We have just sold the first HSM Hauni Straw Maker and started a strategic partnership with Matrix Pack, a major market player," says Patrick Fricke, Head of Marketing at Hauni. "We are just starting out in a completely new market and have already gained one of its largest companies as a customer. It’s a wonderful endorsement both for this specific solution and for our ability to innovate."
News & Stories - 12/05/2019
Paper not plastic
To produce high-quality paper straws, the machine had to overcome significant challenges ranging from performance to product quality. Hauni assembled a team to study the technical demands of paper straws, for which there is a growing market. After ten months of meticulous work, they were proud to unveil the HSM Hauni Straw Maker – the world’s fastest paper straw maker. It manufactures attractive paper straws at an unprece dented speed of up to 300 m/min. The highly automated solution guarantees superior quality and an efficiency of up to 90 percent.
Innovation is in Hauni’s DNA
The fact that Hauni devoted this level of attention to paper straws at all is testament to its philosophy of innovation. "Our strategic aim is to continuously develop our business, bring innovative products to market and explore new opportunities through convincing concepts," explains Dr. Jürgen Heller, Chief Sales Officer at Hauni. "The successful launch of the HSM is confirmation that our founder’s principles are very much alive – never stand still, always think out of the box and use our abilities to their maximum potential."
lWe are pleased to have won over customers in a new industry so quickly.r
Patrick Fricke, Head of Marketing at Hauni Group
Strong demand for sustainable straws
Hauni’s HSM is firmly aimed at a growing global market. It is estimated that Americans alone throw away around 500 million drinking straws after use every day. According to a study by Seas at Risk, the international environmental protection organization, EU citizens discard 36.4 billion disposable drinking straws every year. A large proportion of these are not incinerated but end up polluting beaches, cities and recreational areas. It is against this background that the European Parliament has decided to ban plastic drinking straws and other disposable plastic products from 2021. In the USA, too, a number of cities are launching initiatives against plastic drinking straws. In 2018, Seattle became the first major city in the USA to ban them.
Around the globe, growing public awareness of the environmental damage caused by these plastic tubes is driving a raft of new legislation. It is also causing small and large companies to rethink: the once ubiquitous plastic straw has long disappeared from many bars. Major chains, such as Starbucks or McDonalds, also want to banish them from their outlets – as do airlines and cruise companies. "Companies are responding to the mounting public pressure and taking an ever-greater interest in environmentally friendly alternatives," explains Dirk Kronenberg, Sustainability Manager at Hauni. "Using paper straws avoids the environmental damage caused by their plastic cousins. However, consumers are accustomed to plastic so the paper solution has to be very high quality. The HSM draws on Hauni’s decades of expertise in working with paper tubes and offers precisely this capability. The sustainability campaigner in me is, of course, very pleased."
lThe HSM shows what we mean by 'challenging and innovating' at Hauni.r
Dr. Jürgen Heller, CSO at Hauni Group
Efficient, fast, proven
Based on tried and tested technology that has been in operation manufacturing high-quality special filters for the last five years, the HSM meets the highest quality standards. "Our straw maker produces high-quality biodegradable straws at an unprecedented speed. It combines the best of both worlds. The straws look and feel similar to plastic; they are food safe, made with minimal use of adhesive and only one type of paper," explains Patrick Fricke, Head of Marketing at Hauni. "Our highly efficient process offers significant material savings – the straws use two rather than three layers of paper and cut adhesive consumption by up to 50 percent compared to other methods. The automatic paper feed, in combination with other innovative automation standards, allows the machine to be controlled by just one operator." Hauni’s contribution to smooth-running production processes does not end with the sale of a highly automated, user-friendly machine. "Selling a machine doesn’t mark the end of the customer relationship, but the beginning of a partnership. The field of paper straws is still quite new so it’s very important that customers get competent support after purchasing their machine," says Fricke.
With 20 locations worldwide and global expertise concentrated at its headquarters in Hamburg, Hauni Group customers always receive a tailor-made service. Manufacturers benefit from Hauni’s operational and process support as well as a comprehensive spare parts service. These combine the competence of an experienced international corporation with the proximity and agility of a local partner.
Matrix Pack, a leader in the European market, is also impressed. The company is a specialist in drinking straws and the only manufacturer capable of making any type of straw for private or commercial use. Matrix Pack manufactures 30 million drinking straws daily and commenced its strategic partnership with Hauni in July. The two companies are planning to present their innovative product by the end of 2019. Production using the HSM is due to begin by the end of the year. "This partnership represents a significant step in the development of our company. It is also an opportunity to create cost-conscious, sustainable paper straws made in Europe, using high-tech European solutions and European-sourced raw materials. We are delighted to be working alongside Hauni with the shared objective of developing this business in Europe and the USA," said a spokesperson for Matrix Pack.
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