With its well-known international “playmobil” product, Geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co. KG (D-95132 Zirndorf; www.playmobil.de), Europe´s largest toy manufacturer in terms of sales, more than held its own last year despite particularly tough competition from “Pokemons” and other fashionable toys. The Brandstätter Group actually chalked up record sales of EUR 243m (up 13%) in its core business, above all due to the above-average growth on foreign markets, where 63% of all playmobil games currently end up. In view of the rather tense economic situation for traditional toys, Marketing Manager Oswald Bayer was very relieved at the positive sales development. “Fortunately, the special fascination which playmobil has on children is very durable.”

For 2001, the toy manufacturer would be very happy indeed with real growth in the region of 8 or 9%. The Marketing Manager was also optimistic about the good image and high quality of many of the company´s new products. Apart from the traditional lines, the product range also includes a number of modern items such as remote-controlled vehicles and a playmobil airport.

To manufacture the toy figures and systems, 363 new injection moulds worth around EUR 10m were introduced in 2000, around two thirds of them from the company´s own mould design centre in Zirndorf and the Inmold mould-building facility on the island of Malta. Some 9,100 t plastics were processed last year, plus around 1,000 t regenerated material. Brandstätter´s mould manufacturing department with its many complex multi-component moulds has, says the company, developed into one of the top facilities within the industry.