Precise Adhesive for Efficient Packaging Lines
Founded in 1984 in the small Swedish town of Hedlunda, Hedlunda Industri AB quickly transformed from a small carpentry workshop into one of Sweden’s leading manufacturers in the furniture industry. Amidst the establishment of a new facility in nearby Lycksele and the expansion of production capacities, the manufacturer of solid wood furniture primarily crafted from typical Swedish pine leverages modern technologies and robotics to streamline operations for maximum efficiency. Despite a focus on automated processes, the company’s workforce has also been growing, with approximately 180 employees currently managing the manufacturing, packaging and shipping of up to 60,000 pieces of furniture every week.
An adhesive for difficult conditions
In pursuit of process optimization, Hedlunda installed three new robot-assisted packaging lines for furniture components in 2023. These lines package around 2.7 million units in paper each year, to prepare them for deliveries across the world. The furniture manufacturer uses a robust kraft liner as packaging material to ensure that the six-sided packages are optimally protected during transport. Due to the virgin fibers, the material provides optimum protection during shipping and can be folded to fit the furniture parts in the package. However, the high strength of the kraft liner can also be a challenge when it comes bonding and automated processing. During automated packaging, completed within fractions of a second, the ends of the strong paper are subjected to high tension and require precise bonding. One of the last steps in the wrapping process, is to fold the paper like an envelope. The adhesive used for bonding must be able to withstand the high restoring forces which result from this folding operation. At the same time, the adhesive must not soil the products or the machinery, which would be unacceptable for the furniture manufacturer—clean and reliable processes are key requirements.
Hedlunda contacted Jowat for assistance to tackle this challenge: “Jowat has been our partner for many years. Our work together extends beyond adhesive solutions for packaging processes and also involves the choice of wood glues for our products. Our contacts at Jowat understand our products and, in particular, how Nordic pine wood has to be treated and packaged,” explains Emil Olofsson, product manager at Hedlunda. “Talking with Per-Anders Lindgren, our contact at Jowat Scandinavia, proved fruitful once again,” he adds.
Jowat swiftly overcame the challenges of the innovative packaging process. The product chosen, Jowat-Toptherm® 851.20, delivers as promised: It demonstrates exceptional performance during extremely short pressing times under high tension and facilitates the clean and accurate application required. The high initial strength of this powerful adhesive prevents the packaging from opening, securely sealing the ends. Due to Jowat’s solution, the new packaging line operates smoothly without delays, yielding optimal results.
Product quality and service
“Our industrial adhesive of the Jowat-Toptherm® range minimizes residues on work surfaces and facilitates precise application without stringing,” emphasizes Per Anders Lindgren, responsible for the project at Jowat. “The high heat resistance which is usually a requirement, was not specifically a condition in this case. However, it is generally an advantage in all packaging processes, considering how high temperatures can get in production facilities,” he further explains. Hedlunda can therefore remain confident that the packaging remains bonded together when potentially shipped to warmer climates.
Jowat impresses with the quality not only of its products. “The prompt and straightforward assistance and advice for our requirements was once again impressive and led directly to a solution,” reports Emil Olofsson, confirming the consistently successful cooperation with the supplier of industrial adhesives.