Austria’s Wittmann Battenfeld (Vienna; www.wittmann-group.com) is expanding its operations around the world in order to meet the rising demand for its injection moulding machinery and automation technology. The company has outlined various projects in its quarterly in-house publication released on 6 June 2017. The Benelux branch, which recently moved to a new facility to undergo further expansion, is now planning to install a new SmartPower injection moulding machine as well as a "Wittmann W821" robot.

In the Czech Republic, Wittmann is investing an undisclosed sum into a new annex, which will comprise a second two-storey administration building for its service and engineering departments as well as another workshop for manufacturing and assembling automation and safety guard systems. Construction work started in May and the annex is expected to open in June 2018, which is also the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Czech office.

Wittmann said annual turnover of the Czech business quadrupled between 2010 and 2015, with the number of employees rising from 18 to 38, necessitating the need to further enlarge its premises. In addition, the group said it is seeing rising demand, particularly for automation, which it expects to grow intensely during the coming years.

The coming year will also see Wittmann Battenfeld UK trying to further increase its sales of injection moulding machines as well as expanding its market share for automation systems. With regard to Brexit and its potential impact on UK trade, the company said it is taking a positive view. Managing director Barry Hill said: “From our perspective we expect a slow Brexit process over years rather than months. One has to look at the positives. For example, I see that the UK trade-moulding sector has an opportunity to remarket itself as a competitive global workshop – and we see many moulders targeting export activity and doing just that.”