Hoffmann’s upgraded Dronten plant
"Hoffmann has years of experience in the production of cans for infant formula, with a new production hall in its Dronten plant"
Evert van de Weg visits Hoffmann The Tin in Dronten, the Netherlands, to view its new extension for infant formula lines and discuss the company’s other offerings with Paul Pultrum, marketing specialist for tins
When I arrived at the plant of can maker, Hoffmann The Tin, in the city of Dronten in the Netherlands, what struck me first was the new extension. The plant was built in 2008 in an industrial area of the city. Dronten was founded in 1962 in the new polder of Eastern Flevoland, a polder consisting of land reclaimed from the sea in the 1950s. The advantage for companies establishing themselves at that time was the availability of plentiful space. Driving through the polder now, the mostly empty space of the former seabed is compelling.
In the modern plant complex of Hoffmann The Tin, I met marketing specialist for tins, Paul Pultrum. According to Pultrum, the reason for the recent extension was the installation of two new and super-modern production lines for cans for infant formula food in 99mm and 127mm diameters.
History of the company
The Swiss company, Hoffmann, located in Thun, acquired Dutch company, CM Packaging, in 2019. Hoffmann itself was founded in 1890 by Eduard Johann Hoffmann. The company began production of metal packaging in 1904.
Since the 1950s, the company has also had a stake in the production of plastic tubes via the company Neopac. In 1998, Hoffmann and Neopac merged into Hoffmann Neopac. Today, Hoffmann- Neopac have plants serving the production of plastic tubes in Switzerland, Hungary, the US and India, with can making plants in Switzerland and the Netherlands.
What sets Hoffmann apart is the wide diversity in can shapes it offers. Paul Pultrum commented: “Of course this is because of the broad variety of filled goods for which we supply cans, which include: infant food; tobacco; coffee; sweets; spices; seeds; salt; pepper; pharmaceutical products and even cannabis and snus [a tobacco product originating from Sweden and also popular in the US]. One of our strengths is our flexibility in can shapes, be it square, round or fully customised shapes – all this enabled by an incredibly flexible machine park. Moreover, we can use digital or offset printing, varnishing and embossing effects if brand owners require this. It goes without saying that there is quite an intensive exchange between the plants in Thun and Dronten.”
Like many other Swiss companies, Hoffmann is undertaking pioneering work when it comes to sustainability. Pultrum continued: “We offer tinplate cans made from 100 per cent recycled steel, as it is important for brand owners to put their sustainable products in high-grade recycled packaging, which can be recycled again endlessly. For the cans made from this 100 per cent recycled steel, we use the brand RecyCan. We follow and encourage the developments in the production of carbon-reduced steel, in particular at one of our steel suppliers, thyssenkrupp Rassselstein, very closely, and use this steel when possible. For this green steel, the use of coal in the production process is being replaced as much as possible by hydrogen. This new process saves up to 70 per cent of CO2.
“Hoffmann realised, together with the well-known Swiss company, Ricola, producer of cough drops made from Swiss herbs, the first cans made from this steel with significantly reduced CO2 intensity.
“Switzerland as such is already known for its environmental awareness, and Ricola seems to breathe this awareness. The head office and plant are built in a sustainable way with many natural elements. In close cooperation with thyssenkrupp Rasselstein and Ricola, we produced cans with Bluemint steel.”
There has been a great deal of interest for this CO2-reduced packaging steel, though the production capacity at steel mills is still limited. Pultrum said, “Bluemint steel’s advantage is that it can be processed without quality or speed loss on all our printing and can making lines. There is a slightly different price tag connected with this new steel type, but for high-grade products that can be acceptable.”
In his office, Pultrum showed me more innovations that have been released by Hoffmann in the last few years.
“Together with a coffee producer, we designed a special can plus a matching resealable lid for their latest collection. The special compound and the special position of the compound creates an innovative airtight metal lid.”
Hoffmann is unique in the supply of special tins for the packaging of snus. The company has been supplying these tins for many years and has now developed the full metal CR Tin.
“This full metal CR Tin, which stands for child resistant tin, represents the next generation of our existing CR tins with plastic inserts. The conversion to a 100 per cent metal tin means that the tins are fully recyclable without separating plastics from metal.” Pultrum explains that Hoffmann arranged tests to prove that the CR Tin works: they “were performed by an independent lab in Belgium with an EU and US certificate for child resistance.”
Infant formula cans
The parent company, Hoffmann, in Switzerland, has years of experience in the production of cans for infant formula, the market of which is highly demanding for packaging producers in terms of hygiene and quality standards. The Hoffmann branch in Dronten now also produces cans for infant formula.
“As we all know, the Netherlands is an important producer and exporter of dairy products. International food companies are exporting these to many countries, in particular China. Not long after the acquisition of CM Packaging by Hoffmann, we started to build the first high- speed production line for infant formula cans with a 99mm diameter. This line now runs at full capacity, producing 400 cans per minute. We are able to supply this can in various heights.”
The market introduction of this infant formula can was so successful that soon after the 99mm line ran at full speed, Hoffmann decided to invest in another high-speed line for infant formula cans, with a 127mm diameter – also a popular size.
“As you will see during the roundtrip in the plant, we are now testing this second line intensively. We think it will produce at full capacity in a few weeks,” said Pultrum.
In the preparation for our journey through the plant, the hygiene rules were strict. Like all visitors, I had to change shoes, wear a hair net, take off my watch and rings and thoroughly disinfect my hands. On our way to the new hall where the lines for the infant formula cans are produced, we passed through the hall where the company produces a range of plastic packages, for instance plastic jars or caps.
“This enables us to combine a steel can with a plastic part and our customers ask often for that, for instance for spices. We have modernised this machinery considerably and several of these machines are in operation 24/7, almost without operators involved.”
The new infant formula cans production hall is impressive. Both the 99mm and 127mm diameter can lines have been supplied by Soudronic and I also saw the names of Germann & Frei, Cepak, Ibea and others, featured in the hall.
Aside from this, Hoffmann is able to offer the latest decoration technologies. “Within our company we can provide offset printing and varnishing effects and we are able to fulfil high demands of brand owners when it comes to applying embossing or debossing. I really enjoy working in this company, which seeks to provide ultimate customer satisfaction,” concluded Pultrum.
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