Windmöller & Hölscher manufactures machinery and systems for the production of flexible packaging made of film, paper and woven fabric – from extrusion through printing to converting.
Windmöller & Hölscher SE & Co. KG
Lengerich (DE) · Prostějov (CZ)New on Amplifa
Machinery manufacturing for flexible packaging since 1869
Windmöller & Hölscher (W&H) is a machinery manufacturer for the flexible packaging market that has existed since 1869, headquartered in Lengerich, Germany. There, the company develops and produces machinery covering the entire flexible packaging value chain on 120,000 square metres: blown film and cast film lines (extrusion), CI flexographic and gravure printing presses (printing), as well as bag, paper sack, valve sack, form-fill-seal and woven fabric machinery (converting). Since 2005, a second production site has existed in Prostějov, Czech Republic. At its headquarters, W&H operates a 10,000-square-metre Technology Center for live demonstrations, trials and training. Production is carried out with µm-level precision using precision machine tools and intensive final inspection including commissioning at W&H and at the customer's site. The portfolio is complemented by comprehensive service with spare parts supply, remote services, machine overhauls, upgrades, laboratory testing and training across 14 international locations with more than 400 service technicians.
- Site
- Lengerich
- Processes
- Extrusion (blown film line manufacturing), Cast film lines (cast film), Flexo printing (CI flexographic printing presses), Gravure printing lines, Converting (bag and sack machines, form-fill-seal), Paper sack and valve sack machines, Woven fabric machines (BSW/W&H Machinery), Vacuum Skin Packaging (VSP)
- Materials
- Plastic films/laminates, Paper, Woven fabric, Granulates, Adhesives, Inks/printing inks (solvent-based and water-based), Shrink film (35 μm)
- Certificates
- Continuous quality processes (KAIZEN), Intensive final inspection with commissioning, In-house testing laboratory (50 years of experience)
- Founded
- 1869
- Industries
- Flexible packaging, Mechanical engineering, Extrusion, Printing, Converting
- 01
Engineering & design
- 02
Precision manufacturing (µm-exact)
- 03
Machine assembly
- 04
Final inspection with commissioning at W&H
- 05
Commissioning at the customer's site
- 06
Service over the entire life cycle
Materials and processes
Plastic films/laminates
Processed in blown film and cast film lines as well as printing and converting machines.
Paper
Material for paper sack, bag and printing machines in the W&H product range.
Woven fabric
Processed in woven fabric machines from W&H Machinery (BSW).
Granulates
Raw material for film extrusion on blown and cast film lines.
Adhesives
Used in laminating processes of sack and film converting; tested in the W&H laboratory.
Inks/printing inks (solvent-based and water-based)
Consumables for flexo and gravure printing presses; consulting on conversion to water-based inks.
Production sites
Lengerich
DEHeadquarters, development & production, Technology Center (10,000 sqm)
- Materials
- Plastic films, paper, woven fabric, granulates
- Blown film lines
- Cast film lines
- CI flexographic printing presses (ONEFLEX, ALPHAFLEX)
- Bag/paper sack machines
- Form-fill-seal systems
- Precision machine tools
Prostějov
CZProduction site (state-of-the-art)
- Materials
- Woven fabric
- Woven fabric machines (W&H Machinery/BSW)
Machines and systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extrusion (blown film line manufacturing)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Plastic films, Granulates |
| Cast film lines (cast film)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Plastic films, Granulates |
| Flexo printing (CI flexographic printing presses)Surface | – | – | – | – | Film, Paper |
| Gravure printing linesSurface | – | – | – | – | Film, Paper |
| Converting (bag and sack machines, form-fill-seal)Converting | – | – | – | – | Film, Paper, Woven fabric, Plastics |
| Paper sack and valve sack machinesConverting | – | – | – | – | Paper |
| Woven fabric machines (BSW/W&H Machinery)Converting | – | – | – | – | Woven fabric |
| Vacuum Skin Packaging (VSP)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Plastic film |
| High-performance shrink film production (downgauging 35 μm)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Shrink film |
| Laboratory testing (tensile test, shrink test, thickness measurement, Dart drop, puncture test,Testing | – | – | – | – | Films/laminates, Woven fabric, Paper, Packaging, Inks and printing products, Granulates, Water, Adhesives |
| Machine overhaul, maintenance, repair & troubleshootingAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Blow head service, feedblock and die servicePlastics | – | – | – | – | Plastics |
| Machine relocation & recommissioningAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Remote Services (remote service, visual assistance, 24/7 hotline, IDZ)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Upgrades & Retrofits (machine modernization)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Lifecycle Services (service plan, inspection plan)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Spare parts supply incl. express manufacturing (90% from stock)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Training (W&H Academy, more than 260 training courses per year)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Consulting / on-site consultingEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Precision machine engineering (µm-exact production, final inspection with commissioning)Engineering | µm-exact | – | – | – | – |
10 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CI flexographic printing press ONEFLEX | Windmöller & Hölscher ONEFLEX | – | – | 2026 (vorg | Lengerich |
| CI flexographic printing press | Windmöller & Hölscher ALPHAFLEX | – | – | – | – |
| Gravure printing line | Windmöller & Hölscher MERKUR | – | – | 1953 (hist | – |
| Central impression cylinder flexographic printing press | Windmöller & Hölscher | – | – | 1954 (hist | – |
| Blown film line | Windmöller & Hölscher | – | – | – | Lengerich |
| Cast film line | Windmöller & Hölscher | – | – | – | Lengerich |
| Form-fill-seal system | Windmöller & Hölscher | – | – | – | – |
| Bag/paper sack machine | Windmöller & Hölscher Matador / stepped sack tube machine | – | – | 1914/1930 | – |
| Valve sack machine | Windmöller & Hölscher AD PLASTIC | – | – | 1966 (hist | – |
| Woven fabric machines | W&H Machinery (BSW) | – | – | – | Prostějov, Czech Republic |
Additional services
Reference customers
Production & Quality
W&H ensures quality through continuous quality processes, KAIZEN programs, µm-exact production with precision machine tools, and intensive final inspection with commissioning at W&H and at the customer's site. An in-house laboratory with 50 years of experience tests films, laminates, paper, woven fabric and granulates, among others, by tensile testing, Dart drop, gas chromatography and DSC.
| Evidence | Lengerich |
|---|---|
| Continuous quality processes (KAIZEN) | |
| Intensive final inspection with commissioning | |
| In-house testing laboratory (50 years of experience) |
History
- 1869
Hermann Hölscher and Gottfried Windmöller found W&H.
- 1877
Patent for the first pointed-bottom bag machine with printing unit.
- 1888
First standalone printing machine for paper bags.
- 1900
Start of the worldwide sales network with the first representation in Sweden.
- 1913
Full concentration on machine sales.
- 1914
Bag machine Matador.
- 1930
World's first stepped sack tube machine.
- 1948
OLYMPIA: the world's first bridge-type flexographic printing press.
- 1953
Gravure printing lines MERKUR.
- 1954
World's first central impression cylinder flexographic printing press.
- 1966
First valve sack machine (AD PLASTIC) for glued plastic sacks.
- 1967
In-house blown film lines – emergence of the extrusion business segment.
- 1979
Expansion to include form-fill-seal and cast film lines.
- 1989
First automatic die thickness profile control OPTIFIL P for extrusion.
- 1994
Founding of the Information and Diagnostics Center (IDZ) as a 24/7 service.
- 2005
First automation of impression setting in flexo printing (EASY module); establishment of the Prostějov production site.
- 2009
Bundling of sustainability activities under GREENOVATION.
- 2015
Digitalization initiative PACKAGING 4.0.
- 2018
Joint venture AVENTUS with HAVER&BOECKER.
- 2019
150 years; inauguration of the largest Technology Center in the flexible packaging market.