As a ‘hidden champion’, Hueck Folien has been an important employer for decades and, with an export rate of 99%, is an internationally successful company based in the lower Mühlviertel region: security features for banknotes, base material for self-adhesive labels and adhesive tapes as well as coatings for furniture surfaces and building envelopes are manufactured in Baumgartenberg.
The company is now investing in a new high-vacuum vapour deposition plant in which metals can be vaporised in a controlled manner to produce thin metal layers for products in the labelling, design and security markets. The investment sum for the vapour deposition system, the required new production building and replacement measures in logistics amounts to 8.6 million euros.
Expansion on existing company premises
The production area will be extended by 400 m2 for the new vapour deposition system. Part of the existing warehouse will be converted into a manufacturing hall and a new production facility will be built to replace it. The direct proximity to the existing metallisation area enables ideal logistics in the material and energy supply of the new plant.
Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the new, highly advanced system designed for the metallisation of two-metre-wide plastic films consumes 25% less energy than the existing system, which is now being replaced. In addition to the significant energy savings, it also considerably increases the degree of automation of the coating process and logistics. The new vapour deposition system will go into operation in autumn 2025 following completion of the hall construction and installation of the system.
Innovation, made in Upper Austria
Hueck Folien already produced nano-coatings on thousands of square metres with the previous system; now a significantly better homogeneity of the vapour-deposited layers can be achieved. When metallising a roll that corresponds to an area the size of two football pitches, the new machine can keep the thickness of the metal layer constant at +/- two nanometres, i.e. around 20 atomic layers. This all happens with automatic quality control at a production speed of 1000 m/min. In addition, the new system enables the production of smart surfaces by specifically controlling the structure of the coating. This investment thus enables new, innovative products and surfaces of the future from Upper Austria for the world.
Focus on sustainability
Hueck Folien bears responsibility for the preservation of our environment and sustainable transformation in order to enable a future worth living for future generations. Innovation and sustainability are inseparably linked. Only recycled aluminium from the company's own recycling loop is used for metallisation. Hueck Folien has been producing exclusively with recycled aluminium for almost a year now, saving 85% CO2 during vapour deposition.
Investment at the site in Baumgartenberg
"With the installation of the new, highly modern system, we are setting a new benchmark in production! This leading-edge technology will strengthen our competitiveness and secure the Baumgartenberg site in the long term," reports Dr. Martin Bergsmann, CEO of Hueck Folien. "Investments like this strengthen Upper Austria as an industrial location, and I would like to express my sincere appreciation for this. It is a strong signal when companies like Hueck Folien invest locally in further development and thus in the future. And it is proof that Upper Austria as a centre of business, employment and innovation is also an attractive location for globally successful companies," said Governor Thomas Stelzer.
Hueck Folien is a global specialist for visually sophisticated and functional surface coatings in the security, labelling and design markets. Since 1970, the family-owned company has stood for stability, quality and innovation. 300 employees write success stories through their passion for excellence. The company develops and manufactures its high-quality product solutions exclusively in the heart of Europe and is constantly investing in new technologies in order to achieve ecologically neutral production by 2035.
