CosMed GmbH: Automation and Innovation

The German company CosMed GmbH & Co. KG, with its factory located in Löhne, halfway between Hannover and the Dutch border, is celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year. With 50 million euros in revenue and a workforce of 250 people, CosMed, founded in 2004 positions itself as a plastics manufacturer determined to push the boundaries of plastics processing. Each year, it produces some 450 million plastic components for the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and technical parts sectors. Among the company’s “flagship” products are the caps and dispensers for Nivea shaving foams and gels, as well as Nivea deodorants, manufactured in the hundreds of millions and available in a multitude of colors and designs, with a production automation rate of nearly 100%. And that’s not all! Explanations by Frank Bierkandt, the brand-new Head of Business Development.

Nivea, a long-standing and wonderful product line!

Frank Bierkandt: Get a rich, creamy lather with a single click, precisely dispensed. Who hasn’t used a Nivea shaving foam dispenser? We’ve been manufacturing this dispenser in-house for years, in the millions, for the global market. Today, it’s available in various sizes, quantities, and colors, but always with the same quality and precision. Our production is fully automated: from the injection molding of the foam head, to the attachment of the header to the cap, to quality assurance to packing.

In just a few years, we have become a service provider offering a full range of services in the field of high-tech injection molding. But our expertise goes far beyond simple molding. We act as a true partner, supporting our customers from product design and 3D prototyping through mold manufacturing, fully automated assembly, and logistics.

Every year, more than 450 million sophisticated plastic assemblies and components roll off our production line. In addition to the cosmetics industry, we serve the highly regulated medical device market as well as the water filtration sector.

Have there been a lot of investments over the past two years?

Frank Bierkandt: Absolutely! The past two years have been heavily focused on technological transformation and expanding our capabilities. In the past 4 years we have invested almost 5 million euros in modernization and expansion, in particular in our machine park , which now includes approximately 80 injection molding machines with clamping forces of up to 650 metric tons. Robot-assisted automation and the expansion of our cleanroom capabilities have been major investment. Today, beauty brands are no longer satisfied with mere aesthetics; they demand absolute sterility and microscopic precision in the assembly of complex, multi-part dispensing systems. In fact, we have set new standards in this area.

This year, we are continuing this strategy. Our roadmap aims to further digitize the factory in order to respond to our customers’ specific requests with even greater agility. In addition, we are accelerating the expansion of our range of sustainable cosmetic packaging and gaining new market share in the high-end medical device segment.

In light of current market volatility and evolving regulatory frameworks, our response is based on proactive risk management and resilience rather than a wait-and-see approach.

By implementing an automation rate of nearly 100% across all our cosmetics production lines, we can offset external cost pressures through maximum manufacturing efficiency and optimal speed. In addition, we rely on a Europe-centric supply chain strategy for our own raw materials. For our customers worldwide, this means complete peace of mind, and despite geopolitical turbulence, we guarantee maximum supply security through long-term partnerships, transparent pricing, and flexible logistics. We cushion market fluctuations so that our clients’ brands can continue to grow with confidence.

How do you manage the pressures posed by increasingly stringent regulations and the growing scrutiny of plastic as a material?

Frank Bierkandt: For us, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a fundamental principle that guides our day-to-day operations. Our greatest strength lies in our ability to combine environmental responsibility with technical performance. We operate one of the most modern and energy-efficient machine fleets, which continuously reduces the carbon footprint of every part we manufacture. CosMed is certified to the ISO 50001 standard (energy management) and the EcoVadis audit program.

Our certification under rigorous guidelines such as the BRC Global Standard for Consumer Products proves that environmental sustainability, maximum hygiene, and top-tier quality complement each other perfectly in our factory. We offer beauty brands the assurance that their products are manufactured with the utmost respect for the environment.

As for the current debate surrounding plastics, which are often viewed as a threat, we see it instead as the greatest opportunity for innovation of our generation. The beauty industry needs packaging that perfectly protects formulations, looks luxurious, and respects the planet. Plastic as a material isn’t the problem; it’s how we manage it that is. And that’s precisely where we excel.

As far as we’re concerned, we don’t just adapt to change; we actively shape it. We work with post-consumer and post-industrial recycled resins and are constantly testing new bio-based materials on our production lines. Last year, more than 7,000 metric tons of PCR materials were processed at our plant. Our development engineers specialize in redefining product design through a radical reduction in wall thickness, which saves material without compromising structural stability, and in developing true single-material solutions. When packaging is made from a single type of plastic, it becomes 100% recyclable.
We’re adapting plastics for a circular future.

Any new developments this year?

Frank Bierkandt: Recently, we’ve served as the exclusive manufacturing partner for several major product launches led by international market leaders. We’re particularly proud of the successful launch of a new generation of highly ergonomic dispenser caps and closures for personal care products. Despite their complex internal mechanism, they use a minimum of material and are fully optimized for automated assembly.

Currently, our R&D department is focusing on the next generation of “smart dispensing” systems. We are thus designing smart dispensing solutions tailored to the viscosity of next-generation beauty formulations—whether water-free or highly concentrated. In addition, we are enhancing our two-component (2K) injection molding capabilities to combine “soft-touch” textures and rigid functional elements in a single, highly efficient production step using fully recyclable material combinations. The future of smarter, more sustainable, and highly aesthetic beauty packaging is truly taking shape here at our company.