A new owner has been found for insolvent Austrian machinery manufacturer Battenfeld Injection Moulding (Kottingbrunn; www.battenfeld-imt.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 08.01.2008, 09.01.2008 and 11.01.2008. On 1 April 2008 it will be acquired by Wittmann Kunststoffgeräte, part of the international manufacturer of robots and automation systems for the plastics industry Wittmann Group (Vienna / Austria; www.wittmann-robot.com).

The deal, which includes Battenfeld’s Kottingbrunn headquarters and production site, worldwide sales subsidiaries and the German customer service and spare parts units, has been approved approval by the board of creditors, but not yet by anti-trust authorities. It comes just under the wire for Battenfeld. The company only had funds to stay afloat until the end of March. At a press conference in St. Pölten / Austria on 14 March, it was revealed that the new owner will preserve 400 of the 472 affected jobs.

Family-owned Wittmann manufactures what it calls a “comprehensive and innovative” range of peripheral devices for the plastics industry, including robots and automation equipment, automatic material supply and drying, in addition to plastics recycling, tool tempering and cooling. Together with the Battenfeld group it will employ 1,500 people worldwide in future. Both companies will continue to offer their products and services separately.