At the end of 2001, the Austrian company HTP High Tech Plastics AG (A-7201 Neudörfl; www.htp.at) merged RKW Kunststofftechnik GmbH (A-8753 Fohnsdorf; www.rkw-kunststoff.at), which was taken over by the company in September 2001, with HTP Formenbau GmbH, formerly known as AT&S Formenbau, which was also taken over in the spring of 2001 into HTP Fohnsdorf GmbH. As planned, this site becomes the automotive headquarters of the plastics processing company.

At the same time, HTP has announced their plans for entering the US automotive market. The company has acquired 26% of shares in the US competitor SPI LLC (48315 Shelby TWP, Michigan/USA). There is a five-year option for a take over of the majority of the company´s shares. A report states that SPI is operating in the area of injection moulding. With this acquisition HTP will gain access to “all system houses in the US as well as to leading automotive companies such as Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler”. The Fohnsdorf location will become responsible for all engineering and mould-making operations for the automotive market. Production and customer care will remain in the US.