The good economic situation in Germany and eastern Europe, particularly with regard to construction, has helped Austrian EPS processor Hirsch Servo (Glanegg; www.hirsch-gruppe.com) generate record sales and profits. Revenues rose 17% to EUR 114m in the fiscal year ending 31 March 2018, and earnings before taxes were more than one and a half times higher at EUR 12.6m.

At least in sales terms, the company expects the peak is yet to come. A new record high is anticipated in the current fiscal year 2018/19, following the company's acquisition of Rigips' EPS insulating board business six months ago – see Plasteurope.com of 07.02.2018 – and 66% of IsoBouw (Abstatt / Germany; www.isobouw.de) in May 2018. "This year, sales will more than double to around EUR 250m," said board member Harald Kogler to local media.

Expansion plans are also in the pipeline. The Austrian company is setting up another production site for EPS insulation boards in Ukraine and, according to local media, another plant in Uzbekistan is in the works. Hirsch Servo has around 1,200 employees and 20 locations in Austria, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Romania and Slovakia. In the latter three countries, the company claims to be one of the market leaders for EPS insulation materials. This product group accounted for 70% of its sales in the previous fiscal year. Hirsch Servo's remaining business activities include the production of EPS packaging as well as machinery manufacturing.