The Austrian company SIG Combibloc GmbH (Industriestr. 3, A-5760 Saalfelden) recently published its business figures for 1997. The SIG Combibloc Group (see also Plasteurope.com 06, 1998), a systems supplier for drink cartons and the relevant filling technology, achieved total sales on the European, American and Asian markets of around DEM 1.3bn. This represents a growth of around 13%. The company, together with its German sister company in Linnich, changed its name fairly recently from PKL Verpackungssysteme GmbH to SIG Combibloc GmbH. Both firms belong to the SIG Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft Group.

The Austrian company succeeded in raising its sales in 1997 by around 33% to ATS 1.973bn (just under DEM 280m). Like last year, exports accounted for about 80% of total sales. The most important export countries in eastern Europe are Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The growth markets are Poland, Croatia, Macedonia and, above all, Russia. The Group is also expecting growth to continue on the South-east Asian and South American markets. With capacities of 10,000-12,000 drink cartons per hour, the Combibloc system is, the company says, currently the fastest aseptic filling technology for drink cartons in the world.

READER SERVICE: Press release from SIG Combibloc Austria on the 1997 financial year of the SIC Combibloc Group, worldwide and in Austria: PIE-No. 42436 – Company portrait brochure PKL / Combibloc: PIE-No. 42089 – Brochure: Combibloc program: PIE-No. 42090 – Annual Report 1997 of SIG Holding AG: PIE-No. 42502 (all documents in German).