Fakuma 2014 review | Market update
Fakuma retains its unique place
Despite what many exhibitors described as a slower than usual start, Fakuma 2014 once again justified its place in the European plastics trade fair calendar. By the time the doors closed on 18 October, the organisers had counted 45,689 visitors through the turnstiles. That’s up on the 44,176 that attended the last event in 2012 (there was no Fakuma in 2013 as it was a K year) and sets a new attendance record for the event. The record visitor numbers are perhaps even more impressive
considered Fakuma is, at its heart, an event for the German plastics industry – or at least the German speaking industry as its location on Lake Constance means the exhibition also draws plenty of visitors from Austria and Switzerland as well as significant numbers from northern Italy. The organisers claim that 33% of 2014 visitors – more than 15,000 – were from outside of Germany. So what makes Fakuma special? Well, the location, for certain. Frie-
drichshafen and its locality may struggle with the visitor traffic but no-one could deny that it is a beautiful part of Germany. But the biggest reason is most likely its focus on doing business. Exhibition advisory committee spokesperson Ulrich Eberhard sums it up when he describes it as “a marketplace for innovative solutions…a trend barometer for the industry.” On the basis of Fakuma 2014 it seems the trend, for the plastics
industry, is positive. So mark your diary now for next year’s show: 13-17 October 2015. ❙
www.fakuma-messe.de
Centre right: KraussMaffei injection machinery segment
president Hans-Ulrich Golz
Right: Wittmann
Group general manager Michael Wittmann
be met in 2015, when he is predicting reaching sales of at least €320m. Wittmann Group revenues divide fairly evenly
between its Wittmann robot and ancillary equipment division and the Wittmann Battenfeld injection machinery division. Europe accounts for around 57% of total sales, the Americas 28% and Asia 14%. Order intake through 2014 has been strong in almost all markets, said Wittmann. “Germany, UK, Spain, USA, Mexico and Czech are performing strongly. And also a lot of countries that are in the news under ‘bad news’, like France and Italy, are performing strongly,” he said. Wittmann said the company was
about to begin construction of a new plant at Wolkersdorf, near Vienna in
14 INJECTION WORLD | November/December 2014
Austria, to build materials handling equipment. Work will begin on the 6,800m2
facility – its fourth in Austria –
before the end of the year and will be complete by September 2015. It is currently also halfway through an expansion of its injection machinery plant at Kottingbrunn in Austria to increase its large machine capacity. And it aims to start assembly of 55, 110 and 180 tonne EcoPower injection machines at its factory at Mosonmagyaróvár in Hungary
before the end of this year. KraussMaffei no longer releases financial data to the media. However, in its 2013 Q3 report, the com- pany’s Canadian private equity owner Onex showed the KraussMaffei operation – which includes injection moulding, extrusion and reaction processing divisions – achieved a 2% increase in revenues to $1.086bn for the first nine months of 2014. 2013 full year revenues stood at US$1.405bn. “Especially in the US we have seen strong growth in
all areas,” said Dr Hans-Ulrich Golz, president of the company’s injection moulding machinery division. “In other regions, with the exception of Russia, we are on track and in the coming months we expect further growth in North America, in Europe and Asia.” French automation specialist Sepro Robotique said
it expected to close 2014 with a record result. CEO Jean-Michel Renaudeau said the company will post year-end sales of around €78m, up by 17% on its record 2013 result. “For the first time this year Sepro will equip more than 2,000 moulding machines – 1,800 with robots and 200 with spruepickers,” he said. Renaudeau attributes the company’s success to the
good global market conditions as well its investment strategy. “Over several years, Sepro has implemented several strategies aimed at growing our position in the global market. We have added important new products, strengthened our sales presence in many regions and developed partnerships with injection moulding machine manufac- turers,” he said.
Sepro’s OEM partners include Germany’s Sumi-
tomo (SHI) Demag, which sells Sepro robots under its own brand, as well as Haitian of China, Billion of France, JSW of Japan and Romi of Brazil. OEM sales now account for 12% of the company’s total deliveries. Renaudeau said the US is Sepro’s largest single
market. It doubled the size of its facility in Cranberry Township in Pennsylvania in 2013 and has seen a 26%
www.injectionworld.com
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