W. Amsler Equipment Inc. (Booth E9249) of Richmond Hill, Ontario, is using agency agreements to grow into markets in which it has not had a formal presence, as it's being asked by the processing world to offer turnkey operations.
``We're asked more and more to do blow molding plants and filling lines,'' Werner Amsler, owner and chief executive officer, said June 19 at NPE.
Amsler entered into an agreement with machinery maker Blow Moulding Technologies srl (Booth E9252) of Bologna, Italy, under which each company will market the other's machines.
``Their equipment is complementary to us, but it's not competitive,'' Amsler said. Blow Moulding Technologies makes all-electric extrusion blow molding machines. ``For us, it's for North America,'' he said of the agreement. ``For them, it's all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.''
Similarly, Amsler's Packaging Technology unit has partnered with Langfang Packaging Machinery Manufacture Co. Ltd. of China. Langfang makes injection stretch blow molding equipment and PET filling lines.
Amsler formed W. Amsler Equipment Inc. in 1994 to design and build PET blow molding machines to meet rising demand from the container packaging market.
``It's has been a good 2006 so far,'' Amsler said of his company's ability to sell machines. ``It's still going to be a struggle, it seems. Mold makers haven't been very busy, which means that blow molding itself won't be busy.''