Felga Etiketten specialises in the production of robust plastic labels. The company's marketing strategy includes launching labels into the stratosphere in a weather balloon.
11 September 2020
To demonstrate the weather resistance of his labels, Philip Grimm sent two label variants and a potted plant in a weather balloon up to a height of 35 kilometres.
(Image: Felga Etiketten)
Felga Etiketten from Bad Zwischenahn specialises in the production of robust plastic labels. And the medium-sized company showcases them effectively, for example by flying two label variants in a weather balloon up to a height of 35 kilometres.
(Image: Felga Etiketten)
„We've been lucky so far because we work in a special sector that is doing well. We sell 60 per cent of our labels to the green sector. As people went on holiday less this summer, they bought more garden products. We were also lucky with production at our plant near Udine in northern Italy, as we were not affected by closures. So we have come through the crisis well so far.“ Philip Grimm, Managing Director Felga Etiketten
At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, however, there were sometimes delivery problems with material suppliers. „As a rule, however, I buy for six months so that a large number of materials and colours are available in the warehouse at all times. That's why we didn't have any production problems during the crisis.“
The plastic materials used - HDPE, LDPE, PE, PVC, PET, Polyart, Tyvek, polyester - are Grimm does not buy its products in China, but mainly in Germany, Luxembourg and England. The company is currently storing larger quantities in every free corner of the 2,000 square metre production facility in order to be prepared in case there are any more bottlenecks. And: „In the last seven years, we have doubled our turnover, so we would be able to cope with a temporary drop in sales.“
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Effective marketing
The small company relies on its unique selling point: specialising in weather-resistant plastic labels, and knows how to showcase this effectively in advertising. A few years ago, Grimm demonstrated the weather resistance of his labels by sending two label variants and a potted plant up into the stratosphere in a weather balloon. Two high-performance cameras filmed the spectacular flight up to a height of 35 kilometres and the return to earth on a parachute.
In 2017, Felga attracted attention in another video with an Apple parody. Title: If Felga advertised like Apple. Or Philip Grimm sends a courier with an express delivery of freshly produced labels on the run over the Alps and with a paraglider directly to the customer - also shown in a video.
Felga Etiketten has been manufacturing high-quality plastic labels in numerous formats and designs, sizes and colours since 1978. These include common standard labels as well as customised products. These include Water-, oil- and grease-resistant, dirt-repellent, weather- and UV-resistant labels. In addition to its extensive raw material warehouse, the company has its own cliché and repro department and ten modern letterpress and flexographic printing machines. Together with further processing machines and punching tools, Felga achieves a range of more than 1,000 formats.
Labels are exported worldwide
The labels, including thermal transfer, loop, food and adhesive labels, are used in industries as diverse as horticulture, food and logistics, retail and services, the steel and metal industry, electronics, mechanical engineering and automotive engineering. around 200 million units every year. „We supply 60 per cent of the labels to tree nurseries, which is our main focus. The remaining 40 per cent go to the industry, including. also used in food packaging or meat processing. Our yellow or red tube labels can be found on the typical red E2 crates, for example. Thanks to ISEGA certification, our labels are approved for food contact.“
The labels, including thermal transfer, loop, peel-and-stick, food and adhesive labels, are used in the horticulture, food and logistics, retail and service sectors, among others. (Image: Felga Etiketten)
Felga labels are sold worldwide, with 70 per cent of production being exported. It is therefore not surprising that the sales team speaks five languages and the website is also available in six languages. „We also see ourselves as having a responsibility, to make the life cycle of a label sustainable, from production to recycling. That's why, among other things, we run our production hall on green electricity via a solar system on the roof and ensure that our production waste is disposed of and recycled properly,“ says Philip Grimm.
[infotext icon] Felga Etiketten was founded in 1960 and initially produced wooden labels. Since 1978, only plastic labels have been manufactured. Distribution is based in Bad Zwischenahn, while production takes place at the Lestans di Sequals site near Udine in northern Italy. In 2018, Felga invested almost one million euros in new machines and a hall conversion there. The company employs 15 people and supplies customers worldwide. The main market is Europe. [/infotext]
