AACHEN, GERMANY (March 13, 12:30 p.m. ET) — Herbert Kraibühler, managing director of technology and engineering at Arburg GmbH + Co. KG, received the 2012 Georg Menges Award at the IKV Institute for Plastics Processing’s International Plastics Technology Colloquium, held March 7-8 at IKV in Aachen.
The award recognizes Kraibühler’s outstanding services in implementing the knowledge he gained in research and development, and his commitment to cooperation between science, academics and business. That communication helps Arburg identify trends at an early stage and put them into practice in an industrial setting.
Those trends include machine integration into production cells, the modularization of machines, automation and energy efficiency concepts.
By machinery companies responding to these trends supports production in high-wage countries, such as Germany, the award organizers said.
The judges emphasized his work has helped shape the future of the plastics processing industry.
Kraibühler is the top technical person at Arburg, which makes injection molding machines in Lossburg, Germany. He has worked at Arburg his entire career, starting as a machine fitter. He studied precision engineering and in 1972, joined Arburg’s development department. He was promoted to managing director of technology and engineering in 1996.
The judges also praised Arburg’s traveling exhibit, Technology on Tour, for spreading the message to the broad public.
Georg Menges was the long-time head of the IKV, a world-renowned plastics school. He retired in 1989.
