HUHNSEAL
THE SEAL OF QUALITY AND INNOVATION
Powered by Inside Sustainability
inside-SUSTAINABILITY.com
HUHNSEAL
I PROFILE
Sweden’s Huhnseal AB designs and manufactures a wide range of mechanical seals for a variety of industries, offering both standard and bespoke seals to its customers worldwide. The company is focused on producing a high-end product that routinely solves engineering problems that standard products available from competitors cannot, ultimately making Huhnseal a leader in the segment across multiple industries in all major markets. Richard Hagan sealed the deal with CEO Daniele Ficorilli. uhnseal traces its origins back to
H
(owner by Trelleborg Group). Gustav Huhn
1901 in Berlin when Gustav Huhn
AB, as it was then known, developed
set up a business manufacturing
a formidable reputation as a market leader
ground-breaking packings for steam
in the mechanical seal industry, especially
locomotive pistons. At the time, it was
in the shaft seal and water turbine markets.
one of the first companies producing sealing technologies. During World War 2, the company moved
High-end products In 1983, Göran Anderberg bought
to Sweden where, after initially settling in
the rights to Gustav Huhn AB from Stefa
Stockholm, it later moved to Landskrona
and created Huhnseal AB. Mr Anderberg’s
following a partial acquisition by Stefa
subsequent efforts successfully established
198 Inside sustainability
Huhnseal’s reputation for producing
the Meccanotecnica Umbra Group. Hailing
high-end products for niche markets.
from Italy, the Meccanotecnica Umbra
Consequently, this family-owned business
Group is a world leader in automotive and
became successful despite its position
white goods mechanical sealing systems.
amongst much bigger competitors,
The Meccanotecnica Umbra
thanks primarily to its unique product
Group helped transform Huhnseal into
offering and the flexibility of its
a truly international player, establishing
engineering capabilities.
operations for Huhnseal in multiple new
A major milestone for the company arrived in 2008, when Huhnseal AB was acquired by
geographic regions including the US and Germany, with more to come.
Inside sustainability 199
HUHNSEAL
I PROFILE
typing stage to producing the final mechanical seal. In addition to its Landskrona HQ, Huhnseal has an engineering and R&D lab in India staffed by ten people, and a six-person production facility in Germany. Its sales teams are similarly global, with sales offices located in China, Italy, Brazil and the north of Sweden. It also has a US sales
Global engineering facilities
office: however, Huhnseal has firm plans
Huhnseal’s primary facility and its head-
to substantially expand its US presence
quarters remain in Landskrona, Sweden,
to include production facilities.
where it employs approximately 100 people, including sales staff, customer service
Serving the world’s OEMs
teams, procurement, engineering, R&D and
Huhnseal’s primary customers are major
production staff. This facility is equipped to
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
handle the full range of Huhnseal’s produc-
worldwide, for whom it provides a range
tion needs, boasting equipment that
of bespoke mechanical seal solutions.
includes CNC machining plants, assembly
“We work with customers in food and
works and a test lab. This capability allows
beverage, pulp and paper, mining, refrig-
Huhnseal to complete the full production
eration, chemicals, oil & gas, and various
cycle of a product in-house, from the proto-
process industries,” CEO Daniele Ficorilli
200 Inside sustainability
explained. “We also partner with big OEMs
products for niche markets, we’ve duplicated
and offer all of the aftermarket exclusivity,
it into other countries, whilst also diversifying
branding, etc that we can, in order to make
our products and our markets. This process
the partnership with them a win-win deal.”
has definitely made us more attractive to
The company’s strategically growing inter-
the big international companies.”
national footprint ensures that Huhnseal is now able to effectively service its customers
Feeding food & beverage
24 hours a day across all time zones, regard-
Huhnseal’s most active market is the food
less of their location. “To be attractive to the
and beverage industry, which currently
big international companies, we needed to
occupies the lion’s share of Huhnseal’s
be more international,” Mr Ficorilli affirmed.
production, and for good reason. “We
“While we’ve kept the original Swedish
have unique solutions for this industry,
Huhnseal mindset of producing high-end
with some exciting, patented solutions
Inside sustainability 201
HUHNSEAL
I PROFILE
that make for very hygienic equipment
Huhnseal also offers a performing crys-
that’s also convenient to work with
talline diamond crystal coating treatment
because it can be cleaned without the
that it uses in some products. This coating
need for disassembly,” Mr Ficorilli said.
minimises friction while reducing, or
“Our seal is designed to be easily clean-
even entirely eliminating, the need for
able, t therefore making the end user’s
cooling water.
process easier too because their cleaning process can be done without any need for
Drilling into unique solutions
disassembly of their equipment.”
Finding unique solutions is a core part of what has made Huhnseal so successful for over a century, as Mr Ficorilli revealed: “We have had many examples of cases in which we’ve been brought in to solve problems that others have failed to address; for example, regarding failed or leaking seals. A client will come to us, and we solve the problem, all the while extending the service life of their equipment. “Our problem-solving approach is what
Huhnseal CEO, Daniele Ficorilli
we sell ourselves on. For example, the oil industry came to us seeking a solution for
202 Inside sustainability
a pump in a drilling rig. Using the seal that
sensitivity in some segments. So our chal-
we subsequently developed, they are now
lenge now is to be more cost-competitive
able to run at higher pressure and drill at
and more efficient while reducing
deeper depths, allowing for exploration of
production costs.”
new areas.” He added that Huhnseal’s spirit of
In closing, Mr Ficorilli highlighted his love for the company: “It’s a very dynamic
innovation is what will drive the company
world and it’s one in which I never stop
towards its next centenary of operations.
learning, because our product is complex.
“We need to constantly innovate in order
That’s what makes it so interesting
to be in the frontline of the next technology
for me. And in my experience, the more
or solution. Meanwhile, the mechanical
I know about our product, the more moti-
seal industry is becoming more crowded,
vated I become to get more involved in
with more competition and increased price
the business.”
n
Inside sustainability 203