SPRING 1 2014

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SPRING 2014

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Complete FFS/Palletizer/Stretch Hooder Lines Now from One Source: W&H

President’s Corner Hans Retiring

What’s New in Presses Custom Poly Bag, Inc. VISTAFLEX CX

What’s New in Extrusion Farnell Packaging

Quotes

What’s New in Service Modem Retrofit

PackExpo 2014

In the News With a complete FFS line from W&H, all components are integrated into one centralized control panel on the FFS line, simplifying the production process.

The PLATINUM palletizer and ARGON stretch hooder machine deliver perfectly stacked, palletted and secured sacks for transport.

W&H introduced the two newest members of its FFS product range at an in-house EXPO in Lengerich earlier this month: the PLATINUM stacking palletizer and the ARGON stretch hooder for securing the load.

With the PLATINUM and ARGON, W&H now offers all machinery needed for the complete FFS production chain, from the silo drop all the way to the palletted and hooded bags for shipment.

Although W&H has long been manufacturing market-leading FFS equipment, e.g. the TOPAS and DIAMANT, the company has relied on other suppliers for downstream equipment. To make life simpler for everyone, W&H has developed its own palletizer and co-developed a stretch hooder with industry-leader Lachenmeier.

The customer benefits might seem obvious, but the compound effects make a real difference in time savings and machine productivity.

When you invest in a complete FFS line from W&H, there is just one number you need to call for any issues, from planning to machine performance to maintenance to

repairs. W&H’s 24/7 service means you will always be able to reach someone who can field questions about and troubleshoot every component on the line.

Another benefit is the ease of running the full line with just one centralized operator panel, in which all components are integrated. The interface is intuitive and as easy to use as a Smart Phone.

The “new” TOPAS SL FFS machine was launched last year and can produce up to 2,600 bags/hr. Besides speed, the machine provides unhindered accessibility for easy maintenance and repairs.

The PLATINUM palletizer can match the speed of the TOPAS and is available in three output levels with many options.

The stretch technology of the ARGON stretch hooder enables it to work well with a wide range of film thicknesses, even very thin films, without overstretching. This results in perfectly stacked, palletted and secured bags ready for shipment.

For details, please email Bob_Duren@wuh-group.com.

SPRING 2 2014

By HANS DEAMER

President’s Corner Retiring

After 35 years with W&H, I will retire next month on my 65th birthday, actually a day earlier, on Friday 6th June, so this will be the last “President’s Corner” I write.

Some History

My first experience of the US was a two week trip in November 1978 to Clifton, NJ, when I was Export Sales Manager for John Dusenbery’s UK licensee, TI Fords Ltd.

I was so impressed by what I experienced and saw during these two weeks and so fed up with the political and industrial relations problems in England during the late 1970s, all of which had virtually brought the UK to its knees, that on my return to England, I updated my resume and apprehensively sent it to a couple of headhunters based in New York.

A few months later, I was surprised to receive a letter from Jim Feeney, President of Windmoeller & Hoelsher Corporation in Rhode Island (WHC),

suggesting we meet in London on his next business trip to Europe, which was scheduled for the coming May.

I had never heard of Rhode Island, as was true of most people in England!

Jim and I met for dinner at a big London hotel where he was overnighting with a group from Union Camp, prior to visiting a UK plant the next day to show them W&H’s latest multiwall sack machine.

I was immediately impressed by this intense, focussed and likeable American who grilled me thoroughly over a meal, while at the same time

making me feel relaxed and at ease ... so at ease in fact that I referred to him as a “Yank” later that evening and I was convinced I had “blown it”!

At the end of our meeting, he suggested a more formal interview at W&H’s headquarters in Germany and as I was planning to drive to Milan, Italy the following week

to set up the Dusenbery stand at the Converflex exhibition, this was easily arranged.

This next interview was with Sigi Wagner (Sales Director) and others during which my German language skills were thoroughly tested. It went well and ended with a job offer and I was asked to choose one of two jobs on the spot ... Product Manager Presses or Product Manager Plastic Bag Machines. I chose presses simply because of a personal preference for smooth rotary mechanisms over rattly reciprocating

ones, in retrospect the right decision!

On 1st September 1979, I began two months initial training at W&H’s German headquarters before travelling to WHC Rhode Island in early November followed by bringing my wife and two young children over and moving into a rented house on 4th January 1980.

How very strange everything was to begin with, especially in the very cold New England winter.

We placed our kids in the local school immediately but with their English accents, there were immediate misunderstandings ... for one example, my 7 year old son, Justin, asked the teacher “Can I please have a rubber?” to which she replied, after composing herself “Justin, in America we call it an eraser ... not a rubber, which is something else entirely.”

Not wanting to sound different to the other kids, both Justin and his younger sister, Sacha, quickly developed an American accent ... some words twanged within a week of starting school!

WHC, Lincoln, RI

WHC had only existed for 3 years and we had only 11 employees in early 1980 with less than $2M in sales, a big contrast to last year, 2013, when WHC had grown to 56 employees with over $160M in North American (USA and Canada) sales in what has become W&H’s largest and most important market.

After 10 years as Product Manager Presses, then 11 years as Senior VP Sales, I took over as President and Treasurer on Jim Feeney’s retirement in March 2001 ... Wow! ... have those years gone by fast!

Hans with Jim Feeney and Dave Langhan at the IPEX show in Birmingham, England, 1980.

SPRING 3 2014

President’s Corner

Like Jim before me, I have tried to focus on providing our customers with not only the best machinery but also the best parts and service support in the industry, and I am extremely proud of the Sales, Service and Parts team we have built here and of what we have achieved.

On retirement, my place as President will be taken by Andrew Wheeler (currently VP and at WHC for 26 years) while Klaus Kleemann (currently Technical Product Manager, Presses and with WHC for 13 years) will become VP responsible for sales and Javeed Buch (currently Director of Service and Parts and with WHC for 12 years) will become VP with responsibility for parts and customer support.

Thanks to ...

There are so many great people I have met during my time at WHC (and some not so great!) that it is just not possible to mention all those who have had a profound influence on me and what we have achieved here at WHC, but here are just a few who stand out, especially from our early years.

Jim Feeney

Not only did Jim take a chance on hiring a brash young Englishman to work at the American daughter of a German company, he also became my valued mentor ... I learned so much from him in our over 20 years of working together.

Besides his work ethic, intensity, integrity and special ability to make the person he was listening to feel like he

was the only person in the room, every morning

before 8:00 am, my inbox was full of copies of articles and industry news which Jim had already read and copied that morning before coming to the office.

His early morning reading consisted of (and I am sure it still does!) The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and other papers and magazines, so there was a big heap of articles EVERY morning.

Jim’s fantastic slide presentations to industry forums and conferences became legendary and he found himself in great demand as word of his shows spread.

So many times, I went to ask Jim’s advice on an issue or problem and I was ALWAYS surprised by his wisdom and often sideways way of resolving problems, and so many times I came out of his office thinking “why didn’t I think of that?”

Thanks Jim.

Wilfried Wallmann

Wilfried was the press engineer in Lengerich who not only taught me about flexo and gravure presses early in my career, but was also THE person I went to for many years to discuss what was needed in our press designs, particularly in flexo, to make them right for the US and Canadian markets.

He was always prepared to listen to my arguments and to make the press design changes I requested ... frankly often against stiff opposition from other less flexible and less visionary people.

Ironically, ALL of the changes I argued for and Wilfried agreed to implement, eventually became standard on all of our presses and I can say that the flexo presses we sell today all around the globe are heavily influenced by what we did for the US and Canadian markets all those years ago with Wilfried’s tremendous support.

Wilfried eventually became Manager of Customer Technical Support for Presses, and retired about 10 years ago.

Thanks Wilfried.

Akron, Ohio, winter 1983, obviously with too much time on our hands. Left to right are Sigi Wagner, Jim Feeney, Hans and Fred Ruenzel dressed up as gangsters.

Sailing in Mystic, Connecticut July 1994, Hans, Andrew Wheeler and Jim Feeney with Peter Langhan in the background.

SPRING 4 2014

President’s Corner

Walter Steinbeck

Walter was Chairman of the W&H Group until his retirement in 2000 and he is one of the most straight forward and down to earth people I have met.

Flexible and always ready to listen to what were often our controversial arguments, he truly understood the importance of the North American market and was ready to do what was needed to support us, often against strong opposition.

Thanks Walter.

Siegfried Wagner

Sigi, who was W&H’s Global Director of Sales, has a bright sense of humour and besides his other contributions, was the guy who named all of W&H’s machines until he retired in 1997, so we have him to thank for names such as Starflex, Stellaflex, Heliostar, Astraflex, and many, many others.

Only a couple of times did we have to shoot down his suggestions like the time he wanted to name our new laminating machine “Kotex” ... we carefully explained that in the US another product already had this name ... Sigi was deeply involved in the founding and building of WHC back in 1976 and was very instrumental in establishing our early success and he still today has a soft spot for the North American market.

Thanks Sigi.

There is a long list of others, including

many customers, who I have greatly enjoyed dealing with over the years and who have had a profound influence on me ... some of these have become friends, my heartfelt thanks to all of you.

Time passes damn fast!

There is a strange slow transition from being the youngest in a meeting room, as in my confrontational first brash years at W&H, when I sometimes reacted to comments and real wisdom from older participants with the thought “Why is this old fart talking about ancient history?” to now being often the oldest person in a meeting when it is me talking about history and saying “this is what happened when we tried this same idea 30 years ago and this is why it did not work.”

Certainly the years pass faster the older you get, so my advice to all those younger people is ...

“Make the best of your time, set your goals and don’t wait, do something you enjoy and make the very most of your spare time too, because I promise you that time will pass at an accelerating rate and if you DON’T do these things, you will regret it when it is too late.”

My Best Wishes to all of our readers and thank you all.

Drupa 2000, Heidi Windmöller, Jim Feeney, Peter Steinbeck and Hans.

Hans doing what he loves best ... working in his shop on antique cars and motorcycles.Hans with one of his antique motorcycles, a 1946 Indian Chief.

SPRING 5 2014

What’s New in PressesCustom Poly Bag Inc. Orders First W&H Press

VISTAFLEX CX for Wider, Longer Jobs

At W&H’s in-house EXPO in May during interpack, the new VISTAFLEX CX press for longer and wider jobs was unveiled. The newest model in the VISTAFLEX range can print widths up to 86” and repeat lengths of 49” at speeds of up to 2600 ft/min.

The first VISTAFLEX was launched in 2009 and today there are more than 40 machines installed worldwide, two-thirds of which are here in North America.

Job changeovers are a cinch with the innovative VISTA-PORT robotic handling system, which changes printing mandrels and sleeves automatically regardless of weight or size. Several jobs can be set up and stored while the press is running. The system even optimizes job sequence and prepares print sleeves and anilox rolls for the next job.

The biggest challenge noted by North American VISTAFLEX customers is feeding film and mounting jobs fast enough to keep up with the machine. It’s no wonder that most of our VISTAFLEX owners are repeat buyers.

For more information about the VISTAFLEX and its capabilities, email Michael Reinhardt at Michael_Reinhardt@wuh-group.com or Klaus Kleemann at Klaus_Kleemann@wuh-group.com.

In the 45 years since its inception, Alliance, Ohio based Custom Poly Bag Inc. has been growing slowly and steadily. Founded by colleagues and friends, Donald Prather and Lloyd Carlile, the company started out with one bag machine, adding capacity only when they had the means to do so, which has been often.

“Our business is so booked, I had to write to our customers telling them we couldn’t take on any additional accounts until we can increase our

capacity,” says Doug Prather, Donald’s son and current Partner & Sales Manager. “This has included adding an additional wicketer this past December and ordering the MIRAFLEX from W&H.”

The 52” MIRAFLEX AM 10 press is Custom Poly Bag’s first investment in W&H technology. Prather explained the vetting process that he and Phil Carlile, Lloyd’s son and current Partner & Plant Manager, conducted when looking for a press. “We did our research and were most comfortable

with the machine design and performance of the MIRAFLEX and the ability to get service from W&H when we needed it. We felt confident that the MIRAFLEX was the most reliable machine we could get.”

Custom Poly Bag is building an addition that will house the MIRAFLEX. The company is working with W&H engineers to design the optimal space for the press, which

is scheduled to arrive this coming November.

While Doug and Phil are at the helm, both dads are still very much an integral part of the company, making sure all is running smoothly and that accounts are balanced.

The company is “self-sufficient”, producing its own low density mono films, printing up to 10 colors with flexographic presses and converting these printed films into bags. They serve primarily the bakery business, meaning smaller local bakeries in the Ohio and Indiana region, the merchandise and retail bag industry, as well as “promotional” newspaper bags.

Today there are 70 employees at Custom Poly Bag with plans to hire more employees before the press arrives.

www.custompolybag.com

In America, Everyone’s a Star

German W&H technician, Dennis Baaske, was surprised to be interviewed by a local Reno, NV television station while installing Garlock Packaging’s new NOVOFLEX press.

SPRING 6 2014

What’s New in Extrusion

Quotes

“A fool must now and then be right by chance.” - William Cowper

“He who considers too much will perform little.” - Johann von Schiller

“To look forward you have to look back a little bit … one of the problems with forecasting is that you can’t see the future too well.” - Sherman Uchill

“There is no instinct like that of the heart.” - Lord Bryon

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” - The 14th Dalai Lama

“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business and eventually degenerates into a racket.” - Eric Hoffer

“I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.” - Charles de Gaulle

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mahatma Ghandi

“Everyone is a prisoner of his own experience. No one can eliminate prejudices – just recongize them.” - Edward R. Murrow

“Motivation will almost always beat mere talent.” - Norman R. Augustine

“When the result of a meeting is to schedule more meetings, it is usually a sign of trouble.” - Kevin J. Murphy

Farnell Packaging Adds First VAREX Blown Film Line

Nova Scotia based Farnell Packaging Ltd has plans to install a new 5-layer VAREX blown film line from W&H.

Farnell and W&H developed a strong relationship over the past decade while outfitting Farnell with flexographic presses. “The NOVOFLEX really changed our business and the capabilities we

were able to offer our customers. The quality of our products got better and that helped build on our existing business,” said Debby Farnell-Rudolph, Executive Vice President.

Over the years, Farnell kept abreast of developments in W&H extrusion technology and when the time came to add a new line, included W&H

in the small group of potential suppliers. Farnell-Rudolph added, “The vetting process was long. W&H was with us every step of the way giving us every opportunity to see the manufacturing first hand and to meet with a lot of people on the technical team. It was very inspiring.”

Another item Farnell-Rudolph was impressed by was the proactive retrofits program, which she

referred to as “planned pathways for changes to keep machinery at the cutting edge.”

Initially Farnell was in the market for a 3-layer line but decided on 5-layers based on the potential to enhance film properties while downgauging. The line will also offer flexibility for a broader range of innovation.

Farnell is currently building an addition to house the VAREX, which is expected to be in full production in early autumn 2014.

Founded in 1961 by husband and wife team Don and Amy Farnell, the company has grown consistently and become a fully integrated manufacturer of flexible packaging and employs 170 people.

www.farnell.ca

SPRING 7 2014

What’s New in Service

PackExpo 2014 - See you in Chicago

The entire W&H Group will be represented at this November’s PackExpo in Chicago.

At the W&H booth, we will have experts and samples from all areas of our business including multiwall and FFS, film extrusion as well as flexographic and gravure printing. Our subsidiary, BSW Machinery (Bag Solutions Worldwide) will cover every facet of PP woven sack production from weaving looms to the finished sack.

A few aisles away, subsidiary Garant Maschinenhandel, will have its own booth with space to show a MATADOR NG/Servo machine for the production of flat and satchel

bags. The line features a servo-driven perforator, bag storage and retrieval system, bag collator and window device (ie for French baguettes).

For more information about W&H at PackExpo, email Catherine_Mattson-Fimmers@wuh-group.com.

Faster Diagnostics for Older Equipment with Modem UpgradeW&H’s Information and Diagnostics Center (IDC) has been providing customers with free 24/7 technical support for decades. This used to be done via phone and modem connections, but in the past few years, newer W&H machinery has been equipped with secure, high-speed internet capabilities with stronger security protocol, enabling our engineers to provide even better and faster support.

There’s good news for owners of older W&H equipment: this same secure, high-speed internet connectivity, and therefore faster support, is now available for older machinery with low-speed modem capabilities.

Top: W&H bags on display at Interpack. Bottom: The MATADOR NG for flat and satchel bags.

W&H designed this plug and play retrofit for customer maintenance personnel to install on their own, i.e. no additional technician costs are necessary in most cases. With this upgrade, you no longer need a copper pair phone line, which is particularly beneficial for customers who have moved telephone systems to digital networks and thus had difficulty maintaining an analog copper connection to the modem.

If you are interested in learning more, please email Javeed_Buch@wuh-group.com or contact any specialist in our Parts Department.

Service24 x 7 x 365

800-854-8702

SPRING 8 2014

Derek Smith joins W&H as Service Accounting Coordinator. Derek brings with him strong SAP skills. Previously he worked for

Northrop Grummon and holds an A.S. in Electrical Engineering from ITT Technical Institute in Virginia.

Sebastian Huennefeld comes to us from W&H Lengerich where he worked as a Technical Project Manager in Extrusion. He has

taken on the role of Technical Sales Manager Extrusion Systems for North America. Sebastian studied Business & Engineering at the University of Bremen.

presses after working for such companies as Komori America and Mitsubishi.

Travis Vera has recently started as a Field Service Technician for presses and just returned from W&H Lengerich after a 90-day

training program. He is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and is an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).

Petra Campbell has returned to W&H as a Parts Specialist after 15 years working as an Account Executive in the accessory

packaging industry. Petra has an MBA in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University.

Scott Ledbetter hit the floor running as a Field Service Technician for presses with his 15+ years experience operating and maintaining W&H presses. He has worked

as a supervisor, plant manager and in plate mounting.

Joey O’Bannon joins W&H as a Field Service Technician for presses. Joey gained a wealth of experience with W&H presses while working for such companies as Accredo, LoneStar

Plastics, Nina Plastics and Exopack. He holds an A.S. in Industrial Electricity & Electronics from Ed Reid State Technical College in Alabama.

Andrew Petrakis has many years of experience covering flexographic, offset and lithographic printing. He joins W&H as a Field Service Technician for

Published by

WINDMOELLER & HOELSCHER CORPORATION

Editor:Catherine Mattson-FimmersManager - Advertising and Public Relationscatherine_mattson-fimmers@wuh-group.com23 New England WayLincoln, RI 02865TEL 401.333.2770 or 800.854.8702FAX 401.333.6491www.whcorp.com

ARGON, MATADOR, MIRAFLEX, NOVOFLEX, PLATINUM, TOPAS, VAREX, VISTAFLEX are registered trademarks of Windmöller & Hölscher in some countries.

In the NewsService & Parts Department

W&H Team at Info*Flex 2014 in Baltimore

From left to right: Andrew Wheeler, Dirk Kroll (Webconvert), Hans Deamer, Roger Hewson, Javeed Buch, Peter Langhan, Klaus Kleemann and Tom Apple.

Extrusion Department