Wittmann expands as it seeks another record year

Injection molding machinery supplier Wittmann Group has announced major expansion plans as it looks to set another record year in 2018.

In an event to celebrate 10 years since it acquired Battenfeld, the group unveiled its latest series of VPower machinery with improved clamping force, and the latest edition of fast-running series of EcoPower Xpress as well as improved MacroPower machinery with injection units.

The event, themed "power through integration," also had a live display of the company's latest Industry 4.0 advances — which it dubbed Wittmann 4.0 — designed according to to the principle of "plug & produce." The technology enables the software integration of the peripheral system with the injection molding machine.

Additionally, the Austrian company opened a new production hall at its Kottingbrunn headquarters to increase production capacity at the plant.

With the addition of the new hall, production floor space has increased by 2,200 square meters, explained Georg Tinschert, CEO of Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH.

Additional buildings are also to be constructed by the end of the year, which will create more office space and include a new technical lab for product development.

Presenting an overview of the company's expansion plans, Michael Wittmann, CEO of Wittmann Group, commented that several of the markets in which the company is present around the globe "are very active."

In Mexico, where the group has been since 1998, Wittmann is undergoing its fourth phase of expansion, with the facility now covering 3,000 square meters.

"I have to say that Mexico for us is the third most important market. We were a little bit concerned at the beginning of last year about our activities and business potential in Mexico, but honestly, so far we have seen a further uptick," Wittmann noted.

Similarly, in Italy, where politics have been unstable, the company has been going strong, due in part to a government initiative in Italy offering tax benefits to companies investing in Industry 4.0.

Wittmann expects to move into its own premises, from currently rented space in Milan, by October.

Spanning 2,000 square meters, the new site is very close to the company's current location in Milan.

In Germany, Wittmann Robot Systeme in Nuremberg had recently completed an expansion project to further increase automation systems output.

"Automation, particularly this year, has been very strong. There's a lot of investment going into robots and automation and therefore we did need to extend our automation capabilities in Nuremberg," said Wittmann.

And in the Czech Republic, the group's fifth biggest market, the company is expecting to "almost double" the size of its facility there, with the addition of a hall for automation systems by the end of May 2019.

"The Czech Republic is no longer a low-cost country, but has already become a high-tech country. This means that there's quite some need for automation systems there too. … That is big market and there is a lot potential going on for it," Wittmann added.

The announcements came just a few days after another major expansion plan was announced by Wittmann Group in France, where it will build its own site by the end of next year.

In terms of product development, Wittmann Group said it is working on Wittmann 4.0 in conjunction with the German rubber & plastic association VDMA and Euromap, to develop standards and protocols for the technology.

"Wittmann 4.0 is actually on the market already. Or at least some features of it, which have been on the market for quite some time," said Michael Wittmann in response to a PNE question.

In a Wittmann 4.0 production cell, all peripheral appliances can be saved in the injection molding machine's control system, called Unilog B8 .

There, as soon as a given mold data set is selected on the machine's control system, the appropriate settings are transmitted to all other appliances in the production cell.

The term "plug & produce" stands for the fact that this concept is able to make mold change easier and safer.

"What we are supporting here is, for example, [the integration of] temperature controllers all the way to dryers [with the moulding machine]," the CEO explained.

What is not yet on the market is the digital data sheet, which according to Wittmann is a teaching program. This, he said, should be available on the market by October, when the Fakuma plastics show will take place in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

In terms of customers' reactions to the technology and the higher price tag accompanying this, Wittmann said the company had maintained the upcharge at a low level to make it appealing to its customers.

"Depending on how many IP addresses that need to be dealt with, our package starts at somewhere around 1,400 euros ($1,630) to 1,800 euros ($2,095). This somewhat compromises for the cost of the former digital interfaces. … I think we have priced it quite attractively to get it going," Tinschert said.

While the company maintains that Wittmann 4.0 has been received well by customers, it can only be retrofitted to models no more than one year old.