Arburg
At Fakuma, Arburg Director Michael Hehl said that the UK was a “particularly positive example” when identifying areas in Western Europe where sales have been strong in 2015.
Hehl said that this trend of good growth was fuelled by the increasing amount of production and manufacturing being carried out as a result of reshoring.
Arburg made the comments at the trade fair, when making its first official announcement of its sales numbers for the current year.
“Following the successful year 2014, in which we exceed the 500-million euro mark and achieved consolidated sales of 548 million euros, we are highly satisfied with the business trend so far,” Hehl commented.
He added that with regards to when the company expects to break the 600 million euro threshold, it is “looking to the future”, but “hasn’t figured out when it will happen yet.” Hehl did say, however, that he expected the overall figures for 2015 to be better than 2014 “by quite a bit.”
Elsewhere in Europe, Hehl said that the company was "very pleased” with the sales of machines into Germany, and that Eastern and Central Europe were also performing acceptably.
Overall, the USA was the company’s best performing market in 2015, with Hehl stating the situation in the country was very positive.
Expanding, Helmut Heinson, Sales Director for Arburg, said that there is some interesting projects underway in the USA as the company rolls out the turnkey systems in the country that have proven successful in Germany.
The company will continue to intensify its operations in Asia, which is performing “satisfactorily”, Heinson added, stating that high tech applications are the most needed in the region.
In terms of the technology on display at the show, Hehl said that innovative technology is at the heart of the machinery being exhibited, adding that the idea was to demonstrate something that was available and not just a “mere vision”
Much of this revolves around the concept of 'Industry 4.0', something which Arburg claims it has almost 30 years experience of, having first shown an integrated production system as early as 1986.
On its stand, the company is showing two example of industry 4.0. Firstly, personalised office scissors are produced on a fully networked and automated production line. Incorporated into this, the company is premiering the automation of its Freeformer additive manufacturing system.
Secondly, personalised rocker-type light switches are being produced at different times and at different locations: Moulded parts produced in the run-up to the trade fair are individualised using a freeformer on the ARBURG stand. The associated, individually printed packaging is then produced on the stand of FPT Robotik.