High-quality, effective natural remedies, dietary supplements, and personal care products from inhouse production—at attractive prices: this is what Kräuterhaus Sanct Bernhard has stood for more than 120 years, with over 500 employees today. Every day, around 6,000 packages containing products from a range of over 1,000 items leave the company. The resulting labelling requirements are clearly defined: maximum precision, economical processes, flexible application options, and, last but not least, intuitive operation of the labellers. Since 2015, the company, headquartered in Bad Ditzenbach, Germany, has been using labelling machines from HERMA. In the growing field of dietary supplements alone, six 152C wrap-around labelling machines now ensure reliable labelling of cans containing tablets, capsules, and powders. The latest addition, designed in the easy-to-clean "Clean Design" was purchased in 2025. Furthermore, there is a semi-automatic Type 211 labeller for the so-called show production of tablets, which can be viewed in the company's own store. "We label up to 30,000 cans per day in our department – in ten different formats, some of which are very large and therefore challenging to label. Absolute precision is what counts for us," says Pietro Carlucci, production manager for dietary supplements at Kräuterhaus. A visible spiral offset must be avoided at all costs, especially with wrap-around labels. The labelling must visually emphasize the product quality. "Our customers expect high-quality, flawless products – so the label must also be perfectly positioned. The overall appearance counts." That is why Kräuterhaus deliberately chose a version with a roller prism for the 152C. "It is simply unbeatable in terms of labelling accuracy, even if a solution with a wrap-around belt and counterpressure plate might be slightly faster." The extremely compact HERMA machines, each equipped with hot stamping printers from König & Bauer, run at a peak speed of up to 40 cycles per minute – with batch sizes ranging from a few hundred to several tens of thousands units. The wide range of can sizes and formats is no problem: whether 100 ml or 1,250 ml – each machine is so flexible that a format change can be completed in less than 15 minutes. Most settings can be made without tools.
High flexibility – even with dynamic demand
This flexibility of HERMA labelling machines, combined with their small footprint, pays off for Kräuterhaus in several ways: Not only does it allow for agile handling of a wide variety of products on the same line with minimal space requirements, but it also enables the company to respond quickly to market dynamics. "If, for example, influencers report on a particular product and stimulate demand, we can react immediately. That is certainly one of our strengths," explains Carlucci. "Our labellers simply have to be ready for immediate use – whether for top sellers such as magnesium capsules or a special promotion." An additional advantage: The six identical HERMA 152C machines can be operated uniformly – ideal for employees who are flexibly deployed on several lines. They can always expect the labelling technology they are already familiar with. The operating concept of the HERMA 500 applicator contributes to this in particular: "We have many colleagues whose native language is not German. The intuitive touch operation is a huge help here." The fact that Kräuterhaus produces over 700 million tablets and capsules annually in the dietary supplement sector alone and ships them to over 90 countries worldwide underscores the demand for stable and reliable processes, including in labelling. "I am very, very satisfied with the HERMA labelling machines," summarizes Pietro Carlucci, who has been with the company for over 20 years. "Compact, precise, reliable, and flexible, they leave practically nothing to be desired." Really? "Well, to make us even more flexible, I would like the hot foil printers to be able to print not only one line, but ideally three lines," says Carlucci. "But my dream is to have laser printers. That would be ideal for the film labels we use, even if it would of course mean a considerable investment." It's good to know that even such a solution would be feasible at any time with HERMA labelling machines.
