Specialist in contactless minimal application of liquids and powders on running webs
Weitmann & Konrad GmbH & Co. KG
Leinfelden-Echterdingen · Rosenfeld · Brazil (manufacturing) · Milan · Kingston upon Thames · Spartanburg, SCNew on Amplifa
About WEKO
Weitmann & Konrad GmbH & Co. KG (WEKO), headquartered in Leinfelden-Echterdingen near Stuttgart, is a family-owned company founded in 1953 and specialized in contactless minimal application of liquid and powder-based media on a wide variety of materials. The systems developed and produced in-house – including rotary spray systems (RotaSpray/PS²), powder application systems of the WEKO-AP series and the encapsulated WEKO-ESC system – enable significant savings of fresh water, chemicals and energy in production. Fields of application include printing, paper, film, textiles, nonwovens, tissue and wood fiberboards, as well as the food and hygiene industry. In addition to its headquarters, WEKO operates two manufacturing sites in Germany and Brazil as well as its own sales and service branches in Italy, the UK, the USA and Brazil. At the WEKO-TechnologyCenter, test series, sprayability and material resistance tests are carried out on pilot systems. Since 2021, RotaSpray GmbH has been part of the company.
- Site
- Leinfelden-Echterdingen
- Processes
- Rotary spray application (liquid application / minimal application), Spray dyeing PS² (Pad-Spray-Steam), Pad-Spray-Batch-35 (PSB35) replacement for cold pad batch, Pad-Dry-Pad-Steam (PDPS) continuous dyeing, DENIM slasher dyeing (short flexible dyeing system), Powder application (release agent/protective layer, WEKO-AP series, WEKO-ESC with ionization), Ply bonding / lotion application on tissue (WEKO WaterBond), Application of fragrance, care and additive substances (softener, lotion, balsam, perfume)
- Materials
- Reactive dyes, Vat dyes (VAT), Disperse dyes, Sulfur dyes, Direct dyes, Pigment dyes, Indigo, Glauber's salt
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015 (DIN EN ISO 9001:2015), ISO 9001:2015
- Founded
- 1953
- Industries
- Printing, Paper, Film, Textiles, Nonwovens, Tissue
- 01
Engineering and design
- 02
Manufacturing of the systems (production since 1971 at the rural site)
- 03
Trials at the WEKO-TechnologyCenter
- 04
Assembly and commissioning
- 05
Service, maintenance, retrofit and remote service
Media, Processes and Systems
Rotary spray application (Pad-Spray-Steam)
Contactless application of dyes and auxiliaries, one-sided or two-sided, with adjustable penetration level.
Pad-Dry-Pad-Steam continuous dyeing
Worldwide standard of continuous dyeing with reactive and vat dyes, complemented by WEKO systems.
Pad-Spray-Batch-35
Dwelling process as an alternative to cold pad batch, largely eliminating hydrolysis and substantivity.
Powder application systems (WEKO-AP, WEKO-ESC)
Extremely uniform, repeat-accurate powder application as release agent or protective layer; ESC encapsulated with ionization and extraction.
WEKO WaterBond
Defined application of liquid glue and water for ply bonding of tissue without additional embossing tool.
Additives (WEKO-S1, WEKO-C3, WEKO-RK2, AUCO CALK)
Silicone emulsion, wetting agent, cleaner and descaler for optimal processes with the WEKO systems.
Locations
Leinfelden-Echterdingen (headquarters)
DEHead office, sales, engineering and WEKO-TechnologyCenter
- Materials
- Liquids and powders on paper, film, textiles, tissue
- RotaSpray PS² rotary spray system
- TechnologyCenter pilot system
Leinfelden-Echterdingen (RotaSpray GmbH)
DEEngineering, Sales & Production of Rotating Atomizers
- Materials
- Reactive, vat, disperse, sulfur, direct and pigment dyes, indigo
- RotaSpray PS² / RotaDyer
- DENIM Slasher dyeing system
Rosenfeld (Seewiesen 12)
DEBranch office and manufacturing site (production of WEKO systems since 1971)
- Materials
- System components for powder and liquid application
Manufacturing site Brazil (Santa Catarina)
BRManufacturing as well as sales and service (WEKO América Latina, since 2007)
Kingston upon Thames
GBSales and service branch WEKO UK (since 1979)
Milan
ITSales and service branch WEKO Italia (since 1993)
Spartanburg, SC
USSales and service branch WEKO North America (founded 1997)
Systems and Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotary spray application (liquid application / minimal application)Surface | – | – | – | – | Textiles (woven fabric), Paper/tissue, Film, Nonwovens, Wood fiberboards |
| Spray dyeing PS² (Pad-Spray-Steam)Surface | – | – | – | – | Reactive dyes, Vat dyes, Disperse dyes, Sulfur dyes, Direct dyes, Pigment dyes, Indigo |
| Pad-Spray-Batch-35 (PSB35) replacement for cold pad batchSurface | – | – | – | – | Reactive dyes |
| Pad-Dry-Pad-Steam (PDPS) continuous dyeingSurface | – | – | – | – | Reactive and vat dyes |
| DENIM slasher dyeing (short flexible dyeing system)Surface | – | – | – | – | Indigo, Sulfur, Yarn |
| Powder application (release agent/protective layer, WEKO-AP series, WEKO-ESC with ionization)Surface | – | – | – | – | Powder (release agent, protective layer) |
| Ply bonding / lotion application on tissue (WEKO WaterBond)Joining | – | – | – | – | Tissue/hygiene paper, Water-based adhesive |
| Application of fragrance, care and additive substances (softener, lotion, balsam, perfume)Surface | – | – | – | – | Tissue/hygiene paper |
| Release agent application and controlled moistening in wood fiberboard productionSurface | – | – | – | – | Wood fiberboards (MDF) |
| Test series, sprayability and material resistance tests at the WEKO-TechnologyCenterTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| One-/two-sided dyeing, over-dyeing, multicolor dyeing, effect dyeing (vintage, salt&pepper,Surface | – | – | – | – | Textiles (woven fabric), Polyester |
| Re-moistening before printing/embossing on tissueSurface | – | – | – | – | Tissue/hygiene paper |
7 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotary spray system (RotaSpray / RotaDyer, contactless spray application) | RotaSpray / WEKO RotaSpray PS² / RotaDyer | – | – | – | Leinfelden-Echterdingen |
| Powder application system | WEKO WEKO-AP series | – | Small, medium and large formats, high-speed range | – | – |
| Encapsulated powder application system with ionization and extraction (closed system) | WEKO WEKO-ESC | – | – | – | – |
| Powder application system spray field (offset printing) | WEKO PowderStar AP 500 Duo | – | – | – | – |
| Pilot system (TechnologyCenter) | WEKO | – | – | – | Leinfelden-Echterdingen |
| Rotor (spray rotor) | WEKO Fr0600 | – | – | – | – |
| DENIM Slasher dyeing system (short flexible dyeing) | RotaSpray | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Quality
The quality management system for the development, production, sale and service of electronic devices, humidification systems, powder application systems and electrostatic devices is certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (EQ ZERT).
| Evidence | Leinfelden-Echterdingen | Rosenfeld |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 |
History
- 1951
Development of the first portable dry dusting device as a side business; the WEKO brand name is created
- 1953
Registration of Weitmann & Konrad GmbH & Co. KG in the commercial register (company founding)
- 1954
Premiere of the dry dusting device at drupa
- 1958
Construction of the first own company building in Leinfelden-Echterdingen; 25 employees
- 1971
Relocation of production to a rural site (still exists today); exhibitor at ITMA with yarn break detection and air humidification systems
- 1979
Founding of WEKO UK in Kingston upon Thames (first foreign branch)
- 1992
New building at the headquarters in Leinfelden-Echterdingen
- 1993
Founding of WEKO Italia in Milan; generational change: Carlheinz Weitmann and Marcel Konrad become managing directors
- 1997
Founding of WEKO North America on Long Island, NY; later relocation to Spartanburg, SC
- 2004
Participation in drupa 2004 in Düsseldorf
- 2007
Founding of WEKO América Latina in Santa Catarina (Brazil)
- 2021
Acquisition of RotaSpray by WEKO; bundling of competencies in functional wet finishing equipment, digital printing pretreatment and spray dyeing processes in the textile segment