Engel (Schwertberg / Austria; www.engelglobal.com) is going from one record to the next. The world's largest manufacturer of injection moulding machines upped sales for the third time in succession in fiscal 2016/17 (31 March). The 8.6% increase compared with the previous year takes sales to a new record of EUR 1.36 bn. Its global workforce also hit a new high of more than 5,900.

For the new financial year, Engel anticipates further growth even though the curve will probably be a little flatter than in the previous years. Before the end of the first quarter of this fiscal year, the company predicts the number of employees will rise to over 6,000.

"The markets in Asia are playing a major part in this success," reported chief sales officer Christoph Steger at the beginning of "Chinaplas 2017" (www.chinaplasonline.com) in Guangzhou, where Engel traditionally presents its annual results. At the same time, said Steger, growth in Europe is continuing at a constant rate, and demand in North America is still rising. The proportion of integrated turnkey solutions in the total number of incoming orders continues to rise globally. "Customised solutions are currently the biggest growth driver," said Steger. "Here, too, Asia and especially China are expanding at an above-average rate."

For this reason, Engel is in the process of strengthening its sales and service in these markets. By establishing a regional hub in Thailand in October 2016, the company has already increased its overall presence in Southeast Asia – see Plasteurope.com of 06.10.2016. A new spare parts warehouse has just been opened, where parts worth EUR 8m are kept in stock for fast delivery to the ASEAN industry centres within 24 hours.

At present, the Engel group is investing more than EUR 100m in expanding and modernising its premises. At the company's headquarters in Schwertberg, new offices, training facilities and social rooms are being built, while the production halls and pilot plant are being expanded. The large machinery plants in St. Valentin / Austria and Shanghai / China are being extended – see Plasteurope.com of 08.11.2016 – and the new production hall in Shanghai is to be inaugurated in September.