Austrian injection moulding machinery manufacturer Engel (Schwertberg; www.engelglobal.com) has set a new sales record in financial 2011/12 (ended 31 March). At EUR 834m, revenues were higher than in the previous financial year (EUR 615m) and significantly above the pre-crisis level. Group CEO Peter Neumann said Engel could raise sales further this year, even though order intake levels have returned to normal.

During the presentation of its annual results on 13 June, the Austrian group said it managed to grow its market share in 2011. Engel CSO Christian Pum said the machinery manufacturer now holds 14% of global market share (in 2009 the level was 9%), with growth across all regions. In terms of value, Engel now controls 30% of the European market (2004: 23%), 15% of the US market (2004: 9%) as well as 9% of the Asian market (2004: 2%). In terms of sales, the group generated about 64% of profits in Europe, while the US and Asia accounted for about 18% each.

Germany remains Engel’s leading sales market and the group expects to sell about 3,500 machines in the country in 2016 (in 2011 the number stood at 3,200). The German market’s importance also explains Engel’s decision to build a new technology forum in Stuttgart, which it plans to turn into an automation hub in the medium term. The key foci of the centre will be innovation and future trends and employees will present customers with system solutions and new technologies. Key applications for the new hub, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, include light-weight construction, automation and energy efficiency.

Engel expects demand to continue to rise up to 2015, by which time it estimates a total European market volume of about 13,000 units (2011: 12,500), some 9,000 units in the US (2011: 7,500) as well as 25,000 units for Asia excluding China (2011: 20,000). In the People’s Republic, the Austrian group actually expects its unit sales to drop from the current 50,000 to about 40,000.

The most important growth drivers, Engel says, are energy-efficient machines as well as system business. Looking towards the future, the group expects European business to be driven by Russia and Turkey, while the main drivers in Asia are expected to be Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and India. Further west, Brazil and Mexico are pegged as leading growth markets.

Engel manufactured about 2,700 machines at its factories in Austria last year, while 700 units were produced in either Korea or China and another 50 in the US. To meet rising Asian demand, the group has touted plans to not only raise output at its large Shanghai facility (see Plasteurope.com of 30.04.2012), but also to raise capacity at its facility in Pyungtaek-City / South Korea by April 2013.