Düsseldorf, Germany — The five companies making up Barnes Group's newly formed Molding Solutions unit went to K 2016 to show attendees their expanded knowledge and global infrastructure.
Bristol, Conn.-based Barnes launched Molding Solutions with the purchase of hot runner manufacturer Synventive (Hall 1/C5) in 2012. It's since added Otto Männer, (Hall 1/F8), Thermoplay (Hall 1/F3), Priamus (Hall 10/A19) and most recently Foboha (Hall 1/B23) to the group..
Barnes is maintaining each of the company brands, but with shared service resources. Although the group includes three hot runner brands, “We are not cannibalizing each other,” said Jörg Walther of Synventive.
Walther sees the brands' specialties as complementary: Synventive is strongest in automotive, Männer in medical and other precision industries, and Thermoplay in packaging. Sensor provider Priamus and toolmaker Foboha enhance the group's ability to provide packaged solutions in addition to single technologies.
“There's a steady exchange now starting about technologies and how can we add those technologies to our products and to exchange and gain some more experience,” Walther said.
In addition, the European-focuses businesses benefit from Synventive's sales and service structures in North America and Asia, said Priamus Technical Manager and President Marcel Fenner. As the companies will have customers in common by nature, they each benefit by referrals as well. The group has established a team of representatives from each company dedicated to identifying ways the companies can share knowledge and technology.
At K 2016, the group demonstrated a system combining electrically actuated hot runner technology from Männer and measuring and control technology from Priamus.
Packaged solutions are of particular relevance as the plastics industry continues to emphasize automation and efficiency improvements, Fenner said. Priamus in particular is promoting its technology for automatic balancing of multi-cavity molds.
Molding Solutions generated 27 percent of Barnes Group's sales in 2015, President and CEO Patrick Dempsey said in April. The firm noted in its K 2016 statement that continued expansion by acquisition is possible.
