Due to the increasing consolidation that has taken place recently in the Swiss plastics industry, polymer consumption in the injection moulding segment has declined in recent years. While, five years ago, around 270 companies processed 163,000 t of plastics by injection moulding, in 2008 there were only about 240 companies processing 142,000 t by this method. That and many other details about the Swiss injection moulding market can be found in the latest edition of the industry report from the market research company Applied Market Information Ltd (AMI, Bristol / UK; www.amiplastics.com) on the Swiss injection moulding industry. Of Switzerland's total thermoplastic consumption in 2008 of 484,000 t, injection moulding accounted for 29%.

The main material used is PP, and 82% of the injection moulders listed by AMI work with this polymer. The most important customer markets for Swiss injection moulders are the electrical/electronics industry and medical technology, reflecting the high level of development and technical know-how of Swiss converters. In volume terms, products for the packaging industry dominate. Well-known players with Swiss manufacturing plants include transport packaging specialists Schoeller Arca Systems (Romont; www.schoellerarcasystems.com) and Georg Utz (Bremgarten; www.georgutz.com), PET preform manufacturer Resilux (Bilton; www.resilux.com), closure manufacturer Crown Obrist (Reinach; www.crowncork.com), and DVD packaging producer Carthuplas (Muri; www.carthuplas.com).

The leading technical injection moulder based in Switzerland is Forteq (Niedau; www.forteq.ch), which formerly belonged to Mikron. Toy manufacturer Lego (Billund / Denmark; www.lego.com), at one time a very big customer for ABS, closed its injection moulding facility in Switzerland in 2006, and another formerly strong injection moulding company Sarna Kunststoff Holding has since pulled out of this area of business. A particularly important role in the medical supply segment is played by manufacturer Gerresheimer Wilden (Küssnacht; www.wilden.ch), which accounts for a large proportion of the polycarbonate consumption.

Book Service:
AMI´s "Guide to the Injection Moulding Industry in Switzerland", German/English, 4th edition, 2008, soft cover, 150 pages: EUR 170.00 + VAT, PIE No: 47364, Gold CD: EUR 340.00 + VAT, PIE No: 47365.