GKD – Gebr. Kufferath AG and BHS Corrugated Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH will work more closely together in the future. The two German companies, each market leader in their area, have been collaborating successfully for over 20 years. This cooperation is now expanding to the Doublebacker section, creating a new level of service for customers in the corrugated board industry.

GKD develops and produces process belts made of metal mesh, synthetic mesh, and spiral mesh. BHS Corrugated Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH is the leading solution provider in the corrugated board industry. With the development and market launch of the BLUEBACKER corrugator belt at the end of 2019, GKD once again proved its expertise as a leader in innovative solutions made of metal mesh, synthetic mesh, and spiral mesh. Various belt types are available for drying and steam evaporation of corrugated board. Each base material – whether spiral belts, needle felt, or corrugator belts made from heavy mesh – has its own specific advantages and disadvantages. GKD’s next move was to create a corrugator belt for Double Facers – one that combines the best features of different belt types and removes their drawbacks. This was successfully achieved with the BLUEBACKER. Thanks to its outstanding performance, the BLUEBACKER was presented with the German Innovation Award 2023.

From now on, the Düren-based innovation leader will be an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for new and existing Double Facers from BHS Corrugated, supplying the BLUEBACKER as upper and lower belt. Customers can buy the belts from BHS Corrugated on a price-per-meter basis or by the unit. It is also possible to purchase the BLUEBACKER directly from GKD.

Dominik Braun, Key Market Manager Corrugated & Pulp for Paper at the GKD Group, says, “the expanded partnership is advancing the corrugated board industry. Together with BHS Corrugated, we are creating a unique model that better attunes the belt to the machine, and offers the end customer optimized performance.”

Dr. Stephan Kufferath, Board Member of the GKD Group, says, “GKD and BHS Corrugated are already united by a very strong cooperation built up over many years, which the industry values highly as a guarantee of supply and production reliability. This new level in our partnership provides us with excellent opportunities to further expand our market shares in the corrugated board segment. The fact that a leading industry solution provider like BHS Corrugated has opted for the BLUEBACKER confirms our performance as innovators in the field of process belts.“