Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Bioplastics Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • PFAS Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
    • Europe - Virgin
    • Europe - Recycled
    • Europe - Feedstock
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
June 16, 2008 02:00 AM

Wittmann Battenfeld plans to double sales

David Vink
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH has ambitious plans to double its injection molding machinery business within the next three years.

    Managing Director Georg Tinschert announced the plan June 4, at the first open house for the Kottingbrunn-based company since its April 1 purchase by auxiliary equipment company Wittmann Kunststoffgeräte GmbH of Vienna, Austria.

    According to the plan, sales should double from 110 million euros ($171 million) to 220 million euros ($342 million), as a result of nearly doubling the number of machines sold from today's 800 to 1,500 machines per year.

    The company expects to achieve that growth by exploiting synergies in the sales organization, and areas of technical and market competence between Battenfeld and Wittmann.

    Wittmann's experience in in-mold labeling recently was strengthened by the acquisition of specialized toolmaker Paul Regad SA of St.-Claude, France. That experience will be a core element in the planned growth, and will be supported by a new TM Xpress Wittmann Battenfeld toggle machine designed for high-speed applications.

    A TM Xpress injection molding machine was among the machinery demonstrations at the open house. Fitted with a KTW mold, an accumulator for fast injection and a servo-electric drive for metering and parallel ejection movement, the machine produced 2.2-gram closures with a 4.8-second cycle time.

    Wittmann Battenfeld sales director Gregor Göbel said the TM Xpress is aimed at around one-third of typical packaging applications. Tinschert added that it is not extreme speed that is being sought, but reliable high-quality molding, typically of small in-mold-labeled containers.

    The companies will demonstrate IML at the Fakuma 2008 trade show, Oct. 14-18 in Friedrichshafen, where Wittmann and Wittmann Battenfeld will have separate exhibits. Integration of Wittmann linear robots in Battenfeld machine systems also will be a feature at Fakuma, with Wittmann Battenfeld dropping production of the 150-200 linear robots per year that it has been making in view of benefits from the far-greater production of 2,500 robots per year at Wittmann.

    There are plans to show a further development of the Battenfeld piston-fed micromolding system at next year's Fakuma show. A modular version of the EM all-electric machines, with 30-300 metric tonnes of clamping force, will be available in the first half of 2009. The machines have been made since 2004, incorporating technology from Ferromatik. Those will be followed, in 2010, by new two-platen machines ranging from 500-1,600 tonnes, according to Tinschert.

    Werner Wittmann, chairman, president and founder of Wittmann, pointed out that there will be particular benefit for the Battenfeld all-electric machines from the servodrive technology used for Wittmann robots.

    He added: ``We have to reduce production costs. This can be done by using Wittmann facilities, but the production hall in Kottingbrunn will have to be enlarged and the ceiling raised in order to make the larger machines.''

    Tinschert was enthusiastic about the new ownership, explaining that Wittmann Battenfeld is the first injection molding machinery maker to become a system supplier with all of its own development and production within the wider group.

    Battenfeld's previous owner, financial investor Adcuram, had maintained that production of injection molding machines is a commodity business. Although Tinschert agreed that the machines are indeed produced like a commodity, he added that they cannot be considered commodities in the final applications, as there is a high degree of technology involved.

    According to Werner Wittmann: ``I am convinced that Battenfeld had a healthy core. It was short-term liquidity and not debt that had caused it to file for insolvency early in 2007. It was just a question of time for us to make such a step. It was a very favorable opportunity.''

    He said there are no plans to drop the Battenfeld name from the newly formed Wittmann Battenfeld, as ``it has an importance.''

    He added that Battenfeld had not worked in central and Eastern Europe intensively in the past, but with the enhanced ability in offering complete system packages there should be better opportunities in the region, as well as in Asian locations, especially China.

    Wittmann is not concerned that the connection between Battenfeld and Wittmann will create conflicts of interest with the new company organization. ``Demag still buys robots from us,'' he pointed out.

    ``We are, of course, pleased to supply other molding machinery makers. Even after Demag bought the [Germany robot maker] Neureder automation company, business with Demag still went well for us,'' he said.

    Wittmann said Battenfeld has not had a strong business position in the United States. But, he noted that as Battenfeld of America will be integrated into Wittmann Canada and Wittmann USA, respectively, the situation also should improve in North America.

    Göbel added that sales synergies in some areas ``will not just double but multiply our forces by much more.''

    Other developments since the Battenfeld acquisition include a new vertical molding machine with electric drive for higher speed and greater precision and new B6E and B6S more-advanced control systems.

    Vink is senior editor of European Plastics News, a sister publication to Plastics News.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Better colors through machine monitoring
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    An 8,000-ton dream for Milacron, 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics
    2
    Proposed tax on single-use virgin plastic resurfaces in Congress
    3
    Braskem stops production on a PP line at Pennsylvania plant
    4
    Some resin prices take a hike at the end of summer
    5
    Material Insights: High oil prices, strong dollar impact plastics
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Find more newsletters at plasticsnews.com/newsletters.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
      • Podcasts
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Bioplastics Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • PFAS Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
      • Europe - Virgin
      • Europe - Recycled
      • Europe - Feedstock
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified