It is a niche product. In the truest sense of the word. Because it belongs in the gap between the window and the masonry, where it effectively ensures that cold and moisture stay out and heat stays in. Hannoband®" is also used in other gaps, and its brand name has become a common name for 接缝密封胶带 on many construction sites, similar to Tempo for paper handkerchiefs. "In Germany, we are one of the three leading manufacturers," says Günter Krohn, Managing Director of Hanno Werk GmbH & Co. KG.

With its sealing tapes, sealants and sound insulation, which are used not only in building construction and drywall construction but also in industry, the company from the Hanover region has grown steadily in recent years. Most recently, especially in the building sector, where Hanno has benefited from both the trend towards ever better insulated buildings and the general building boom. Today, the company employs almost 200 people in the Gleidingen district of Laatzen. In spring 2020, HANNO will celebrate its 125th anniversary.

It all started with felt. First in Hanover, then the felt production moved to Gleidingen. Later, the company concentrated on finishing and manufacturing foams for sealing tapes and the industrial business. HANNO does not market the majority of its sealing tapes under its own name, but in the private label business.

In the 1990s, the new housing estates grew so close to the company that HANNO was forced to open a new site near the Bundesstraße 6. Gradually, parts of the company moved there. From 1996 to 2014, there were two locations, a few hundred metres apart. "That was extremely unfortunate," remembers Markus Fehrmann, authorised signatory and sales manager for building products at HANNO. There was constant shuttle traffic; the work preparation department, for example, did not even sit at the production site. And at some point, the 40-tonne trucks in the residential area were no longer acceptable to the residents.

In several expansion stages, HANNO moved more and more to the new location. About 40 million euros have been invested in this in recent years. This year alone, 5 million euros were invested in a new hall, another impregnation unit and a technical centre, which will be completed in the next few days. In the laboratory, employees are constantly researching improvements to the products, which essentially consist of foam, impregnate and adhesive. For example, HANNO developed the patented multifunctional tape years ago, "which seals connection joints in window construction airtight and driving rain-proof through the combination of impregnated foams and membranes", as managing director Günter Krohn explains.

Core competence: finishing
Since almost all products are self-adhesive, the company has been producing the adhesive itself since the 1990s. The sealing tapes from Laatzen are used not only in passive and well-insulated single-family homes, but also in modern high-rise buildings and commercial and administrative buildings all over the world.

With its products, HANNO can also reduce sound and noise, for example in the automotive sector, in trams or even washing machines. "One of our products is used in the new trams in Hanover, for example, both for thermal insulation and for a pleasant ride, because it ensures that no components vibrate or loud noises penetrate into the interior," says Krohn.

HANNO is still privately owned and belongs to the HANNO-VITO Group together with HANNO Austria and the company Vito-Irmen from Remagen. The Austrians produce, among other things, sealing compounds such as silicone under the HANNO brand. The colleagues from Remagen produce self-adhesive technology. All have the same shareholders. "The larger investments and long-term strategies are coordinated in an advisory board."

The group of companies recently achieved an annual turnover in the higher double-digit million range, about half of which comes from Laatzen. And the result? "We are posting healthy positive figures and can therefore reinvest," says Krohn. Meanwhile, HANNO generates about two-thirds of its turnover in the construction sector and about one-third in industry. "Twenty years ago the ratio was different," remembers Markus Fehrmann, who has been with the company for 27 years. Besides the construction boom, he says, the expansion of the export business contributed to growth. The most important product category for HANNO is接缝密封胶带 and multifunctional tapes. The demand for these is so high that employees in many areas work in three shifts - and there are still delivery times. "That's why we are eagerly awaiting the completion of the new building. But as it looks, we will still have to expand again soon," Fehrmann explains. In any case, there is still plenty of room to grow on the 51,000 square metre company premises.