As of January 1, 2025, Ferrum Packaging AG, leading manufacturer of can seamers for the beverage industry, and KHS GmbH are to take over H.F. Meyer Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG. H.F. Meyer has particular strengths in specific canning technology segments, including can turners and rinsers and vacuum bridges, and will contribute its specialist expertise to the merger that perfectly supplements Ferrum’s and KHS’ areas of competence. It will remain an independent company within the consortium.

Beat Bühlmann, chairman of the board of directors at the Ferrum Group, emphasises the added value of the takeover for the customers of the participating companies. “H.F. Meyer’s special expertise gives us a significant wealth of know-how that we’ll be able to apply to joint further developments. The integral approach and pooled knowledge of the three companies will enable us to provide even more precise, customized equipment and solutions from a single source.”

Targeted expansion of technological expertise

By integrating H.F. Meyer into the Ferrum Group, a competence center for canning technology will be formed that is specialized in the development of innovative systems and solutions. “The aim is to supply the best canning lines in the world. In working together with H.F. Meyer and Ferrum, the efficiency and quality of our plant machinery will continuously increase,” says Martin Resch, managing director of the KHS Group.

The mechanical engineering company from Schleswig-Holstein, with a second facility in Bavaria, employs around 100 people, with whom H.F. Meyer has earned itself an excellent reputation over the years as a supplier of canning technology to the beverage industry. “We’ll of course continue to be a reliable partner to our customers and shall meet all obligations up to and including service with the customary quality,” adds Bühlmann.

In November 2021, Symrise began a three-year research and development collaboration with French company Antofénol based in Plestan, Brittany. The company’s focus are natural solutions for replacing conventional agroextracts obtained by innovative, sustainable eco-extraction using microwave, ultrasound and vacuum technologies. The partners want to work together to develop environmentally friendly products. They will focus primarily on cosmetic ingredients and scents as well as the extraction of valuable compounds from side streams of the Flavor & Nutrition division.

The partners will contribute their specific skill sets and experiences to the collaboration in order to develop jointly unique products. Antofénol’s particular strengths lie in the microwave, ultrasound and vacuum extraction techniques, feasible even in combined mode, of natural raw materials. The technologies provide a number of advantages: They can adapt well to various raw materials, they use fast and effective energy transfer, and they save time compared with conventional processes. Antofénol’s high competency in the selection, sourcing and valuation of natural raw materials is also adding to this. In return, Symrise contributes its expertise in research and product development to the partnership, as well as its knowledge of the market, customers, and consumer demands. Of the Holzminden group, the cosmetic ingredients and scent divisions – both anchored in the Scent & Care segment – and France based Diana Nova from the Flavor & Nutrition segment participate in the collaboration.

The collaboration started to target the continuous increase in customer and consumer demands for naturalness, environmentally friendly and resources preserving manufacturing conditions. Sustainable and natural products from up-cycling of renewable side streams with good traceability play a decisive role in Symrise’s commercial success. The partnership strengthens the Holzminden Group’s position with regard to natural products in the Scent & Care segment and opens up new application areas in the Flavor & Nutrition segment.

Sponsored Post

VOG Products has always relied on premium quality. The new NFC juice line blends seamlessly into the quality strategy of the modern fruit processing company headquartered in Laives, in the Trentino-South Tyrol (Italy) region.

As a pioneer in the premium juice segment, VOG Products continuously invests in new technologies in order to attain even higher quality standards. The most recent example is the NFC juice line, which was commissioned this year. “Even better juices resulting from more careful processing – this is VOG Products’ strategy for success,” said Christoph Tappeiner, CEO of VOG Products.

The new intake line can receive up to 150 tonnes of fruit per hour and transports the raw goods very carefully. “The apples are transported dry and not in water. We use sails to prevent them from falling from great heights. Instead, they roll towards the processing line,” Tappeiner explained. “This results in fewer bruises or damaged spots – and excellent raw goods are the indispensable basis for a safe, high-quality end product.”

Not least due to its dry transport technology, the system also features low water consumption. “We constantly think through our processes critically in order to conserve resources and work sustainably,” said Tappeiner.

After all, VOG Products is closely connected to Trentino-South Tyrol, a region with a long tradition of agriculture that prizes handling the land and its resources with respect and a view to the future. Today, the fruit processing company belongs to 4 producer organisations from South Tyrol and Trentino and 18 cooperatives with more than 10,000 members, most of which are small family operations that care for their apple orchards with love and devotion.

The belt press: a mark of quality

After the apples are washed, pre-sorted, and cut up, the belt press is essential for juice extraction. “The belt press yields high-quality premium juice that is particularly rich in vitamins and features a long shelf life and more appealing colouration, among other properties.”

VOG Products ensures that the juice’s quality and turbidity are consistently in line with consumer wishes. In the separator (centrifuge), solid material and starches are removed from the juice with high efficiency and 100 % automation – exactly to the extent that meets the specified quality standards.

VOG Products is orientated to its customers’ individual requirements in all respects. Direct juice from VOG Products is also available by type and in organic quality.