Posted September 29, 2015

 

By Devin Steele (DSteele@eTextileCommunications.com)

 

FOUNTAIN INN, S.C. – Starlinger-Sahm opened the doors to its new North American headquarters for customers in grand style here last week.

 

The family-owned, Austria-based company welcomed nearly 150 guests from 65 companies in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Brazil and other countries for two days of activities and festivities at the 23,000-square-foot facility. They were able to view a machine exhibition area, a spare parts warehouse and office space. They also heard presentations from division experts and were treated to American and Viennese cuisine, along with a spectacular fireworks show and live music from the legendary Embers and a local polka band.

 

American Starlinger-Sahm’s 21 employees moved into the state-of-the-art building in June.

 

Representatives of the S.C. Dept. of Commerce as well as state and local dignitaries were on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

 

Broadly, the company manufactures machinery for packaging, consumer bags, recycling and winding.

 

In explaining how the company reached this point in its history, American Starlinger-Sahm President Jimmy Cranford first noted that the Starlinger and Sahm are steeped in rich histories. Vienna-based Starlinger, which is 180 years old, bought Germany-based Georg Sahm GmbH & Co. in 2002 and integrated it into its operations as a 100 percent subsidiary, he said. Sahm recently celebrated its 70th year in business.

 

Later, Alfred Rak, vice president of American Starlinger-Sahm, said build such a state-of-the-art facility was an important step for the company.

 

“To open such a nice building, first of all you need a market and, no doubt, we have one,” he said. “North America is a huge market – 600 million or so people. Secondly, you need a product, which we have. And third, you need technology that attracts people to buy it. We have those three elements, and the one thing that completes the equation is you, the customer. You continue to buy our machines and support us, and we thank you very much for doing so.”

 

Later, Managing Partner Angelika Huemer reiterated the importance of the North American market for Starlinger-Sahm prior to the ribbon cutting.

 

“In past years we witnessed a continuous rise in the demand of our machinery on the North American market,” she said. “Our subsidiary Sahm already has a long-established presence as a supplier of winding technology to the American textile sector, and with the growing plastics recycling industry, Starlinger recycling lines are experiencing strong demand.”

 

Huemer added that she sees great potential in the woven plastic packaging sector, especially with the new technology for PET tape fabric the company recently developed.

 

“For Starlinger, the opening of our new headquarters in Fountain Inn is one further step into a promising future in the American market,” she said.

 

Over the summer, a full range of machinery was installed in the new facility, including equipment for Starlinger textile packaging, Starlinger recycling technology, Starlinger viscotec and Sahm winding. In the new showroom visitors could see the latest Sahm winder models, a recoSTAR universal recycling line and a viscoSHEET PET sheet line in operation. They are available to its customers for demonstration runs and trials.

“We can now present the newest technology from Starlinger and Sahm in the United States to our existing and potential customers,” Cranford said. “This includes the latest innovations in food grade PET sheet production from recycled products, as well as recycling, textile packaging and Sahm winding technology. During the open house we already took bookings for a number of trials.”
 

One of the guests of the event, Mark McNeill, president of technology and business development for Unifi, Inc., Greensboro, N.C., called the event “unmatchable.”

 

“It sends a strong message to not only the American market but to the global market,” he said. “Though we already have four recycling plants from Starlinger we are taking this as an opportunity to explore new technology of the company. The new showroom provides a great possibility to test new technology here in America.”