Battenfeld on the road back to growth With its new owner the Wittmann Group, Battenfeld GmbH (Kottingbrunn, Austria) is on a growth curve that will see the company re-invent itself as a technological leader in injection moulding machines. General manager Georg Tinschert says the re-named Wittmann-Battenfeld plans to re-enter the large-tonnage field, and is also working on a new, modular all-electric series of machine it plans to present at the 2009 Fakuma show in Germany. It plans to grow from its current 800 machines annually to 1,500 in the next few years.
Battenfeld has been through hard times over the past year, and was almost sold by its owner, Germany's Adcuram at the end of 2007. That sale was rescinded as Tinschert, who had been with the firm less than a month at the time, put the company into receivership. Wittmann, based near to Kottingbrunn in Vienna, Austria, was an unexpected buyer, but had one of the more far-sighted business plans for Battenfeld.
Renewal of the company is not an easy task, since it slipped in market prominence and inventiveness under Germany's SMS Group, the owner previous to Adcuram. But Tinschert says the surface condition of the company is deceptive.
"The mentality of innovation is still here," he stated at a press conference in Kottingbrunn last week. "I don't see a problem in our developing better machines. And even when we were in receivership, I knew the company had the strength to pull through – we even sold new machines at that time."
The move back into large-tonnage presses was planned before the sale. It's difficult for Battenfeld to appeal to moulders that place orders for machines in several sizes when it only offers units up to 800 tons, as it does currently. The new, two-platen range that will be on the market in late 2010 will run from 500 to 1,600 tons, with larger presses being added later if demand is there. This will necessitate construction work in Kottingbrunn, a plant designed for nothing larger than 800 tons. Battenfeld's former larger-machine facility in Meinerzhagen , Germany , was closed two years ago, and sold off. There is also a consolidation process in hand, as the various Battenfeld and Wittmann technical, sales and service facilities around the world are realigned. In Canada , Battenfeld no longer has a sales office, so Wittmann Canada (Markham, Ont.) will become the new sales centre. Its facility manufactures materials handling systems, as well as having an engineering and sales team on hand, and has ample space for a showroom and a stock of spare parts.
With a new private owner that's used to consistent investment in R&D, Tinschert sees daylight ahead.
"The Wittmann Group has the same vision as Battenfeld," he said. "And they have expertise in servo motors for their robots, which will help us as we redesign our all-electric press. We're going to be moving upscale in terms of quality once again." www.battenfeld-imt.com
Georg Tinschert
New name for Canada’s packaging show The PACEx International show is changing its name to PACKEX Toronto for 2009. The event will be held from May 5 to 7 at Toronto 's International Centre.
PACKEX Toronto will include IPA Canada, the new brand for the food processing industry which will give the food processing sector of the show its own identity.
The event's new tagline is "Pack to the Future," and it will also feature material handling and logistics.
The converting industry will have its own section in the show. This will include flexible packaging, folding carton/box making, corrugated converting, pre-press/printing equipment and systems for the tag and label sector.
A new conference centre is being built at the International Centre, which will allow expansion of the number of market and technical sessions being offered. And the Packaging Association of Canada will be holding a competitive event for sustainable packaging. www.packextoronto.com
The Canadian Plastics Pioneers held their annual dinner last week at the Donalda Club in Toronto. The photo shows new member Bruce Phillips of the Demag Plastics Group (far right) and half-century club members (L to R) Peter Riedeger, Jack King, George Smalley and Elvi Molinaro.
Have you updated your listing in Plastics in Canada's Source Book?
This annual directory of the plastics industry is compiled during May, and you should already have had a form mailed out to you. If you've not seen yours, or need to make further changes to your listing, simply go to www.plasticsincanada.com, and click on the Update/Add Listing button on the right.
PLEASE NOTE: we make every effort to keep the Source Book a useful and relevant manual for the industry. This means that every year, we delete listings that have not been updated in the previous 24 months. So, it's advisable to check your listing anyway, to be sure it's up to date, and not at risk of being eliminated.
Resin prices are reportedly about to take a major leap. Do you think:
This could trigger a recession in plastics processing if we don't already have one
48%
The resin companies are just trying it on, and they will meet major resistance
7%
Customers for plastics products today accept that oil and gas-derived products must go up in price, and it's not such a big deal if we pass on the cost
45%
Plastics in Canada's enewsletter goes out weekly to over 10,700 confirmed recipients. Advertising to reach all these decision-makers can be very cost efficient. Call Gillian Thomas today at 416-764-1506 to find out more. Creative advice and services are also available.
Changes
Sun Chemical (Parsippany, NJ) has named Brian Leen president, North American inks. He will oversee all of Sun Chemical's North American inks businesses, including Kohl & Madden, Rycoline, US Ink, and North American Packaging. In addition to his responsibilities as president of North American Inks, Leen will also assume the interim role of president of North American Packaging. www.sunchemical.com
Dynamic Solutions Unlimited LLC (Media. Pa.) has bought Exopac LLC (Newmarket , Ont.), a blown film manufacturer previously owned by Exopack LLC. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed. Dynamic has previously been a packaging consultancy, as well as a broker and distributor. Exopac's plant has 10 extrusion lines, and can extrude films up to eight layers. It has about 30 employees. www.exopack.com
Matsui America (Hanover Park, Ill.) has moved to a new headquarters and warehouse facilities in Hanover Park, Ill., to enhance customer service and technical support, and streamline warehousing and shipping. The new address is: 5825 Turnberry Dr.,
Hanover Park, Ill 60133-4398. The phone number remains 847-290-9680, and the fax is 630-980-2269. www.matsuiamerica.com
Prolink Molds (Oakville, Ont.) has acquired a new high-speed milling machine. This unit has linear glass scales to maintain accuracy and a 3-D Heidenhain controller, which Prolink says makes programming to machining turnaround time 50 percent faster. Another key feature is that work pieces are measured right on the machine table before being taken off. www.prolinkmolds.com
PolyOne Corp. (Cleveland) has signed a market development agreement with Eastman Chemical Co. designating PolyOne as the exclusive compounder in North America of filled systems using Eastman's new-generation Tritan copolyester. Tritan copolyester offers clarity, toughness, high chemical and heat resistance, and ease of processing. These properties make it useful for applications such as moulded parts for small kitchen appliances, and items such as reusable food containers and sports bottles that undergo repeated dishwasher cycles. www.eastman.com www.polyone.com
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June 12: Quebec section of SPE, annual golf tournament at Club de golf La Madeleine, in Ste-Madeleine, Que. (Contact: Michel M. Vinette, at 819-758-2692 or mvinette@americanpolymers.com)
June 16: Canadian Association of Mold Makers dinner meeting, in Windsor, Ont. (Contact: Diane Deslippe at 519 255-7863 or info@camm.ca).
June 20: SPE Ontario golf tournament, at Station Creek Golf Course. (Contact: Andrew Marshall at 416-781-5286 or amarshall@ontor.com).
June 20-21: International Association of Plastics Distribution Canadian conference. At Marriott Niagara Falls Hotel. (Contact:
913-345-1005
or iapd@iapd.org)
August 28: Canadian Plastics Industry Association's annual golf classic, at Cardinal Golf Club, Kettleby, Ont. (Contact Erin Cimino at 905-678-7748 or ecimino@cpia.ca).
September 4: Canadian Plastics Pioneers Eighth Annual Golf Tournament, at Richmond Hill Golf Club, Richmond Hill, Ont. (Contact: Peter Stephen at 905-940-5577 or pstephen@stephensales.com)
September 30-October 2: Interplas 2008, Britain's national plastics show, at the Birmingham NEC, UK. (Contact: Graham Earl at
020-8910-7890
or graham.earl@reedexpo.co.uk).
October 7-10: Ausplas 2008, Australia 's leading plastics show. At Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre. (Contact: Robert Damcevski, 61-3-9699-4699 or rob@exhibitionmanagement.com).
October 20-21: Expoplast 2008, Quebec's triennial plastics show, at the Palais de Congres in Montreal. (Contact: Tom Sockett at 905-678-7748 or tsockett@cpia.ca)
October 22: APAC international business development conference, at the Palais de Congres in Montreal. (Contact: Tom Sockett at 905-678-7748 or tsockett@cpia.ca)
October 22-23: Rotoplas '08, the international rotational moulding event, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Ill. (Contact: Maria at 630-578-3266 x225, or mariap@cmservnet.com)
Coming Soon From Plastics In Canada Magazine - September issue:
Special supplement – Expoplast 2008 show preview
Plastics in automotive safety systems
Measuring – what's happening in monitoring size, colour, dimensions and efficiency
Product Spotlight on Controls
Blow moulding report – New machine designs for blow moulding
Raw materials report – Innovations in resin technology, fillers and additives
Troubleshooting – Our regular look at what can go wrong, and how to be sure it doesn't
Processor profile – A visit to an innovative moulder, extruder or other manufacturer of finished plastic items
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