Although 2002 was one of the worst years ever for the plastics machine building industry in German-speaking countries, SML Maschinengesellschaft mbH (A-4860 Lenzing; www.sml.at) managed to lift its sales by 17% to EUR 47m. Following the acquisition of the roller and machine manufacturer Plammer Maschinen in January 2002 (see PIE 2, 2002), SML had budgeted for EUR 45m, so the result was better than expected.

SML specialises in multi-layer film lines and was taken over in 1995 by Starlinger Group (A-1060 Vienna; www.starlinger.com) with 109 employees from Lenzing AG. It now has a workforce of 166. Other sister companies in the group are Starlinger & Co., which produces machinery for plastic bags (“Big Bags”), Maplan (A-2650 Ternitz; www.maplan.at), which manufactures rubber injection moulding machines, and, since June 2002, Georg Sahm GmbH & Co. KG (D-37257 Eschwege; www.sahmwinder.com), which is specialised in winding equipment.

SML recently reported a continuing good order book situation for 2003. Quite recently, for example, the twelfth unit for manufacturing breathable film for diaper production was sold to the Czech Republic for EUR 3.6m. The company puts its market share for these machines in Europe at 70%.