DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY (Nov. 20, 9:40 a.m. EST) — Trying to succeed in the price-conscious Far East market, Sandretto Industrie SpA of Turin, Italy, struck a deal two years ago with Seoul, South Korea-based injection press maker Jinwha Machinery. The resulting machine — dubbed the Idea — got its first showing at K 2001 in Dusseldorf, molding cell phone covers.
Sandretto has sold injection presses in the region for 20 years, mainly in China and South Korea, by positioning its Italian-built machines to straddle the upper mass market and premium market, according to Fausto Rinaudo, export manager for the Far East. But Sandretto lacked a presence in the economy/lower mass market area.
Officials of Sandretto are targeting existing Asian customers with the lower-priced Idea machine. Those customers had been forced to switch brands if they wanted to move down. Now, Rinaudo said, Sandretto can retain them as customers.
Sandretto has sold about 25 Idea machines so far, most to existing customers, he said.
Rinaudo stressed the goal was not to make a “purely cheap” machine. If that were the case, Sandretto could have opened a factory in China, he said.
Jinwha Machinery developed the press. “They understand the Asian market,” Rinaudo said.
The two-platen, hydraulic-clamp press comes in clamping forces of 44-275 tons.
The Idea machine was one of nine injection presses at Sandretto's booth. The company also displayed two new Series S machines, designed to maximize energy savings and performance. A Series T machine was making an ABS knife and fork using gas-assisted molding. Sandretto also demonstrated multimaterial molding.
