to 70 new, ultra-modern jobs.



A promise kept
"We are hereby keeping our promise to build a complete adhesive material production facility, including slitting and packing lines, in Filder­stadt," stressed HERMA managing directors Sven Schneller and Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner, as building work officially got under way. "Germany's future as an industrial location is not only an empty phrase, but something to which we are demonstrably committed." HERMA was granted planning permission back in spring 2009. Because of the extremely unpredictable economic situation, however, the company initially delayed the start of construction. "We have now returned to growth again despite the crisis affecting adhesive material last year and have even gained market shares," added HERMA managing director Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner, who is also in charge of the adhesive material division. "We attribute this to an even stronger international orientation and innovative products. This investment now has a decisive role to play in making the most of the capacities and opportunities offered by the new coating plant and consequently continuing on an upward path." 



Optimum connections
The new building tract is 61 metres wide, 20 metres deep and up to five metres high. It will be built in front of the machine hall with its striking cambered roof which was opened in 2008. The existing outer wall will be taken down at ground floor level once the new building tract has been completed. "Thereafter, three slitting machines and the new packing line will be positioned practically in a single large hall and can be optimally interconnected with intelligent conveyor systems," Dr. Baumgärtner explained. As was the case with the actual coating plant, HERMA is placing its faith in highly automated processes. "This enables us to operate a production facility that is absolutely competitive at a high-wage location such as Filderstadt and to underscore our role as a technology leader in this sector," adds Schneller.



Brief profile of Herma
Located in Filderstadt near Stuttgart (Germany), Herma GmbH is a leading European specialist in self-adhesive technology. In the 2009 financial year, the HERMA group generated sales of around €200m with almost 800 employees in three divisions - self-adhesive materials, labels and machines. The export ratio was around 53 %.