In the latest development, KWF Hilger has joined hands with The Gaurs for Indian and South Asian markets. In this interview with The Textile Magazine, Mrs. A. Hilger, CEO of KWF Hilger, outlines what this strategy entails
KWF Hilger, Germany, one of the leading manufacturers of calendar rolls globally, has joined hands with The Gaurs for the Indian and South Asian markets. The Gaurs, which represent several marquee European textile machinery makers, had been representing Richard Hough Ltd. (RHL), another leading name in the field of calendar rolls, earlier in the Indian market. In 2018, KWF Hilger entered into an IP technology transfer agreement with Richard Hough Ltd.
Under this agreement, Richard Hough has closed their manufacturing facilities and the critical machinery including tools has been purchased by KWF Hilger, which will manufacture all kinds of rolls for calendaring and squeezing operations.
In an exclusive chat, Mrs. A. Hilger, CEO of KWF Hilger, stated: “This agreement has enhanced our capability and capacity to serve our customers across the globe. Now patents like Roberto, Robertex, Simtex, Syncast and No Lap are the property of KWF Hilger and we will meet the requirements of our customers for all kinds of calendar rolls.”
A legacy
KWF Hilger has a long history dating back to more than 160 years. Mrs. Hilger, incidentally, is the third generation of the family to be in the roll and calendar business. ECK and Sons was founded in 1849 and emerged a world leader in calendar machines. In 1874, the company started manufacturing calendar rolls used for finishing and processing of paper and textile industries. “My grandfather, Dr. Franz Hilger, bought the company in 1928 and the company was named ECK Haubolt GmbH. He and subsequently, my father, Paul Hilger, through KWF Hilger GmbH, successfully exported the calendar and roll technology around the world,” informed Mrs. Hilger.
“ECK Calendar Machines became a world leader in its business and was known for its quality and longevity. Many of the machines are running even today in different parts of the world,” she added. In 1959, Dr. Franz Hilger collaborated with the Thakersey Group and founded a joint venture – Eck Haubold and Laxmi – in India. This collaboration lasted for more than 25 years. In 1973, the company’s name was changed to Kalanderwalzenfabrik (KWF) GmbH and Co. Ltd. and it was headed by Paul Hilger.
Providing further details, Mrs. Hilger said: “Manufacturing high-quality rollers not only need the best raw materials and precise facilities but also requires very high precision and craftsmanship which we have evolved over decades. KWF Hilger follows a policy of no compromise on quality and meeting the requirements of its customers. We supply almost all the leading textile companies in Europe, who too, are known for producing the best quality materials in the market. These long-term exclusive customer relationships coupled with our track record of very negligible customer complaints make us a world leader in this field.”
Comprehensive range
KWF Hilger offers complete range of calendar rolls made out of cotton, cop cotton, polyamide, different types of paper and very high-squeeze efficiency rolls, cop cotton rolls, Simtex™, Roberto™, Robertex™, Nollap™, Syncast™ plus rollers for embossing in the paper industry. The company serves its customers in getting the desired calendaring effect on fabric or paper; getting the requisite embossing effect; increasing the squeeze efficiency of wet process in fabric processing by minimum 15%; improving the surface cleanliness of the metal sheet in cold rolling mill operations and metal stamping operations in automotive industry; and reducing oil consumption in metal stamping and moulding processes.
According to Mrs. Hilger, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Netherlands, UK, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Brazil, Pakistan, Thailand, Taiwan and China are the key markets for KWF Hilger. Listing down the reasons that makes the technology offered by the company stand out from the crowd, Mrs. Hilger mentioned: “Great roll making requires a range of special techniques, extreme precision and the best materials. Each one of our staff has over 30 years’ work experience in roll production – so there is enormous know-how. This is backed by the right high-quality raw materials, precise machinery and extremely precise finishing.”
“KWF Hilger has its own research and development where we continuously conduct trials in order to improve our rolls. Worldwide, the company is known for its integrity and consistent high performance. We consistently strive to improve our rolls and to provide better value to our customers. The Hilger family has been in this business for more than 160 years and we have a very strong, confidential and dependable relationship with our suppliers. Therefore, none of our suppliers divulge the details of the material they develop for us. In other words, KWF Hilger can do what others cannot,” Mrs. Hilger said, elaborating on the reasons.
India calling
Going into details regarding the foray of the company into India, Mrs. Hilger said: “We have never marketed our products in India directly. The Indian market was being serviced by Richard Hough Ltd. through The Gaurs. Now with the technical tie-up with Richard Hough Ltd. we will be marketing our rolls directly in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh through The Gaurs.” When asked to name a few key customer installations of the company, Mrs. Hilger pointed out: “At KWF Hilger, we generally do not believe in marketing our products by giving out customer names. Our rolls are not cheap and we serve customers who are not happy with the quality they have received from other manufacturers.”
“When manufacturing a roll for a particular customer, we collect lot of operational data from this customer in order to tailor-make a roll for them. This data is confidential. So, we do not give out our customer’s names,” she added. Continuing further on the topic, she said, “However, we can say that we are undisputed leaders in meeting the very specific and strict requirements of customers across the viscose industry. We have customers who want to calendar their product at high speeds between 600 metres per minute and going up to 1,800 metres per minute.”
“Our customers are those who have calendar machines of more than 5 meters in length as well as those who are embossing or calendaring very high-value products like cigarette paper or very fine tissue papers or very high-value glassine paper. In short, we are working in a space where accuracy and results are more important than wastage or rejections due to poor results. Well-known European machinery manufacturers use our rolls for their OE requirement,” she further stated.
Demand drivers
Highlighting some of the factors that will drive demand for KWF Hilger in the Indian market, Mrs. Hilger opined that India is far behind with regard to the latest technology in comparison to other countries, especially when it comes to calendaring rolls and squeeze rolls. “But things are changing quickly. The global markets are looking at India as a possible supplier for meeting their stricter and stringent quality products. Earlier, only price used to be the criteria for buying a product but now other factors like consistent output, longer lifecycle and better quality output, high speed and wider machines, etc., have started getting importance. These developments will need better rolls and KWF Hilger is the name that can effectively meet these changing requirements,” she added.
The Gaurs will be representing KWF Hilger when it comes to after sales, service and spares in the Indian market. “The Gaurs are known to have very good knowledge of rolls. They will be liaising directly with the client and will examine problems with the rolls, should they arise. They have been trained by Richard Hough Ltd. for analysing the problems and solving them on the spot. In some extreme cases, we, via video footage or pictures, are able to resolve very quickly any unique problem. KWF Hilger has a good relationship with machine builders like Andritz and Guarneri,” Mrs. Hilger said.
Latest offering
The company has also been focusing on innovative products and solutions. “KWF Hilger in collaboration with RHL have developed a brand new cover called Simtex™ which is being successfully used in textile calendaring machines by leading European textile makers,” Mrs. Hilger revealed. “Simtex™ can withstand a temperature of 250 degrees Celsius, yet at the same time give the shine and griff of a traditional cop cotton roll. Due to its heat resistance, its lifecycle is approximately more than twice than that of a traditional cotton roller. It is also being used for high-speed embossing and glassine paper production,” Mrs. Hilger informed.