HAITIAN / ZHAFIR
Chinese machine manufacturer aims at leading world position / First models to come from German production facility at the end of 2008
Chinese machine manufacturer Ningbo Haitian Group (Ningbo, Zhejiang / China) is clearly striving to take a leading position in the injection moulding machine market. Four new plants will have been built by 2008, financed by the IPO of a newly founded holding company, Haitian International Holdings. The company plans to build more than 20,000 machines in 2007. Sales and marketing will be globally expanded with the aim of moving into higher-value segments. At "K 2007", the company will present several new machines for export.
In the first half of 2007, Haitian posted sales equivalent to EUR 183m (EUR 151.8m in the same period last year). This resulted in gross earnings of EUR 51.8m with net profits of EUR 27.8m (EUR 23m). In terms of sales, the company claims to be the world number five behind Husky, Engel, KraussMaffei and Toshiba.
Sales were split in approximately equal parts over the three machine segments with a slight emphasis on the smaller models with a clamping force up to 2,000 kN, following the pattern in previous years. Exports account for 30% of sales. Geographically, South-East Asia and eastern Europe head the sales list, each with 25%, followed by South America (19%) and the Middle East (14%). Western Europe is in fifth place with 6%. In China, Haitian claims to have a market share of 32%.
The IPO of Haitian International at the end of 2006 – in which a 25% stake has been sold publicly, the rest belongs to the management – yielded funds equivalent to EUR 130m. The company intends to spend around half of this on expanding the plants at its main site in Ningbo and in Guangzhou / China. A start has also been made on the building a new plant in Wuxi, mainly for models with lower clamping forces.
On completion of these projects, capacity is expected to rise from the current 22,000 machines a year to 30,000 in 2009. Output this year is likely to top 20,000 units (2006: 18,000), executive chairman Zhang Jianming explained during a meeting in Ebermannsdorf / Germany. The other income from the stock market floatation will go into the expansion of R&D activities and towards redeeming debts and expanding the marketing network in China, Russia, India and North Africa.
The additional capacity is targeted at South-East Asia, where, in the view of chief strategist Helmar Franz, "an enormous market is growing for everyday items like toothbrushes and washing machines" – all applications for inexpensive standard machines. In addition, it wants to step up sales of large machines for the automotive industry and the premium segment. The latter is to be achieved with the company's "Zhafir" brand, with which Haitian aims to grow into the high-tech segment. It intends to "do a great deal to strengthen its position in these strategically important markets" in North America, western Europe and Japan, Franz explained, with the aim of winning multi-national companies as customers.
Haitian wants to position its new subsidiary Zhafir Plastics Machinery (Ebermannsdorf / Germany, www.zhafir.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 07.09.2007 – as an independent brand for high-quality machines. The plant planned in Ebermannsdorf will have an area of 8,000 m² and, from September 2008, will assemble the "Mercury" and "Venus" series, on which Haitian is pinning enormous hopes. Venus is a further development of the all-electric HTD range taken over by Haitian. The machines will be available with clamping forces of between 400 and 4,000 kN.
In the first half of 2007, Haitian posted sales equivalent to EUR 183m (EUR 151.8m in the same period last year). This resulted in gross earnings of EUR 51.8m with net profits of EUR 27.8m (EUR 23m). In terms of sales, the company claims to be the world number five behind Husky, Engel, KraussMaffei and Toshiba.
Sales were split in approximately equal parts over the three machine segments with a slight emphasis on the smaller models with a clamping force up to 2,000 kN, following the pattern in previous years. Exports account for 30% of sales. Geographically, South-East Asia and eastern Europe head the sales list, each with 25%, followed by South America (19%) and the Middle East (14%). Western Europe is in fifth place with 6%. In China, Haitian claims to have a market share of 32%.
The IPO of Haitian International at the end of 2006 – in which a 25% stake has been sold publicly, the rest belongs to the management – yielded funds equivalent to EUR 130m. The company intends to spend around half of this on expanding the plants at its main site in Ningbo and in Guangzhou / China. A start has also been made on the building a new plant in Wuxi, mainly for models with lower clamping forces.
On completion of these projects, capacity is expected to rise from the current 22,000 machines a year to 30,000 in 2009. Output this year is likely to top 20,000 units (2006: 18,000), executive chairman Zhang Jianming explained during a meeting in Ebermannsdorf / Germany. The other income from the stock market floatation will go into the expansion of R&D activities and towards redeeming debts and expanding the marketing network in China, Russia, India and North Africa.
The additional capacity is targeted at South-East Asia, where, in the view of chief strategist Helmar Franz, "an enormous market is growing for everyday items like toothbrushes and washing machines" – all applications for inexpensive standard machines. In addition, it wants to step up sales of large machines for the automotive industry and the premium segment. The latter is to be achieved with the company's "Zhafir" brand, with which Haitian aims to grow into the high-tech segment. It intends to "do a great deal to strengthen its position in these strategically important markets" in North America, western Europe and Japan, Franz explained, with the aim of winning multi-national companies as customers.
Haitian wants to position its new subsidiary Zhafir Plastics Machinery (Ebermannsdorf / Germany, www.zhafir.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 07.09.2007 – as an independent brand for high-quality machines. The plant planned in Ebermannsdorf will have an area of 8,000 m² and, from September 2008, will assemble the "Mercury" and "Venus" series, on which Haitian is pinning enormous hopes. Venus is a further development of the all-electric HTD range taken over by Haitian. The machines will be available with clamping forces of between 400 and 4,000 kN.
 The new "Venus" range from the German Haitian subsidiary Zhafir Plastics. (Photo: Haitian / Zhafir) |
To bridge the period up to production start-up, the Venus models will initially be built by the sister company Ningbo Zhafir Plastics Machinery (Ningbo, Zheijang / China). Prices are likely to be 20-25% below those of its competitors Fanuc and Sumitomo. The all-electric Mercury, for which the complete concept should be in place by the end of 2007, was developed by Zhafir engineers under Steffen Franz. At the turn of 2008/2009 the first machines from the German assembly line should be ready for the market.
Haitian itself will showcase its "Mars" machines at K 2007, in which claimed energy savings of 20-70% can be achieved by switching off the hydraulic pump. The reaction time does not suffer as a result, says the company. Mars will become available with 16 different clamping forces between 600 and 60,000 kN. In the second half of 2007, the range will initially comprise machines up to 24,000 kN and will also be available for export.
Haitian itself will showcase its "Mars" machines at K 2007, in which claimed energy savings of 20-70% can be achieved by switching off the hydraulic pump. The reaction time does not suffer as a result, says the company. Mars will become available with 16 different clamping forces between 600 and 60,000 kN. In the second half of 2007, the range will initially comprise machines up to 24,000 kN and will also be available for export.
17.10.2007 Plasteurope.com 744 [209163-0]
Published on 17.10.2007
German version of this article...