The Wipperfürth-based company SN Maschinenbau specialises in customised pouch packaging technology. The horizontal forming, filling and sealing machines from the Bergisches Land region near Cologne are in demand worldwide.
SN pouch packaging machines are mainly used in the food industry. However, they also pack seeds, household, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. The company has been growing for years. Of course, the coronavirus crisis is now also the dominant topic in Wipperfürth.
„We will endeavour to maintain operations and have already divided the employees in production and administration into two groups at a very early stage, who will work separately from each other. Everyone who is able to do so will remain in their home office,“ says Managing Director Olaf Clemens.
The remote service can also be used at any time, online access to machines worldwide and to resolve problems remotely. „That's an advantage right now, as travelling has been completely cancelled.“
Due to the sudden increase in purchasing behaviour, many food manufacturers are barely able to cope with the high level of incoming orders. SN is therefore currently supporting some of its customers with specialist staff to maintain their production - at a significantly lower cost. reduced corona hourly rates as a contribution to solidarity.
Invite customers online
Like many others, the company had been working towards interpack for a long time, but had already planned alternatives for presenting new products before the official cancellation. „We decided to offer webinars and record videos of our machines in operation at the time of interpack. And when we are at LinkedIn, we directly reach everyone who follows us there - That's perfect,“ says Clemens. Perhaps web-based solutions would even prove to be an alternative to trade fairs.
„It could open up completely new channels for us to pass on information, through which we could present our products and thus significantly extend the „trade fair season“. And perhaps it will be enough to only be present at two highlight trade fairs a year in future.“
Olaf Clemens, Managing Director SN Maschinenbau
Five machines were to be presented in operation at interpack, that process environmentally friendly and innovative film materials such as mono-PE, mono-PP and paper. The launch for the new entry-level model FME 50 was planned for the trade fair. Following the cancellation of interpack, marketing began earlier than planned and a number of orders have already been received.
Also new: the High-performance FMH 300 machine in hygienic design with new features such as ultrasonic zipper sealing and automatic bag gripper adjustment. „We wanted to demonstrate a format changeover live at the trade fair that takes place almost automatically.“ The machine is ideal for frequent batch changeovers, as the changeover time has been reduced to a third. Another trade fair highlight was a be a new digital sealing tool, on which very small areas can be partially controlled and thus selectively only certain sections of the bag are sealed can be realised.
Sustainable primary packaging
Pouch packaging has been experiencing a boom for years.
„We mainly work for the food and beverage industry. The pouch has many advantages here, for example in logistics. The small 100-millilitre bags, for example, are supplied as film on a roll. Around 34,000 bags fit on one roll. That in itself is sustainable, because it means Much less transport volume and therefore less environmental impact compared to the same amount of glass packaging, for example. The The industry is also currently making massive efforts, to make recyclable materials suitable for mass production,“ says Olaf Clemens.
SN Maschinenbau worked closely with film manufacturers for two years to further develop the relevant technologies and tested several hundred films in the process. Today, the film developed by SN „combined technology“ recyclable film materials on the machines from Wipperfürth without any loss of speed. „Our machines now process around 90 per cent of all recyclable films. If you look at the market as a whole around 60 to 70 per cent of all film packaging used could be converted to sustainable materials by 2022. be.“
However, the importance of raw materials needs to be made much clearer. „Any kind of recycling is good if raw materials are recovered. I therefore consider Chemical recycling is also a good solution, which is not yet being driven forward enough,“ says Clemens.
Well positioned worldwide
The Wipperfürth-based company supplies its machines worldwide and also offers its service wherever customers work with SN machines. There are also USA and South Africa and SN has its own branch in Moscow..
„It was a good decision to go to Russia a few years ago. Today, it is one of our strongest markets, we have found good business partners and established good business relationships with Russian companies. After the crisis, we will also expand our Driving forward our commitment to Asia. There is a growing demand for pouch packaging there too, and we can supply cost-effective solutions,“ says Olaf Clemens.
Markets such as Africa often do not require high-tech machines. „As a favourable introduction to FFS technology, we have developed the FME 50 a simple ‚plug & play‘ machine The company has developed a new machine that requires only a third of the usual investment but can still process modern materials. In new markets in particular, why not Use recyclable films right from the start and thus prevent non-recyclable disposable packaging from becoming established in the first place.“
Shortly after Olaf Clemens acquired the company in 2008, he had to deal with the outbreak of the global financial crisis. Nevertheless, he managed to turn SN from a small business with five employees to develop into a medium-sized company with over 250 employees.
Creating added value is more important today than ever, but the big issue of sustainability is currently of secondary importance, says the Managing Director. „Right now, it's all about preserving the status quo. This is also not the time when everyone is cooking their own soup. We have to Looking ahead together with the competition. The crisis will be tough for Germany and the world. The trick for companies will be to still be there at the end."
[infotext icon]About SN MaschinenbauSN Maschinenbau was founded in 2002, but has older roots: the pouch packaging specialist evolved over several stages from the machine factory of the Höller brothers in Bergisch Gladbach. The first rotary machine was developed here in the mid-1950s, which automatically produced and filled pouches from a roll. Today, its customers include numerous market leaders, including Dr Oetker, Kraft, Erasco, Nestlé and Unilever. [/infotext]
