New filter makers: investing pays off

The KDF 2NEO is Hauni’s future-proof successor to the world’s best-selling filter machine AF-KDF 2/2ER. Many established solutions offer limited potential for meeting the production requirements of future innovative products. The KDF 2NEO is not only capable of producing all the standard and special filters available on the market today – its modular design also offers the technical features that the market will demand for expansions in the next ten or 15 years.

Money matters

Budget is one of the key factors that manufacturers must consider when deciding whether to invest in a new machine or continue to use existing equipment. “However, the purchase price is not the only issue at stake,” explains Andreas Johannsen, Product Manager Filter Making. “The key question is how quickly the savings from new purchases exceed the initial acquisition costs.” Here, the numbers for the KDF 2NEO are more than respectable: with older filter machines, more than four percent of production is often lost as waste during the manufacturing process – resulting in costs of around EUR 187,500 for a production facility making 1.5 billion sticks per year. Overhauling an older machine to keep it in operation adds a further EUR 280,000 in costs. “Purchasing a new KDF 2NEO eliminates these overhaul costs and reduces waste to less than 1.5 percent, for an annual saving of around EUR 140,000,” explains Johannsen. “It ensures a return on investment within three years – not even including the reduced handling and maintenance costs.”