After 13 months of construction and investments amounting to approximately €20 million, Herma has begun production of labelling machines at its new facility at its German headquarters. The milestone signals the completion of the move of the Labelling Machines Division from its former facility to the new one in Filderstadt near Stuttgart.
Convenience
For the first time at Herma, all production lines of this division (both for label applicators and complete labelling system) are arranged on one single level, which also houses the parts warehouse. This makes, for instance, high bay warehouses and rack feeders unnecessary, improving the ate of parts provision considerably faster. Moreover, the production level’s square area enables optimal access from all sides.
Concurrently, all technical functions such as mechanical construction, development, and programming are physically grouped together on the level above, unlike at the former location where most of them were located separately. If required, all assembly stations can be double staffed at short notice.
Loading products
There are now larger areas for incoming and outgoing goods facilitate handling. In the outgoing goods area, for example, the ramps are designed to allow labelling systems with a maximum length of six meters to be loaded onto trucks sideways in one piece.
Martin Kühl, Head of Herma’s Labelling Machines Division, said: “That is safer and faster than loading via the rear-hinged doors.”
Testing products
Kühl also said that the facility now has space for an area wholly dedicated to acceptance tests that is physically separate from the production area.
Herma’s technology centre, where special customer requirements are tested and new industry solutions are developed, is located in a separate space. And in a new 230 sqm showroom, Herma presents a permanent exhibition of innovative and efficient labelling solutions.
With the Labelling Machine Division’s move to Filderstadt, Herma concentrates the entire self-adhesive technology know-how in one location. The company is also currently building a complete new coating plant for self-adhesive materials that will be finished in autumn, 2019. This new facility is right next to the labelling machines facility.
In total, Herma says it is investing approximately €100 million at its headquarters.