Get in the Loop

Windmöller & Hölscher, specialist for machinery in the flexible packaging market, presented new developments in three areas at K 2022: Efficient production, Circular Economy, and Digitization. The W&H slogan at K 2022, “Get in the Loop” and the infinity symbol illustrate the way these three topics influence each other and contribute to the success of sustainability.

"The K trade fair has proven itself as a meeting point for the industry, as a performance show and as an important point of contact with our customers," says Peter Steinbeck, CEO of W&H. "Just like before the pandemic, we had visitors from all over the world at the W&H booth. With the live machine demonstrations three times a day, we reached several hundred visitors each time," adds Dr. Sascha Witt, CSO of W&H. On four exhibition days, W&H hosted an in-house EXPO at its headquarters in Lengerich, where another 12 lines including extrusion, printing, and converting machinery were presented. Around 1,100 visitors from 83 countries traveled to Lengerich.

The highlight for trade fair visitors was the VAREX II blown film line in operation at the booth. The daily machine show in Düsseldorf featured live demonstrations of the new EASY2 Change assistance system, an autopilot for product changes. Compared to an experienced operator, the number of necessary clicks for a product change is reduced by more than 70% and the time needed is cut by more than half - and all that with the certainty that no errors are made. This is especially important for difficult products, for example containing recycled materials with varying qualities. After the end of the trade show, the line is now being delivered to the customer IsoFlex Packaging, a member of the Sigma Plastics Group in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

W&H also highlighted new packaging solutions ready for the Circular Economy: Six examples that are made for recycling and four solutions that use high percentages of recycled materials. All solutions have been extruded and printed with W&H lines and have been tested for their practicability with W&H sack making lines or with converting partners – proving that sustainable solutions with the required functionalities are possible today.