Rische + Herfurth GmbH

What Rische + Herfurth GmbH does

Rische + Herfurth GmbH is a privately held German manufacturer of industrial film welding and sealing equipment (Folienschweißgeräte), operating under the polystar® Verpackung brand from its Hamburg facility since 1963. The company designs and builds its devices in-house using proprietary Wärmeimpulsverfahren (heat impulse) and Durchlaufverfahren (continuous flow) sealing technologies, with a current portfolio of five core device families — the 240 M Series (lever-arm table welders), 400 SZ (sealing tongs), 260 HSG (hot sealer for PP/aluminum/paper composites), 120 GE (pulse generator/tongs welders for large-format seams), and 400 M Series (magnetic vertical-rail welders for high-volume production). All manufacturing takes place at the Hamburg facility under what the company markets as its Hamburger Qualitätsmanufaktur standard, with warranty coverage of up to three years.

The business generates revenue through three primary streams: direct hardware sales via its e-commerce storefront (polystar-verpackung.de), sale of consumable and replacement parts (welding wires, Teflon bands, heating elements), and recurring maintenance contracts and calibration services. Distribution combines direct online sales, an authorized dealer network (polystar Händler), and a physical showroom in Hamburg for live testing and tailored consultation. Pricing is quote-based rather than publicly listed, and the company now also offers rental alongside purchase options to broaden access for lower-volume users.

Rische + Herfurth serves three principal customer segments: food and beverage companies (notably coffee, tea, and pet food packaging where aroma and freshness preservation matter), the medical and pharmaceutical sector (medical device packaging, Tyvek sealing, and cytostatic drug containment), and general industrial and trade buyers requiring reliable daily-production sealing. The company employs roughly 10 people and is registered as a GmbH (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) under its full legal name Rische + Herfurth GmbH Maschinen- und Apparatebau. There are no disclosed institutional investors, no M&A activity, and no public financial reporting; the company appears to be founder- or family-owned.

Name

Rische + Herfurth GmbH

Legal name

Rische + Herfurth GmbH Maschinen- und Apparatebau

Website

https://polystar-hamburg.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rische + Herfurth GmbH, operating as polystar® Verpackung, is a Hamburg-based German manufacturer founded in 1963 that designs and builds industrial film welding and sealing machines, serving food and beverage, medical and pharmaceutical, and general industrial customers through direct e-commerce, a dealer network, and an in-house showroom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Packaging Machinery

NAICS

Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro primary industry

Capping, Closing & Sealing Equipment (Capper, Induction, Heat Seal) (IMALAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wrapping & Bundling Equipment (Shrink/Stretch) (IMAHAOAD)

Keywords

• Film sealing machines
• Industrial packaging equipment
• Foil welding devices
• Heat sealing machinery
• Packaging manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Folienschweißgeräte (Film Welding Machines): Sale of industrial sealing equipment including lever arm devices, sealing pliers, heat sealing devices, and magnetic film welding machines. Products are sold directly through the e-commerce platform and via dealer network.
2. Verschleiß- und Ersatzteile (Spare Parts): Sale of consumables and replacement parts including welding wires (Schweißdrähte), Teflon bands (Teflonbänder), heating elements (Heizelemente), and mechanical spare parts. Parts are kept in permanent stock for rapid delivery.
3. Wartungsverträge (Maintenance Contracts): Recurring revenue from maintenance agreements and calibration services ensuring ongoing safe and reproducible processes for customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rische + Herfurth GmbH manufactures and sells polystar® brand film welding and sealing machines (Folienschweißgeräte) from its Hamburg facility. The product line covers lever-arm table devices, sealing tongs, hot sealing units for composite foils, pulse generators for long seams, and magnetic vertical-rail machines for high-volume production. The company also supplies spare/wear parts (welding wires, Teflon bands, heating elements) and recurring services including maintenance contracts, calibration boxes, and purchase/rental options.

Product overview

Rische + Herfurth GmbH operates under the polystar® brand as a Hamburg-based manufacturer of foil welding and sealing equipment. The product portfolio centers on five core device families: the polystar® 240 M Series (table foil welding devices with holding magnets for lever-arm operation), the polystar® 400 SZ (sealing tongs for composite foils), the polystar® 260 HSG (hot sealing devices for PP, aluminum, and paper composites), the polystar® 120 GE (pulse generator/tongs welding devices for continuous large-format seams), and the polystar® 400 M Series (magnet foil welding devices with vertical rails and foot switch for high-volume production). The company also offers complementary services including maintenance contracts, calibration boxes, purchase and rental options, and supplies spare parts such as welding wires, Teflon bands, and heating elements. All products are manufactured in-house at the Hamburg Quality Manufaktur with up to 3-year warranties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• polystar® 240 M Serie (Tisch-Folienschweißgerät mit Haltemagnet) Table-top foil welding device with holding magnet and lever-arm operation, designed for quick packaging tasks producing secure sealed seams.
• polystar® 400 SZ (Siegelzange) Safety-focused sealing tongs for simple and secure sealing of composite foils.
• polystar® 260 HSG (Heißsiegelgerät für Verbundfolien) Compact hot sealing device for sealing bags made from PP, aluminum, and paper composite materials.
• polystar® 120 GE (Impulsgeber/Zangenschweißgerät) Pulse generator and tongs welding device for producing continuous long sealing seams for large-format products.
• polystar® 400 M Serie (Magnet-Folienschweißgerät mit vertikalen Schweißschienen) Magnetic foil welding device with vertical sealing rails and foot switch activation, built for high-volume production runs.
• Wartungsverträge (Maintenance Contracts) and Calibration Services Recurring maintenance agreements and calibration services ensuring ongoing safe and reproducible sealing processes, plus calibration boxes for in-house checks.
• Purchase and Rental Options for Foil Welding Machines Flexible acquisition programs allowing customers to either buy polystar® film welding machines or rent them based on operational needs.
• Verschleiß- und Ersatzteile (Spare and Wear Parts) Consumables and replacement parts including welding wires (Schweißdrähte), Teflon bands (Teflonbänder), heating elements (Heizelemente), and mechanical spare parts held in permanent stock for rapid delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 3 years warranty coverage
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ilpra: Italian manufacturer of packaging machinery including tray sealers, fillers, and heat-sealing equipment, competing with polystar across food, medical, and industrial customer segments in Europe.
• Kopp Verpackungsmaschinen: German specialist in heat-sealing and packaging equipment, closely comparable to polystar in product type, German mid-market positioning, and customer base across food, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications.
• Sealpac International: German-based specialist in tray-sealing and packaging equipment for food, medical, and industrial applications, with a direct product overlap in heat-sealing technology and a similar German manufacturing quality positioning.
• Audion Elektro: Dutch manufacturer of heat-sealing and packaging machines, including impulse sealers and continuous-band sealers, with a comparable product portfolio to polystar across food, medical, and industrial packaging applications.

Broad incumbents

• MULTIVAC: One of the world's largest packaging machinery manufacturers, offering integrated tray-sealing, vacuum, and labeling lines that overlap with polystar's film-sealing niche in food, medical, and industrial end-markets.
• ULMA Packaging: Spanish manufacturer of packaging machinery including flow-wrap, thermoforming, and sealing systems for food, medical, and industrial customers, competing with polystar in regulated European end-markets.
• ProMach: US-based packaging machinery conglomerate with multiple subsidiaries in flexible packaging, sealing, and end-of-line solutions, competing indirectly through integrated offerings that subsume standalone film-sealing equipment.
• Robert Bosch Packaging Technology: Global packaging machinery division of Bosch, offering integrated solutions for food, pharma, and industrial packaging that compete with polystar through full-line, digitally-enabled systems rather than standalone sealers.

Emerging players

• Strapack / Strapex: European packaging equipment manufacturer focused on strapping, bundling, and sealing solutions, with partial overlap to polystar's heat-sealing portfolio in industrial and shipping packaging applications.

Regional players

• Haver & Boecker: German family-owned industrial machinery group with packaging and filling equipment divisions, comparable to polystar as a mid-sized German specialty manufacturer serving regulated European end-markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@polystarHamburg
• Facebookfacebook.com/61563979111036
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rische-herfurth-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rische + Herfurth GmbH