NEWS Wirthwein builds production hall


Injection moulder Wirthwein is building a new produc- tion hall at its headquarters in Creglingen, Germany, in anticipation of renewed demand. The hall is to be built on the site of the former sawmill where the business first started in 1949, and should be complete in August. The total cost will be around €10m. Measuring 90 m long by up to 45 m wide, the L-shaped hall will dock onto the existing production hall and will have a total floor area of around 3,000 m². There will be a truck loading ramp in the rear part, plus offices and other facilities in the front. A second phase expanding the office wing is


Wirthwein executives and others, including the local mayor, at the groundbreaking ceremony already planned. In addition to the new


hall, Wirthwein is installing an overhead crane and a machine park housing seven injection moulding machines and associated peripherals. In addition, there are various shelves and features for the storage


and maintenance of tools as well as for QA requirements during series production. In 2020, Wirthwein closed its Eichenzell plant after a 10% fall in sales, which was particularly marked in the automotive and household appliances markets. The medical technology sector


Faurecia sees Q1 sales growth


France-based Faurecia, the Tier One supplier to the automotive industry, has reported first-quarter sales of €4,005m. These were 8.9% up on the same quarter of 2020 on an organic basis or 12.2% up at constant scope and curren- cies. The figures exclude the Acoustics & Soft Trims division, which is being sold. The growth was achieved


despite a “significant unfavourable geographic mix effect” – Faurecia is underrepresented in Asia, the strongest general growth market in the automotive industry – which dragged down sales by about 5%. The company saw double-digit organic growth for its Seating, Interiors and Clean Mobility businesses and 5.7% for Clarion


Electronics, despite the ongoing global shortage of electronic components. Geographically, growth was particularly strong in China, where sales exceeded Q1 2019 levels, and they were also strong in Europe. On the basis of strong


Above: Faurecia IP production and assembly 8 INJECTION WORLD | May 2021


growth forecasts in vehicle production, a turn-around in the geographic mix effect and gradual ramp-up of new capacity for the Seatings business, Faurecia has confirmed its full-year financial targets. It expects to achieve €16.5bn in sales, operating margins of about 7%, close to pre-Covid levels and a net-debt-to- EBITDA ratio of under 1.5 at year-end. � www.faurecia.com


was booming, while the rail and interior design markets were described as “solid”. Since the late summer, the group said it “has recorded more stable calls and even a hint of catch-up effects”, with orders coming in from both new and existing customers. � www.wirthwein.de


Resilux increases recycling


In response to growing demand, Resilux, the Belgian PET bottle and preform producer, is doubling the bottle-to- bottle PET recycling capacity at its Group Recycling Competence Centre at Bilten, Switzer- land. To achieve this, it has invested in a Vacunite food-grade PET recycling system from Erema. The company said that this reinforces its “commit- ment to making a complete sustainability loop”. � www.resilux.com


www.injectionworld.com


IMAGE: FAURECIA


IMAGE: WIRTHWEIN


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