tesa Plant Hamburg – 50 years of adhesive tapes for the world

What back then started on 4,400 m², today – after several construction phases for production and logistics – covers a building area of 70,000 m². Thus, the output has grown considerably over the years, by a third since 2017 alone. 2,100 different product variants, 1,600 intermediate products, and 900 processed raw materials are currently delivered from the tesa plant in Hamburg (tWHH) to customers in Asia, Europe, and North, Central and South America. "In total, there are 20 diverse product families that are used in manufacturing processes in the automotive, electrical, paper, printing, construction, health and pharmaceutical industries," explains plant manager Marco Bornhöft. And there's more: tesa scores with an enormous innovation rate: "Of 514 products delivered in 2020, about 200 had not even been invented yet in 2015," says Bornhöft. 

Thanks to the large number of adhesive solutions for high-tech applications, the tWHH makes a significant contribution to the profitable growth of the Group. Particular focus is on the Electronics market: The plant supplies special adhesive tapes for well-known manufacturers of smartphones, tablets, cameras, and other devices. Production manager Dr. Kai Filbrandt explains: "The development and manufacture of adhesive tapes for this industry is by far the most challenging part of our everyday life." His colleague Jens Sulzbacher – responsible for safety, quality and material management – adds:  "The project business is becoming ever more complex and, due to short product cycles, ever more fast-paced. That requires constant adjustments to the specifications and wishes of our customers." Adhesive tapes in the electronics segment are used, among other things, for the assembly of camera lenses, touch screens, batteries, acoustic membranes as well as other components. With almost every new device model, the requirements for the tapes also change. 

Heike Maier, Head of Finance, IT and Technical Purchasing, knows why people management works so well at the plant: "We are very team-oriented, have flat hierarchies, hand over responsibilities and involve colleagues wherever we can." Volker Richter, Head of Human Resources at the tWHH, adds:  "Diversity is essential – It allows us to further develop our innovation culture at the plant locations." In times of a shortage of skilled workers, the topic of recruiting undoubtedly is a key issue on the agenda: "Thanks to the good takeover rates among our trainees in five job profiles, we are significantly shaping the generational change." 

The plant has also launched its own trainee model for Production, Process Development and Technology. It is important for the future to place more women in management positions: "With three female team leaders and six male managers in production, we already have a good quota, but we strive to further improve it," explains Richter. Plant Manager Marco Bornhöft goes one step further and declares: "If you wish to get to know and understand tesa, then this is the right place. Thanks to interlinked technologies and networking with the Headquarter, young people enjoy excellent development opportunities here. For many, a career at tesa began at the Hamburg plant."

One person who embodies these values and the long-term loyalty of many employees to the location is Thomas Wulff. He started out at the plant as a machine operator 34 years ago. Today, he is Chairman of the Works Council and knows: "As an interest group, we maintain a very constructive culture with a pronounced willingness to compromise and transparent communication." Despite more automation and digitization, however, no jobs have been cut, assures Wulff. "Driven by significantly increased delivery volumes, the workforce has even grown by a quarter since 2001." If further evidence of a good cooperation were required, Covid-19 would deliver it: So far, the tWHH has tackled the pandemic well and has been able to deliver reliably, even when faced with challenges like increased order volumes, raw material shortages and health management.   

However, today it is time to celebrate the past 50 years. The anniversary event, which was cancelled due to the pandemic, will probably be rescheduled in 2022. And then, maybe a second "round" figure could be celebrated: The tWHH is heading for an all-time record: By the end of 2021, 50 million m² of adhesive tape will probably have left the plant.