SHOW REVIEW | FAKUMA 2017
services executive Andreas Holzer said that from the second quarter of 2018, the company plans to deliver all its machines with network-compatible equipment, and also with the option of wireless connectivity. A bright market outlook was presented by
Engel Group’s two leading executives at the Austrian group’s Fakuma press conference. Stefan Engleder, CEO, and Christoph Steger, CSO, said Engel is expecting stable growth in 2018 following a rise in sales revenue from €1.36bn in 2016 to an expected €1.5bn in 2017. This increase of nearly 10% reflects a similar
Above:
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s MyConnect online services platform
year. “We now think we are the market leader in packaging,” he said. Its market share for all-electric machines increased from 13% in 2015 to 17% in 2016 and on to 18% in 2017. It expects this share to reach 20% in 2018.
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag launched its new
generation of IntElect electric machines this year, which it expects will make a major contribution to growth. The mid-size IntElect models will also be updated in 2018. The company’s order book is giving it confidence about 2018. Incoming orders in 2017 have increased by 21%, leading to its expectation that sales in 2018 will increase by around 22%. One of the other executives speaking at the
press conference was Hideki Kuroiwa, Chief Technology Officer, who previously worked on electric machine product development at parent company Sumitomo Heavy Industries. He said the new IntElect machines were designed in collabora- tive work by German and Japanese engineers based on a common platform from which SHI’s SEEV-A machines were also developed. The new IntElect machines were “tuned up”, he said, for European market requirements. A 450-tonne machine is now in development for launch in 2018. In addition to the machines it displayed at
Right: Engel’s new E-connect customer portal
Fakuma, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag also presented MyConnect, its new online service platform. MyConnect has five modules for online support, machine documentation, spare parts ordering, life cycle records for the ma- chine, and remote monitoring via an app. Customer
20 INJECTION WORLD | November/December 2017
growth rate for the whole injection moulding industry, said Steger: a trend which “gives us confidence”. Among global regions, he said “substantial” growth has been happening in USA and Mexico. The North American region accounts for 24% of the group’s revenue, with a 24% share taken by Asia, which is transitioning from a low to a mid-level technology region, he said. Europe still accounts for 55% of sales and Steger particularly mentioned Germany where Engel’s sales have increased by 50% over the past five years. There are two factors behind this: “Germany continues to be the most technologically advanced market and the greatest driver of innovation,” he said. “In addition, German companies are continuing to advance their global expansion.” One cloud that is emerging, though, is cost
inflation for machine makers. Engleder said that a previous period of deflation is being replaced by “a hot phase”, as machine component suppliers’ capacity is being squeezed. Asked how this inflationary pressure will affect prices paid by customers for injection moulding machines, Steger replied: “Our message is we have to change our mindset. I am in charge of purchasing, and I had to change my mindset. But I cannot give you a headline saying Engel will increase prices by x, y or z percent.”
Engleder and Steger placed particular emphasis on the importance of the Industry 4.0 trend, which is not just a future concept but is being applied by injection moulders now. Customers are using Engel’s Inject 4.0 approach for benchmarking and are doing test runs for up to six months. The focus should not be just on new ma- chines, said Engleder, as smart technologies are becoming important for moulders. Engel’s
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