While many of the larger machinery makers at K 2019 are feeling the effects of uncertainty in the global economy — primarily driven by trade conflicts and a global slowdown in automotive — Italian machinery maker BMB SpA is experiencing the opposite.
"It's a strange anomaly because I know that some of the other larger machinery manufacturers are articulating that their sales are moving downwards. We're actually moving upwards, and we're expanding at the moment," said David Brown, area sales manager for BMB North America, which serves the United States and Canada.
At its headquarters in Brescia, Italy, BMB is adding 70,000 square feet of assembly space. The project is expected to be completed later this year.
"We'll now have four separate facilities in our complex, totaling about 400,000 square feet," Brown said during an interview at the company's booth.
BMB focuses on more high-end applications in the packaging, medical and electronics markets, which aren't suffering the same slowdown as the automotive market, he said. For this year, the company is ahead of its target to build 450 machines.
"And next year, we're targeting even greater growth," Brown said.