Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp. has acquired Addex, Inc., a supplier of blown film extrusion equipment.
W&H Corp., based in Lincoln, R.I., is the North American subsidiary of Windmöller & Hölscher Group, a family-owned German supplier of film extrusion lines, printing presses and converting equipment for production of flexible packaging.
Addex will continue to operate independently under its existing name, maintaining its product lines and customer relationships, focused on the U.S. and Canadian markets.
Brad Humbolt, who served as sales director of corporate accounts at W&H Corp., has assumed the role of president from co-founder Bob Cree, who has transitioned into a new role as director of special projects.
Humbolt brings more than 15 years of experience in the flexible packaging industry, having held leadership roles in sales, operations, engineering and capital management.
Addex, based in Newark, N.Y., was founded in 1989 by Cree and Rick von Kraus. In a 2019 interview with PMM, Cree, an aviation enthusiast, described how he and engineering manager Bill Randolph developed the company’s signature Intensive Cooling technology by applying the same science principles that govern airplane wing aerodynamics.
Intensive Cooling directs high-velocity streams of air to create Bernoulli suction forces that pull an extrusion film bubble outward and hold it firmly in place while providing fast cooling. It improves the stability of the bubble and allows manufacturers to work with difficult-to-process films more quickly.
In 2020, Windmöller & Hölscher reached an exclusive agreement with Addex to incorporate the Intensive Cooling technology into some of its blown film extrusion lines.
“I am extremely pleased to entrust my company to W&H, with whom I've had a wonderful relationship for years,” Cree said. “This acquisition represents our succession plan and gives me complete confidence that the business that Rick and I built will continue to flourish well into the future. I look forward to working with Brad.”
“This acquisition reflects Bob’s trust in W&H,” said Andrew Wheeler, president of W&H Corporation. “Addex and W&H have enjoyed a long relationship, and their capabilities are highly complementary to our growing retrofit business. We have great respect for Bob and the technologies Addex has developed.”
Read more
Lynne Sherwin | Managing Editor
Managing editor Lynne Sherwin handles day-to-day operations and coordinates production of Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing’s print magazine, website and social media presence, as well as Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. She also writes features, including the annual machinery buying survey. She has more than 30 years of experience in daily and magazine journalism.
