HF Mixing Group investing in automation, smart factories

Lawrence, Kansas – German machinery maker HF Mixing Group has made a series of investments in its global operations to achieve 25% through to 2023 .

The firm "has been very busy in the past 18 months" preparing for the upcoming changes within the rubber industry, said company officials during an HF International Mixing Seminar held in Lawrence.

The company is planning to consolidate its Freudenberg locations under one roof with a new building set to open in 2021, according to Ian Wilson, VP sales & marketing,.

HF Mixing has also added another service facility in Thailand to complement its activity in Malaysia, while a new facility in India has been set up to primarily serve the country's growing tire industry.

On the acquisition front, the company entered into a joint venture with B&K, a Germany-based material handling company in 2017.

“The deal increased the level of competency in upstream material handling equipment,” Wilson said.

The move allowed HF to further expand its product portfolio and have access to B&K's upstream equipment and plant engineering resources.

The venture focuses on weighing, storage, feeding and dosing of raw materials and liquids that are tailored to system requirements.

HF will be investing further into B&K with the construction of a new building to increase the floor space by 165%, according to Wilson.

In North America, HF acquired Mesabi Control Engineering Ltd., a Minnesota-based provider of automation systems and software, in 2017.

The company intends to double the size of Mesabi, from about $5 million (€4.4 million) to about $12.5 million in revenue.

Mesabi will move into a new facility in Oakdale, Minnesota, doubling the square footage compared to its previous site, Wilson added.