The Uhlmann Group generated more sales and employed more people in the 2018/2019 financial year than in the previous year. This success is not only due to the packaging machines for pharmaceuticals that Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG has been manufacturing in Laupheim for 70 years.
„These days, pharmaceutical companies need Integrated solutions. The machine is the basis for this. But a comprehensive range of services and, above all, digital solutions are becoming increasingly important.“
Norbert Gruber, Chairman of the Uhlmann Management Board
The other companies in the Uhlmann Group also contributed to sales growth: Koch Pac-Systeme from the Black Forest, Cremer Speciaalmachines from the Netherlands and Wonder Packing Machinery from China.
Further increase in sales
In the past financial year, the Uhlmann Group once again increased its Increase sales, from EUR 411 million to EUR 426 million (+3.6 per cent). The Number of employees including trainees increased slightly from around 2,370 to 2,430 people, who are mainly employed in Laupheim, but also in 15 other plants and branches in Germany and abroad.
„We are pleased that we were able to increase our sales despite fiercely contested markets, increasing competition and political and commercial uncertainties and expect a further increase in the current financial year.“
Michael Mrachacz, Managing Director Sales at Uhlmann
Investments in Poland and Germany
In July 2019, the new plant in Wroclaw, Poland start operations. This is an expansion in order to be able to cope well with future growth and to resolve the existing bottlenecks in the procurement market.
By the end of the year, a total of 80 new employees produce parts for the packaging lines in Laupheim.
Since the beginning of the year, a 75 metre long, four-storey office complex has been under construction there with around 400 modern workplaces. Uhlmann is investing 15 million euros in the new building, which is scheduled for completion in spring 2020.
The extra space is needed: Instead of stainless steel and safety glass, more and more solutions from Uhlmann are made of „Bits and Bytes“ - and these are produced at the desk and not on the factory floor.
Digital on the rise
Various projects are already underway at Uhlmann to further optimise the packaging of pharmaceuticals. automate and digitalise.
For example, Uhlmann customers will soon no longer need a machine to train new employees. One Virtual reality glasses transports participants to a virtual factory floor where they can practise every move on a virtual Uhlmann machine - just like in a computer game.
„The customer's production continues undisturbed until then. As a result saves time and money - two factors that are also crucial in the pharmaceutical sector.“
Norbert Gruber, Chairman of the Uhlmann Management Board
The level of interest was demonstrated at the end of June at the Pharmazing Days, a major event for the pharmaceutical packaging industry, which Uhlmann organises every three years at its headquarters in Laupheim.
The approximately 650 visitors not only visited the two new BEC 200 and BLU 200 blister machines, which offer a particularly high degree of flexibility in the packaging of solid and liquid medicines in blisters and folding cartons.
They also specifically steered the Digital area to find out about cloud computing, machine learning, predictive modelling, virtual and augmented reality and discuss the opportunities with Uhlmann experts.
Source: Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG
