Follmann: High-tech specialities for the packaging industry

Water-based printing inks, low-migration adhesives, microencapsulated fragrances - the specialities of the family-run company Follmann are constantly attracting attention in the packaging and printing industry. They give new impetus to marketing and have tangible added value for users. And they have been doing so for 40 years, now in the third generation.

Follmann GmbH & Co. KG, based in Minden, Germany, has long enjoyed international success and sees its core competences in the development of innovative speciality chemicals for the decorative and functional design of surfaces and compounds. This extends to the entire processing industry. One focus is on the print & packaging sector.

What Heinrich Follmann and his son Dr Rainer Follmann founded their company in the Minden industrial estate in 1977, has developed into an internationally operating group of companies within 40 years. Heinrich Follmann's motto was: „Roll up your sleeves and get started“.

They set out to give employees and their own families a livelihood and secure their future. At the same time, they always focussed on consumer safety and the sustainable and careful use of resources.

In the beginning, there were just 40 employees; today, over 700 people work for the Follmann Group, which is made up of the subsidiaries Follmann and Triflex, in Europe, Western Europe, Russia and the growth market of China. In 2017, the company generated a turnover of over 200 million euros.

Positioned worldwide

Over the years, the internationalisation of the business has also led to the establishment of foreign subsidiaries in England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria. And it is not only in Minden that Follmann continues to focus on growth abroad. In addition to the global agencies for the various business areas, the subsidiary OOO Follmann was founded in Russia in 2004 and Follmann (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd. in China in 2014. Since March 2016, the company has also been selling its products through Follmann Chemia Polska in Poland. Business activities in China and Russia have recently been further expanded.

Over the past four decades, what was once a nucleus in Minden has grown into a modern, structured company. Group of companies under the umbrella of Follmann Chemie emerged. And that is still in family hands. The shareholders of the group of companies are Dr Rainer Follmann and his son Dr Henrik Follmann, who joined the company in 2005.

Equipped for the future

The credo of the company's leaders is not to rest on the laurels of the past, but to meet the challenges of the market head on. For example, the Expansion and modernisation of the company premises in Heinrich-Follmann-Straße in Minden. A new warehouse and logistics centre was put into operation there in 2011, followed by the new research centre the following year and a combined heat and power plant with a steam boiler and cooling system in 2015, which provides the basic requirements for steam, electricity, heat and cooling at the site in a resource-saving manner.

The foundation stone for the new production facility for the Triflex portfolio of construction chemicals was also laid in Minden in 2016. It is scheduled to go into operation in 2018. Between 2008 and 2018, a total of over 100 million euros was invested here.

This is the largest investment in the company's history. And it not only documents the commitment to the chosen location, it also shows that Follmann is a long-term planning and reliable partner for its customers. „We are delighted that our modernisation and expansion measures here in Minden will enable us to create new jobs and secure existing ones,“ says Dr Henrik Follmann, Managing Director of Follmann Chemie.

Focus remains on sustainability

From the very beginning, the company founders were committed to safety, health and environmental protection. As early as 1984, the first water-based napkin printing inks were developed as an alternative to the solvent-based printing inks that had been used exclusively until then. This was followed in 1990 by water-based printing inks for the wallpaper industry.

As early as 1988, the department „Environment and safety“ and the first environmental protection officer was appointed. In the 1990s, an environmental management system was integrated into the existing quality management system (ISO 9001/ISO 14001), and in 2013 it was supplemented by an energy management system in accordance with ISO 50001. For the past 15 years, 50 per cent of all waste has been recycled. Today, the company covers 40 per cent of its electricity requirements with its own electricity.

As the conservation of resources and the reduction of environmental pollution along the entire value chain are a particular focus, it seems almost natural that the Chemie³ sustainability initiative of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) should be recognised. „Responsible action for a secure future“ supported.

Speciality: Print & Packaging

According to the company's philosophy, the Follmann Group's high-tech specialities are designed to ensure greater efficiency in the manufacturing process, improved product quality and a better environmental balance in all areas of application.

The successful solutions for the printing and packaging industry include environmentally friendly, Water-based printing inks for flexible packaging, water-based flexographic and gravure printing inks for all types of table decoration products, such as napkins, tablecloths and placemats, as well as for printing on paper packaging.

Follmann's solutions are market leaders in some fields of application. For example, in the production of napkin printing inks: Every third napkin in Europe is printed with Follmann inks. „As the topics of environmental protection and sustainability are becoming increasingly important, we see great development potential for both our environmentally friendly water-based printing inks for flexible packaging and our low-migration adhesives,“ says Managing Director Dr Jörg Seubert. He has been responsible for the Follmann company management since 2016.

However, further growth is also expected in other areas of application. The second pillar of Follmann's packaging portfolio are Water-based dispersion adhesives and Low-migration hot melt adhesives for paper and packaging. The portfolio is rounded off by Scented varnishes and microencapsulated scented oils, which only unfold their fragrance when touched.

Water-based printing inks

The water-based printing inks FOLCO^® AQUAFLEX is particularly advantageous on packaging, especially on flexible plastic packaging for sensitive goods such as food. This is because the migration of ink components through the substrate is of great importance here. Understandably, water-based printing inks are becoming increasingly important as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional, solvent-based inks.

Follmann has developed the ink series especially for flexo and gravure printing on pre-treated plastic films such as PE, PP, PET, PA and OPP. They are available for frontal and reverse printing as well as for composite applications - even on compostable films. The water-based inks also have decisive advantages in the production process. While the use of solvent-based inks requires thermal afterburning, this is not necessary here. Their use makes a decisive contribution to greater environmental protection.

As One-component solution the ink can be processed immediately, resulting in faster set-up times while ensuring colour fastness. Easy re-emulsification during the printing process means that little cleaning is required and the ink viscosity remains constant.

Compared to solvent-based inks, there is also significantly less wear on the printing plates. These are all factors that contribute to greater efficiency and help to reduce costs. For these reasons, frozen food specialist Frosta, for example, has also switched its film packaging to water-based printing inks from Follmann.

Low migration adhesives

Manufactured on a polyolefin and EVA basis, the FOLCO range of food-safe, labelling-free and low-migration hotmelt adhesives are available for the food industry.^® MELT ProPack is available. The ProPack 60 type was especially for frozen food packaging has been developed and is already being used successfully, for example to seal the packs of fish and seafood specialities from the Mecklenburg-based company FEMEG Produktions- und Vertriebs GmbH.

The adhesive is characterised by excellent cohesive properties, high initial strength and a particularly long open time. It withstands temperatures down to -40 °C without any problems and impresses with its reliable bonding under thermal stress and condensation.

Fragrance packaged in microcapsules

With the FOLCO SCENT^®-scented varnishes is the Fragrance oil packed in microscopically small beads, which release the fragrance when subjected to mechanical action such as rubbing. These original fragrance presentation of perfumes and fragrances replaces expensive fragrance sampling and also prevents packaging damage and product shrinkage.

The technology can be used in sheet-fed offset, web offset, flexo and screen printing. This means that the scented varnish can be easily printed on print products such as packaging, mailings, flyers or magazine pages. A genuine Follmann solution that is capable of opening up new possibilities for marketing and optimising the advertising message.

"Multi-sensory marketing will continue to play a major role. We can score points here with our scented varnishes. Companies can use them to enhance their print products and significantly increase their appeal,“ emphasises Managing Director Dr Jörg Seubert (51).

Customer proximity capitalised

In all sectors, Follmann is always very close to its customers and their individual requirements. In addition to the ready-to-use standard products Customised, tailor-made solutions offered. As a reliable partner, we support every customer with expert advice from the initial task to the finished end product.