BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - A new Brisbane company, Advanced Thermoforming Technologies Pty. Ltd., is selling plastic bath-building knowledge and machinery to Asian bath manufacturers. ATT, established by Brisbane plastics firms OmniTech Pty. Ltd. and Acrylic Moulded Products Pty. Ltd. this year, has sold a thermoforming machine in Malaysia and is establishing a joint venture with a Chinese manufacturer.
In Australia, ATT sells machinery to mold acrylic plastic sheets, and also makes thermoformed baths, plus plastic products for the transportation and materials-handling industries.
The company imports acrylic thermoplastic sheets from London-based Imperial Chemical Industries plc for its Australian manufacturing.
Ranald Mohr, ATT managing director, said exporting the finished product was too expensive, so the firm concentrated on machinery and support-service sales to Asia. He said ATT plans to export 10-15 thermoforming machines to Asia this fiscal year, and is investigating new markets in Indonesia, Taiwan and the Philippines.
ATT's thermoforming ma-chines cost between A$30,000 and A$50,000 (about US$22,250-US$37,000), but ATT markets a complete system that includes training, technology, guidance and, if required, emergency assistance within 48 hours.
Mohr said there is big potential for plastic bath manufacturing in Asia, with the latest estimates for China suggesting 2.4 million baths could be sold every year.
ATT's Chinese joint-venture partner also is interested in manufacturing shower units and spa baths for hotels and panels for bus bodies. Mohr said ATT's machines could be custom-built to process sheet plastic into a wide range of products.