Like many other companies in the industry, Engel Austria (Schwertberg; www.engelglobal.com) is benefiting from today’s healthy economic situation, especially Germany’s booming automotive industry. For the current financial year (31.3.), the Austrian injection moulding machine manufacturer anticipates sales of EUR 580m, a spokesperson told Plasteurope.com. That is EUR 10m more than the target set by the company as recently as autumn 2010 – see Plasteurope.com of 01.11.2010. For the upcoming financial year 2011/12, Engel expects record sales of EUR 680-700m, which would be about 10% above the previous record from 2007/08 (EUR 622m).

The strong business development is also reflected in the size of the workforce. By spring, Engel intends to have hired some 100 new employees, effectively raising the workforce to 3,400, tantamount to its pre-crisis employee level. Some 2,300 of these workers are employed in Austria.

The Austrian plants in Schwertberg, St. Valentin and Dietach are operating at full capacity, CEO Peter Neumann told local media. Business is also booming in Asia. By the end of 2011, Engel aims to triple capacities at its Shanghai plant and raise the number of employees from 90 to 230. Neumann added that the manufacturer could also expand capacities at its plant in South Korea should demand remain high.