Flux devices: from individual solution to system provider

One of the tasks in the packaging process is to convey and fill fluids hygienically, safely and reliably. Since the invention of the first „FLUX“ electric drum pump in 1950, FLUX-GERÄTE GMBH has repeatedly come up with innovations that provide important solutions for many of these requirements. The long-established company has made a name for itself in numerous demanding industries.

In September 1950, the First electric drum pump registered for patent and christened FLUX. Its success story began in the same year: at a trade fair, the businessman Ludwig Hahn became aware of this world first.

At the time, he was a partner in the company Mauz & Pfeiffer in Stuttgart-Botnang, where PROGRESS hoovers were built. After the war, he was looking for a new industrial product that would complement the PROGRESS product range and, above all, better utilise production capacity.

Visionaries as pacemakers on the road to success

The then 61-year-old quickly recognised Ludwig Hahn the potential of innovation in the flourishing economy of the post-war period. Even back then, equipment that could be used to work more effectively was in great demand. And this was exactly what the electrified drum pump made possible. At last, barrels had to be No more tedious emptying by hand pump. PROGRESS therefore acquired the patents and began production. A short time later, FLUX-GERÄTE GMBH was founded in order to target interested parties from industry.

Display

1962 took over Herbert Hahn, the son of the company founder, took over the management of the young company. He quickly pushed ahead with the expansion of the product programme. The new production site in Maulbronn provided the urgently needed space to expand production capacity. Now the worldwide sales organisation could also be expanded.

Vfrom Maulbronn all over the world

In the same year, the export quota rose to a quarter of the company's turnover. Sales partners from Austria, Switzerland and even Australia came to Maulbronn for training courses and conferences. In 1980, Mauz & Pfeiffer, including production and sales, was sold by PROGRESS. From this point onwards, FLUX-GERÄTE GMBH was able to operate independently and thus fundamentally push ahead with internationalisation. The company established its own subsidiaries in the USA, Great Britain and the Benelux countries. In countries such as Russia and China, important business relationships were established through sales partners.

Focus on safety: in the development of innovative products

In addition to sales, the development of innovative products was also running at full speed. Even back then, safety was a top priority. The ambitious company launched the world's first explosion-proof collector motor, which was ATEX-certified. This was followed by the first explosion-proof motor with speed adjustment and the world's first brushless drum pump motor, which is particularly suitable for continuous use.

The FLUX experts have also scored highly in terms of functionality with their products and have received the coveted iF product design award several times.

Into the new millennium with the generation change

Klaus Hahn, Herbert Hahn's nephew, has been managing partner of the family business since 2000. Alongside him, his sister Martina Wilhelm is now a partner.

„For us, a culture of innovation means understanding our customers“ problems and developing optimal solutions. This is what drives us every day." Klaus Hahn, Managing Partner

From the very beginning, Klaus Hahn made it his mission to transform the challenges of globalisation into sustainable growth impulses. With the acquisition of the French sales partner FLUX France SAS, he created a new, important foothold in Europe. He also focussed on the emerging markets of Thailand and India. The company also founded subsidiaries in these countries. With the acquisition of the Cologne-based company SONDERMANN, a specialist for magnetically coupled centrifugal pumps and sales partner for the Cologne area at the time, FLUX further expanded its presence on the German market.

Product development also continued consistently: an air-operated diaphragm pump was launched on the market and the COMBIFLUX drum and container pump, the world's first brushless battery motor for pumps, was presented.

With the small MINIFLUX container pump, FLUX created a pump solution that can be attached to the outlet of an IBC. In constant dialogue with the needs of its customers, many other product solutions for a wide variety of applications followed.

The pump professional becomes relevant to packaging

The main drivers of the company's development have always been the close dialogue with customers and a pronounced willingness to innovate. As a result, the provider is constantly setting new standards, particularly with regard to the range of media to be conveyed and the possible applications.

Fluids are available with a wide range of properties - sometimes low viscosity, sometimes high viscosity. The first electric drum pump made it possible to fill low-viscosity fluids up to 1,000 mPas from a large container into small ones much faster than before using hand pumps - and soon even easier using a hose and nozzle. With the flow meter, it was finally possible to fill previously set quantities manually; later, in a new generation, it was even possible to fill at the touch of a button.

But the drum pumps reached their limits with regard to higher viscosities: A different pump design was required for pumping fluids with more than 1,000 mPas. This was initially realised with the aid of a thick matter pump and later with the progressive cavity pump. This made it possible to fill media such as body lotion and cream into sales containers - often with the aid of a scale.

Changing requirements

As purchasing power grew over the years, so did the demand for new products. Packaging companies and contract packers were faced with the task of packaging very different products, including filling sophisticated fluids into a wide variety of sales containers. In addition to direct filling, the aim was to pump the media from IBCs, drums and in-house containers into the storage containers of filling machines. In addition, the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries were increasingly demanding certified safety.

The FLUX engineers developed the so-called FLUX FOOD pump types, which fulfil both EU and FDA requirements with regard to materials. Today, these drum and container pumps as well as progressive cavity pumps are used in hygienically sensitive filling processes Products such as care oils, creams, lotions or lecithin can be filled or refilled directly.

Solutions even for extreme problems

The impetus came from the manufacturing industry: potential customers approached FLUX because they were looking for a pump solution that would enable them to convey paste-like raw materials such as tomato paste concentrate or Vaseline from drums into their production processes. A progressive cavity pump alone could not do anything with these media, which were no longer flowable. In order to be able to feed the raw materials into the production processes, a wide variety of time-consuming and capacity-binding methods had previously been used. FLUX also found a solution here.

With the design of the VISCOFLUX mobile S drum emptying system, the pump expert has realised the Step towards becoming a system provider. The mobile system consisting of a process unit, a pump with motor and a follower plate with process seal allows a Almost residue-free emptying of the drums in a hermetically sealed process - even with conical drums and those with aseptic bags.

How does mascara get from the drum into the filling machine?

Packaging specialists also struggle with the problem of highly viscous media. A cosmetics manufacturer's mascara first had to be transferred from drums to the filling system's storage container before it could be filled into cartridges. There was still no optimum solution for this. After tests with the mobile drum emptying system, they were convinced that their product could be conveyed from the drum with the VISCOFLUX mobile S with a residual quantity of less than one per cent.

They were also impressed by the process reliability of the closed filling process. The system is now used for a wide variety of packaging processes. For example, customers convey products such as honey into storage containers in order to fill them into jars, or creams, ointments and even toothpaste into levelling containers of tube filling machines in order to fill them into folded tubes.

Pump expertise and filling expertise

FLUX-FILL WT, the compact, semi-automatic filling system with accurate weighing technology, has rounded off the portfolio of FLUX innovations since 2019. It enables low- and high-viscosity fluids up to 25,000 mPas to be filled from 200-litre drums or in-house containers in quantities of 0.5 to 50 kilograms into canisters, buckets and wide-neck bottles, as well as into screw-top or clamp-lid cans.

[infotext icon]Qualified and motivated employees have always formed the backbone of the company. There are currently around 200 employees worldwide. The undisputed pioneer in the field of drum pump technology now also has outstanding expertise and experience in many other areas of pump technology. The internationally operating family business with seven subsidiaries and numerous agencies and its production site in Maulbronn supplies products to over 100 countries around the globe.

http://www.flux-pumps.com