World’s Largest Tinplate Plant: A Visit to ThyssenKrupp Rasselstein
Within the framework of the DAAD-funded PACK IT mobility program, students from Ukraine participated in a series of visits to German industrial enterprises together with students from the Department of Packaging and Management at Berlin University of Applied Sciences (BHT). The program brought together students from Ukraine and Germany and provided a shared learning context in which packaging was explored across different stages of development, production, and automation. Within this frameowork students visited ThyssenKrupp Rasselstein, gaining firsthand insight into large-scale industrial metal production and its significance in modern packaging.
The panoramic views of Koblenz from the historic hostel within the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress provided on December 8 a motivating atmosphere for the day’s industrial program.
The visit aimed to deepen students’ understanding of metal packaging systems, illustrating how industrial efficiency, sustainability and technological expertise converge in a contemporary production environment.
Since its founding in 1760, ThyssenKrupp Rasselstein has been a cornerstone of the metal packaging industry. Today, the plan produces approximately 1.5 million tons of tinplate annually and supplies customers worldwide across a wide range of industrial sectors. A technical presentation provided insight into key production stages, including the varnishing and laminating of steel sheets. Particular attention was drawn to the efficiency of modern coating technologies, which allow layers to dry in just ten minutes at temperatures of around 210 °C. Massive steel coils are handled throughout the facility by highly automated systems and heavy-duty logistics, ensuring a safe and continuous workflow.
A significant focus of the visit was the material’s environmental impact. Tinplate is nearly 100 % recyclable without any loss of quality, making it a model for circular economy. For instance, a food can produced today can eventually be recycled into an entirely different product, such as an automotive component. This level of material efficiency demonstrates how industrial-scale production can align with long-term environmental responsibility.
The educational component of the visit was further strengthened through interactive tasks. By constructing paper models of cans, participants were able to better understand the structural, material, and engineering challenges behind seemingly simple packaging solutions. This hands-on experience complemented the industrial tour and highlighted the complexity, creativity, and technical precision involved in everyday packaging design.
The highlight of the visit was the tour of the production floor. Equipped with safety gear, the group walked through vast production halls and observed etching lines and coating units in active operation. The sheer scale of the processes offered a vivid illustration of industrial precision. A unique detail noted during the tout was the well-known “Zebra” and “Cow” forklifts, whose distinctive designs add a recognizable character to the facility and reflect the company’s unique workplace culture.
The program concluded with lunch in the company’s historic canteen, providing an informal setting for professional exchange. Discussions with industry experts focused on career paths, current sector challenges , and the essential skills required for future engineers. This exchange added a valuable human dimension to the technical and educational visit.
Special appreciation is extended to Manuel Köhl and Vanessa Sonntag for their insightful presentation of the company’s operations, as well as to Prof. Stefan Junge and the ThyssenKrupp Rasselstein team for organizing and supporting this visit.
Educational Visit to Ardagh Group in Germany: Experience and Insights within the PACK IT Program
Another key excursions within this program was a visit to Ardagh Group, a global leader in sustainable metal and glass packaging.
Students visited the Ardagh Group production facilities in Germany, where they attended expert presentations and explored the manufacturing environment firsthand. The visit successfully combined theoretical insights with practical observation, allowing students to gain a deeper understanding of how a modern industrial enterprise operates. Overall, the excursion proved to be highly informative and left a strong positive impression.
The main purpose of the visit was to become familiar with the activities of Ardagh Group, its organizational structure, key customers, production processes, and innovative technological solutions. As a result, students developed a comprehensive understanding of how a large international company functions and the important role it plays within the global packaging industry.
Ardagh Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of metal packaging for beverages and food products. The company collaborates with numerous well-known international brands and operates extensive production facilities across multiple countries, which underscores its strong position and global relevance within the packaging market.
Weig Groups Recycled Cardboard Production: Sustainability in Action
As part of the DAAD-founded PACK IT mobility program, a student’s group visit a modern industrial facility specializing in the production of cardboard made from recycled materials. The Weig Group is among the leading manufacturers in Europe in the field of recycled cardboard and environmentally responsible packaging solutions.
The visit opened with a presentation detailing the company’s history, their key stages of development, and its significant role within the European recycling industry. Founded in Germany in 1931, the company has steadily expanded its production capacities over the decades, continuously adapting to evolving technological standards and growing environmental demands. The company’s mission centers on the efficient use of secondary raw materials, proving that long-term industrial experience and modern technology can successfully coexist to meet today’s packaging challenges. Furthermore, the company illustrates how long-term industrial experience is combined with modern recycling technologies to support circular economic principles and meet the challenges of today’s packaging industry.
The visit emphasized the company’s deep commitment to environmental protection and its strict compliance with international quality and safety standards. The company actively implements energy-efficient technologies, closed-loop water recycling systems, and comprehensive waste reduction measures across its production processes. In addition, continuous monitoring and quality control systems ensure that environmental targets are met without compromising operational efficiency.
These practices significantly reduce the environmental footprint of production while maintaining stable output levels and consistently high product reliability. By integrating sustainability into everyday industrial operations, the company demonstrates how recycled cardboard manufacturing can successfully balance environmental responsibility with economic performance and technological efficiency.
During the guided tour, the students observed the complete technological process of recycled cardboard production. At first waste paper from various sources is sorted and fed into pulping units. Here, it is mixed with water and mechanically processed to separate the fibers into a homogeneous pulp. The pulp undergoes rigorous cleaning stages. Advanced screening, filtration, and flotation technologies are used to remove impurities such as plastics, metals and printing inks. The cleaned pulp is distributed onto moving forming screens in the paper machine to create a uniform cardboards sheet. It then passes through pressing sections to remove excess moisture and establish the necessary density, strength and mechanical stability. The formed cardboard travels through multiple heated cylinders in the drying section. Once the desired moisture level is reached, surface treatments and smoothing are applied before the final product is cut into sheets or wound into massive rolls. Quality control procedures are integrated throughout the entire production process to ensure compliance with technical, safety, and performance standards.
Overall, the visit provided a practical understanding of how large-scale recycling serves as a pillar for environmental protection and resource efficiency. By observing these advanced systems in real-time, students gained a deeper appreciation for recycled materials as a high-performance component of the circular economy. The experience underscored the responsibility of future engineers and specialists to champion innovative, environmentally conscious industrial practices.
Inside Edelmann: A Full Packaging Journey – PACK IT Mobility Project
As part of this framework, the visit to Edelmann Group demonstrated how premium packaging is understood not simply as a “box,” but as an integrated product shaped by design, structural engineering, printing technologies, quality control, and industrial processes.
The visit began with an introductory presentation about the Edelmann Group, focusing on how the company collaborates with clients and delivers tailor-made solutions for a wide range of brands. Particular emphasis was placed on process consistency and repeatability, ensuring that an approved concept can be reliably reproduced at an industrial scale without compromising quality.
Following the introduction, we explored a broad selection of packaging samples and materials. We examined different structural formats, including solutions with inserts and inlays, and reviewed multiple finishing options such as embossing/debossing, special varnishes, metallic effects, foil stamping, and a wide range of color variations. Color and finishing swatches helped demonstrate how visual and tactile effects are selected and standardized for premium products.
The most valuable part of the experience was observing the production workflow in a real manufacturing environment, from early development through to production readiness. The tour illustrated the complete end-to-end process: structural packaging design (including dielines, folds, tolerances, and custom geometries), prototyping and testing (assembly checks, product fit, durability, and opening/closing functionality), graphic design preparation and prepress stages, and finally sample approval as a formal quality checkpoint prior to industrial production.
During the plant tour, we observed a range of machines used for embossing and specialty effects, metallic finishing, and various printing technologies. We also learned how internal logistics supports production efficiency through the coordinated transport and handling of semi-finished products between different production areas. A particularly interesting stage was the in-house development of custom stencils and cutting dies within a dedicated department, enabling precise and repeatable cutting and forming of non-standard packaging shapes.
Overall, The Packaging Experience demonstrated that packaging is the result of a controlled and methodical process in which design and technology evolve together. Prototyping, approval stages, and tooling—such as dies, stencils, and cutting forms—play a critical role in transforming concepts into stable, high-quality mass production.
Educational Visit to MUHR & SÖHNE GmbH & Co. KG: Industrial Manufacturing in Practice
As part of the DAAD-funded PACK IT Project a visit to MUHR & SÖHNE GmbH & Co. KG in Ohrdruf, Germany was organized. It aimed to provide students with valuable insight into specialized metal packaging solutions designed for demanding industrial applications and regulated goods.
MUHR & SÖHNE GmbH & Co. KG is a leader in producing metal packaging for dangerous goods, serving the chemical, pharmaceutical, and oil industries. Their portfolio includes containers ranging from 1 to 250 liters, featuring advanced sealing systems designed for the safe storage and transport of hazardous materials in compliance with international regulations.
During the visit, Technical Director Roland Scheele provided a detailed overview, outlining the company’s profile, core business areas, production capabilities, and extensive product range. The presentation emphasised how technical precision and innovative engineering are combined to meet the rigorous safety and certification standards required for the global transport of hazardous substances.
Following the presentation, the company's staff organized a guided tour of the production facilities. During the tour, students observed the coordination of modern production lines where efficiency meets precision.
MUHR & SÖHNE’s industrial operations are driven by a highly qualified workforce, a high degree of automation, and the continuous implementation of innovative technologies. A standout development presented was the production of steel cartridges for silicone, acrylics, and sealants. Unlike conventional packaging these metal cartridges offer superior mechanical strength, reliable sealing, and full recyclabilit. This shift highlights how metal packaging supports circular economy principles while meeting the rigorous technical and safety requirements of industrial applications.
A focal point of the tour was the use of advanced plasma and laser welding technologies, which ensure the absolute airtightness of steel cartridge seams. These metal containers are capable of withstanding significantly higher internal pressures than traditional plastic packaging, a critical requirement for high-viscosity sealants and chemically aggressive substances.
For Students specializing in Packaging, Automation, and Software Engineering, the visit provided a practical look at the synergy between different technical disciplines. The students observed automated leak-testing systems where each product is checked using compressed air and high-precision sensors. This ensures full compliance with UN international standards for handling dangerous goods. At the same time , students specialising in IT and Automation gained valuable insights into how Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software synchronises raw material supply chains with robotic production units. This digital framework enables real-time monitoring; minimises scrap waste and optimises energy consumption across the plant.
Beyond technical performance, the adoption of steel packaging is a key component of a broader global strategy for sustainable development. Because steel can be recycled indefinitely without losing its physical properties, transitioning from single-use plastics to metal cartridges significantly reduces the carbon footprint of the chemical and construction industries.
The experience provided a comprehensive understanding of how material selection, structural design, and digital automation intersect. It successfully demonstrated how packaging engineering, digitalization, and automation are integrated to create efficient, safe, and environmentally responsible industrial systems.
Industrial Excursion to Storck: From Family Tradition to Global Confectionery Leader
Storck is a global leader in the confectionery market with over 100 years of history. It is famous for iconic brands including Mamba, Merci, Toffifee, Nimm2, Werther’s Original, Knoppers, and Ice Fresh. The within the PACK IT project the students got introduced to the company’s production environment as well as it’s roll in the global confectionery industry.
The company emphasises product quality, continuous innovation in confectionery technologies, and responsible business practices that support both customer satisfaction and sustainable growth. This visit provided valuable insight into modern production processes, demonstrating how Storck successfully integrates tradition, technological advancement, and effective management on a global scale.
The visit began with an engaging presentation on Storck‘s history, mission, and core values. Founded in Germany in 1903, the company has evolved into a multinational enterprise present in more than 100 countries worldwide. Beyond its famous brands, Storck is recognized for its rigorous focus on research and development, ensuring every product meets the highest standards for taste, texture, and food safety.
A given presentation highlighted Storck’s careful selection of raw materials, including high-quality sugar, cocoa, and natural flavorings. The company’s approach to innovation was showcased through its development of sugar-reduced products, new flavor combinations, and the ongoing development of environmentally friendly and resource-efficient packaging solutions. These efforts demonstrate how Storck combines long-standing tradition with modern, technology and sustainability-driven strategies.
The most exciting part of the visit was a tour of Storck’s production facilities, where modern confectionery manufacturing could be observed in real time. Particular attention was given to the complete production process of Knoppers. The tour demonstrated how crispy wafer layers are prepared, followed by the precise addition of milk and caramel fillings, and completed with a uniform chocolate coating. Each production stage is continuously monitored using advanced machinery and control systems to ensure consistent quality, texture, and taste.
In addition to production, the packaging processes played an important role during the visit. The packaging line for Merci chocolates illustrated how finished products are individually wrapped and carefully arranged in branded boxes. Highly automated systems control positioning, sequencing, and visual quality, ensuring both product protection and an attractive final appearance. This part of the visit clearly highlighted the close interaction between product design, packaging technology, and brand presentation in the confectionery industry.
Storck’s comprehensive approach to quality assurance was a recurring theme throughout the visit. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to evaluate taste, texture, and visual appearance. Automated monitoring systems continuously control critical parameters such as temperature, mixing duration, and coating thickness, while trained specialists regularly conduct sensory evaluations. In addition, strict hygiene protocols and safety standards are applied throughout all production stages to ensure full compliance with international food safety regulations.
Sustainability is a core pillar of Storck’s operations. The company actively works to reduce energy consumption, minimize production waste, and increase the use of recyclable and resource-efficient packaging materials. These initiatives demonstrate how confectionery production can successfully integrate long-standing tradition with innovation and environmental responsibility.
Overall, the visit provided valuable insight into the complexity of modern confectionery manufacturing—from raw material sourcing and recipe development to high-tech production and advanced quality control systems. It underscored the importance of combining creativity, technological expertise, and sustainability to create products appreciated worldwide. The experience offered a deeper insight into the future of food industry and the ongoing opportunities for innovation in the field.
