Case Study: Hansa-Flex

Founded in 1962, Hansa-Flex is a global manufacturing leader that specializes in the production and assembly of hydraulic hose assemblies. Their US subsidiary, founded in 2007, is comprised of 60 employees, operating in 6 locations, servicing over 2,000 customers. When an OEM partner of theirs needed a way to bundle hoses more efficiently, as the current method of using shrink wrap and zip ties was not ideal, Hansa-Flex understood the problems and set out to find an innovative solution

need for speed (And results)

The company found Felins through extensive online research and gave them a call. A sample hose was quickly shipped to Felins where the Felins team tested the sample through the Offset PakTyer system. An HD video and professional photos of the customer’s finished product was sent back to the team at Hansa-Flex.

After verifying the results with their end user, Hansa-Flex was ready to proceed. “The decision was made quickly due to Felins responsiveness,” says Hansa-Flex CEO, Mark Paxton. “It’s not too often that you send a sample to a company and they send it back with a video and quote within a day or so. The speed and results sealed the deal.”

the outcome

From start to implementation, the project moved quickly. The Hansa-Flex operations team worked together with the Felins team as they moved through the start-up. With a few tweaks to the machine tension settings, they were up and running and able to utilize the machine immediately in their production facility. The Felins system simplified their bundling process for their operators, they can now easily bundle, tie, and move the unit down the production line.

“The biggest benefit moving from zip ties has been the elimination of cutting the extra zip tie material with a box cutter. It [tying] is safer to process the volume of hoses and reduces potential cut accidents to employee hands or scrappage due to cutting hoses on accident,” explains Mark. “The system has also improved the quality of our bundling process. It provides a tough restraint for shipping and storage but, with enough effort, can be removed without cutting tools or with simple diagonal pliers with low effort, which is important to our OEM partner that uses the hose in a production line setting. They want to grab the hose, cut the tie and install as quickly as possible.” There was also an additional benefit that set their product apart, “It is visually appealing due to the consistency of the tying... the ties line up straight and the results look great.”

Hansa-Flex is world-renowned for their quality products and robust hydraulic equipment. Many companies struggle to implement change when needed but Hansa-Flex adapted quickly to solve their client’s needs. Their drive to keep their promises to their clients and deliver innovative products has contributed to their credibility, building a strong reputation in the industry as a reliable and responsible partner. Felins continues to supply the consumable materials and support, when needed, for their system. Mark looks back on the journey, “The Felins system and experience have been incredible. From initial contact to utilization... Felins is a great partner, responsive and makes a great elastic tying system. They were conservative in their sales approach and insisted on testing their machine for our use case and quickly validated that it would work for us in our application. I can confidently say that it definitely works, it’s fast, and has been an important addition to our assembly line.”

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