Today, Höcker Polytechnik GmbH is one of Europe's leading suppliers of extraction and filter technology. The experts at Höcker develop and manufacture complete disposal concepts for the packaging and folding carton industry, corrugated cardboard and paper manufacturers and, of course, for the wood, paper, plastics and metal sectors. But it all began in 1962 in a very small but ambitious way.
A successful company story always starts with a person who loves their work and wants to make the world a better or more functional place. The Höcker Polytechnik GmbH from Hilter am Teutoburger Wald in Lower Saxony is no exception.
Start in a small workshop
More than 55 years ago, in 1962, company founder Günther Höcker started out in Bad Laer with three employees. The highly motivated team began, Extraction systems for joineries to manufacture. A perfect field of work for the passionate craftsman: here he was able to combine his enthusiasm for metalwork with technology and fulfil his high quality standards.
The company grew year by year, the first apprentice joined the company in 1966 and the product range was also expanded. New filter systems were developed, the product range was extended to other industries and, at the end of the 1970s, Höcker fitters installed the first filter systems abroad.
The company, which began with four technophile locksmiths, grew. By 1983, Höcker Polytechnik already had more than 100 employees. On the company's 25th anniversary, little was left of its Spartan origins - the company had moved to its current headquarters in Hilter a. T. W., and the small workshop had become a high-performance production facility. However, the team spirit and enthusiasm for innovative technology remained.
Generation change in 1993
After a good 30 years, the next generation took over. Founder Günther Höcker handed over responsibility for the following years to a new generation. Three-member competence team from. Long-standing employees Christian Vennemann and Heiner Kleine-Wechelmann took over key management skills from the founder as authorised signatories, and his son Frank Höcker took over the management of the company in 1993.
This trio still works harmoniously within the company today and has been expanded. The defined claims such as Sales, Human Resources, Purchasing and Corporate Strategy ensure effectiveness in the individual topics and the team network provides the important synchronisation for company-critical decisions.
Company investments and production expansions
Since then, the company has continued to grow: Höcker took over the container press manufacturer Presto in 1989, acquired a stake in the briquetting press manufacturer Briklis and founded an additional production facility in Poland with DPU. Own sales companies in Russia, Switzerland and Poland followed.
Today, more than 200 employees work at Höcker Polytechnik GmbH. The new low-energy office building was constructed in 2010, and the production facility in Hilter a. T. W. was also completely renovated and expanded between 2012 and 2017. The newly built logistics centre also fulfils the requirements of a globally active company. A solar power plant generates over 230,000 kW/h of electricity every year and conserves valuable resources in the long term. The energy management system has been certified in accordance with ISO 50001 since 2016.
Solid growth from own funds
Despite all of these structural expansions, the new management team around Frank Höcker true to the founder's premise: „Avoid financial escapades and expand step by step from assets.“ A sensible approach in times when growth at any price repeatedly led to rude awakenings. Höcker Polytechnik is a fundamentally healthy company with 44 million euros annual turnover (incl. subsidiaries). The expansion of the wood, plastics, metal and coatings as well as corrugated board, paper, folding carton and packaging industries and recycling business areas offers the potential for growth in the coming years.
Strong in the packaging and folding carton sector
With its products and concepts, the company has established itself in the packaging and folding carton sector in particular. From filter technology, shredders and conveyor technology to waste disposal solutions for complete plants, Höcker's waste disposal professionals open up enormous opportunities for their customers. Savings potential in energy and personnel and a Gain in comfort. The customer should be able to concentrate on production, while processing waste is disposed of largely automatically.
The team around Diethard Beutel, Sales Manager Paper and Recycling, is well organised. Ten experienced project engineers, supported by a strong in-house team, design innovative ideas and solutions for the packaging and folding carton sector and corrugated board processing.
Filter systems in paper processing
The centrepiece of most disposal concepts is the tried and tested MultiStar filter system. These filter systems are scalable, work energy-efficiently with negative pressure and can be customised for practically any application. MultiStar filter systems are „BG-Exam“ tested and pressure shock resistant. The residual dust content is less than 0.1 mg/m3 and allows the filtered air to be fed back into production so that the heat energy is largely retained. The flexible Vacumobil compact dust extractors are a complementary solution for localised use or special cases.
Upstream of the filter system, Höcker relies on PMA material separators. The patented principle separates coarse material residues from the raw air and passes dust and mini shreds on to the filter house. This reduces the load on the filter and, if required, also enables production waste to be disposed of by type. The production waste discharged via the PMA can then be conveniently recycled via container presses or a baling press.
Processing bulky production waste
And in order to process production waste in a transport-friendly manner, Höcker Polytechnik GmbH has developed its Shredder area is constantly being expanded. The PHS shredder is a popular solution for the manual shredding of bulky production waste such as sheet goods. As a PHSH, it also processes the troublesome cardboard cores. The shredded cardboard cores and sheet products can then be easily conveyed via existing disposal channels.
The PHH shredder was specially developed for shredding cardboard cores. This powerhouse processes cores with a diameter of 160 millimetres and wall thicknesses of up to 40 millimetres. The cores are fed to the cutting knives via a carrier roller, thus reducing the workload for the personnel. The PHH shreds a 250-centimetre-long core in just 21 seconds, making it easy to transport and reduce storage space and disposal costs.
The punching grids and gripper edges on the punches can be shredded automatically. The PHSS die-cutting shredders are designed to fit the die-cutter, the bulky production waste is shredded directly at the die-cutter and pneumatically conveyed for disposal. Punching waste can be conveniently collected and conveyed to the stripping station of the punch using air conveyor channels or suction bonnets. Punching operations can thus be fully automated.
Control technology for perfect interaction
Höcker uses special mouldings for Perimeter fans which shreds the long cardboard strips into palm-sized pieces. Pneumatic transport is thus possible without any problems. The production waste is transported either by conveyor belts or pneumatically via a pipe system. Höcker realises both with its own solutions.
As the flow of information is becoming increasingly important today, Höcker's PLC specialists combine all the individual stations such as filters, shredders, pushers and conveyor technology into a whole. This Networking provides an overview of the system status, reduces energy consumption and opens up new scope for the customer. After all, acting is easier on the nerves than reacting.
Project expertise for complex production systems
The combination of all these innovative components, a great deal of experience and an open ear for the wishes of customers enables the Höcker experts to automatically dispose of production waste from complete production lines. Energy and labour costs are reduced and disposal costs are increased if the waste is separated by type. Höcker Polytechnik has been successfully realising such projects for the packaging and folding carton industry for over 30 years. Both for newly constructed plants and of course also as Retrofitting for existing production facilities.
Just as important as the right products and planning expertise is, of course, the Service before, during and after installation. More than 60 Höcker fitters ensure fast response times and competent service when it is needed.
Höcker Polytechnik lives and breathes quality, sustainability and safety. The quality management system is certified according to ISO 9001, and the high quality standard is maintained by the quality assurance team. Höcker Polytechnik's products are designed for low energy consumption and the company's own energy management system is certified in accordance with ISO 50001. Product safety is guaranteed by DGUV and GS as well as official explosion tests for filter systems and rotary valves.
