Success is no matter of chance: in the case of Hanshin and HERMA, it is the result of excellent cooperation and coordination, even across a distance of thousands of kilometres. For more than five years, the South Korean company Hanshin Labelling and HERMA with its headquarters in Filderstadt, Germany, have been cooperating to provide efficient labelling solutions for South Korean customers. The business relationship with South Korea’s largest provider of complete labelling systems started in 2014. “The quality, reliability, and speed provided by HERMA’s label applicators are crucial for our customers. Since we started the collaboration with HERMA, we have registered increased demand for our products. We have, for instance, integrated more than 1,000 units of the HERMA 400 and HERMA basic label applicators into our labelling solutions and sold these systems”, comments Hee Chul Lee, Managing director at Hanshin Labelling. The company does not only supply its domestic market – it has also exported a considerable number of systems to other Asian countries. Founded in 1978, the family-owned company had initially focused on using label applicators from its own production. The successful partnership with HERMA allowed Hanshin Labelling to redirect its focus towards its core business, the development of customer-oriented, complex labelling solutions – an outcome that benefitted both companies. “It was mainly the cooperation with Hanshin that enabled us to successfully gain a foothold in Asia and specifically in South Korea. HERMA now enjoys an excellent reputation among users with the highest quality standards. Performance-oriented, precise, uniquely compact, providing unmatched versatility, and ‘made in Germany’, HERMA label applicators currently meet all premium requirements for this market”, says Christoph Illichmann, Area Sales Manager at HERMA’s Labelling Machines Division.
The HERMA 400, which may well be the top-selling label applicator in the premium segment, is now succeeded by the introduction of the HERMA 500 – a test and demonstration unit has recently arrived at Hanshin. “We are convinced that we will be able to further increase our market share through the use of the HERMA 500. Its intuitive operating concept, the use of state-of-the-art technology, and its high-quality design which is suitable for industrial use fulfill the exact requirements posed by our demanding customers from the pharmaceutical, food, and consumer goods industries”, says Ji Heon Kim, Managing Director at Hanshin Labelling. It is not without reason that the family-operated business with around 40 employees has recently extended its capacities, putting into operation another production facility measuring approximately 3,000 square meters. At its front, the building proudly displays not only the company logo, but also HERMA’s brand label.
„We are very proud of having achieved such a remarkable market position together with Hanshin despite intense competition. The interplay of HERMA label applicators and Hanshin’s individual plants results in a perfect whole. The labelling solutions can be exactly attuned to the requirements of the Korean market“, comments Martin Kühl, head of HERMA’s Labelling Machines Division. Kühl continues to anticipate strong growth impulses from Asia, where industries are being built, expanded, and most importantly, automated. “Population growth, a growing middle class with young, free-spending consumers, and increasing demands on safety and quality are reflected in the demand for state-of-the-art packaging and labelling solutions.”
