David Vink

The largest part on display on the booth of Aichach, Germany-based mold maker Deckerform Technologies GmbH during Fakuma 2024 was a Pentatonic battery housing produced by Bonn, Germany-based Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG.

Since the European auto industry is presently in decline, there is a need and desire for suppliers and plastics processors to find new growth opportunities.

The Society of Plastics Engineers Central Europe held its 22nd Automotive Awards Night in Bonn, Germany, in a series stretching back to 1992.

Participants in the "Mold Your Future" event aimed at interesting students in the plastics industry can win a chance for a ride in a Zeppelin blimp.

Electromobility and use of post-consumer recyclable (PCR) are main Fakuma themes of Lohne, Germany-based molder and thermoformer Pöppelmann GmbH & Co. KG, which runs more than 700 injection molding machines.

Has digitalization lived up to its promise in plastics manufacturing? Or has it failed to live up to the hype?

P.E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG announced on Oct. 21 that the 29th Fakuma fair attracted 36,675 visitors. That total is down 7 percent from the 39,343 visitors in 2023.

Having once shifted from molding cell phone housing to functional decorative automotive parts, Helmbrechts AG has more recently reduced its auto industry dependency by becoming active in the development and production of medical devices.

United Kingdom-based Hitachi Ltd. announced Sept. 30 that it had completed acquisition of Sankt Leon-Rot, Germany-headquartered automation solutions specialist MA micro automation GmbH, which now becomes part of the operations of another Hitachi subsidiary, Holland, Mich.-based JR Automation.

Activists protesting against Israel have taken credit for an arson attack on at ThyssenKrupp Plastics GmbH distribution facility in Berlin.

More than 1,000 participants from 37 countries, plus 300 students, headed to Vienna for the Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH Competence Days conference and open house event.

Increasing production efficiency through automation, automatic process optimization and connected supply chains ultimately also lead to conservation of resources through CO2 emission reduction.

Machinery maker Wittmann Group saw its sales climb 6.6 percent in 2023, but is already warning of a 10 percent drop for this year.

Heroldstatt, Germany-based injection molder 1A Autenrieth Kunststofftechnik GmbH & Co. KG is launching a thermoplastic composite replacement for rebar reinforcement technology at Fakuma 2023.