ENGEL ups production in Asia

ENGEL continues to post rapid growth with Asia being an important market. The Group concluded the financial year of 2017/18 with revenues of 1.51 billion euro, an increase of 11% versus the previous year. According to its statement, the production plant in Shanghai alone sold around 20% more machines in the 2017/18 financial year. At Chinaplas 2018, Gero Willmeroth, President Sales and Service at ENGEL Machinery Shanghai, stressed that ENGEL's investment in China is at a new high.  

 

In the Shanghai plant, ENGEL is building large-scale machines of the dual platen series duo, which are used in the automotive industry, among others. Mr. Willmeroth explained that the automotive industry in China continues to be the most important driver of growth and innovation and ENGEL in particular has grown disproportionately in the automotive lighting area. "Customers are increasing their investment into innovative process technologies that allow them to achieve higher efficiency, productivity and quality." One example of this is the optimelt technology, which ENGEL presented at the exhibition. In the manufacturing of thick-walled LED lenses, the patented multi-layer process with external cooling significantly reduces the cycle time, at the same time ensuring a high degree of optical quality. As the substitution of metals in automotive gains popularity, the use of lenses made of PMMA or polycarbonate glazing components is aimed at primarily reducing weight. Electric vehicles in China are on the rise and accompanied by innovative lightweight technologies. Until now, the focus of processors in China has been on substituting glass on the one hand and foam injection moulding on the other; composite technologies are still in the early stages.

 

"China is of course a single most important market in Asia for ENGEL and that's the primary reason why ENGEL has a factory for big-sized machines in China. The automotive industry is a strong market and ENGEL wants to grow further in other sectors such as packaging and medical, as well as electronics and technical moulding. At Chinaplas 2018, we promote our package of series-ready technologies for the economic production of composite components," Mr. Willmeroth added. From a single source, ENGEL delivers individual injection moulding machines as well as integrated and automated system solutions, the share of which in worldwide orders continues to increase. 

 

In addition to automotive, in Asia ENGEL has increased its sales in the medical area, with health care and diagnostics being the main growth drivers, For these applications, ENGEL delivers all-electric e-motion injection moulding machines as well as hybrid machines of the e-victory series, which are produced for the Asian markets at the ENGEL plant in Korea. "In the medical area, we are seeing a trend to multi-cavity moulds, which require larger injection moulding machines to increase throughput", reports Willmeroth.

 

Gero Willmeroth, President Sales and Service at ENGEL Machinery Shanghai

 

ENGEL remains very much optimistic on the Asian market. Even in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, ENGEL has also established a Business Unit structure with dedicated Business Unit managers in Asia, and has since then been continuously increasing its industry know-how locally.  

 

With the largest investment programme in the company's history, ENGEL is ensuring that the growth of the company extends into all regions of the world. For a total of more than 375 million euro, by 2020 production plants worldwide will be modernised and their capacities expanded. The expansion of ENGEL Machinery Shanghai was completed in time for the ten-year anniversary of the plant in September 2017.