Turnkey solutions for the Gulf region

ENGEL offers injection moulding turnkey solutions, and as a global leader, it places importance on flexibility, innovation and self-responsibility. Efficient turnkey solutions in injection moulding machines cover a host of other services such as process support, mould project planning, automation, services and training.

ENGEL's leading market position as an injection moulding machine manufacturer is founded on two pillars: business in innovative technical solutions as well as the efficient production of large volumes. Andreas Leitner, Sales Director Middle East at ENGEL Austria, shares with International Plastics News-Middle East and Africa (IRNEA) the company’s recent innovations, the growth prospects at hand and the regional markets of interest.
 

Mr. Andreas Leitner, Sales Director for Middle East, ENGEL Austria

IRNEA: Which new products has ENGEL introduced in recent times?

Mr. Leitner: Sustainability is very important when it comes to investment decisions in the Arab countries, and the significance of environmentally-friendly technology will continue to increase.

For the production of beverage caps, all-electric injection moulding machines are becoming increasingly popular. At ArabPlast in January this year, ENGEL, together with Uni-Cap, presented an all-electric ENGEL e-cap injection moulding machine producing one-piece 1881 caps for carbonated soft drinks. It is above all the melt flow rate of as low as 1.5 g/10 min of the poor-flow types of HDPE required to achieve the specified cap characteristics that define the high demands put on the injection moulding machine. Thanks to its direct drive unit, the ENGEL e-cap achieves the precision and performance needed for this application. Beyond that, its increased ejection and clamping force help it attain very short cycle time.

IRNEA: What growth prospects does the company see in the Middle Eastern region?

Mr. Leitner: The order situation is very good. In the field of closures and packaging we expect a growth above 10% and in the fields of Technical Moulding and Medical above 5% in the coming year.

ENGEL is positioned optimally to face the challenges in the Middle Eastern market. The Middle East sales team works closely with the packaging business unit at the ENGEL headquarters in Austria, which bundles the experience gained from projects in the packaging industry across the globe. Thanks to many years of experience in the industry, its outstanding expertise in system solutions, and its strong global presence, ENGEL is a reliable partner for all development and production processes.

ENGEL invests continuously in its distribution and service structure. Being close to the customer is essential to support our customers in the best possible way throughout the entire service life of the injection moulding machine, robot and system solution. This is the added value that ENGEL offers its customers worldwide.  

IRNEA: What new trends does the company expect in the market?

Mr. Leitner: We will see more and more single-piece closures for carbonated soft drinks. Our customer Uni-Cap is a pioneer in bringing the innovative lightweight single-piece 1881 cap to the Gulf States using ENGEL injection moulding technology. While this cap type has already become established in most parts of the world, the GCC countries have long remained the exception. Only the newest, state-of-the-art processing technology has allowed one-piece caps to also be used in regions with extreme temperatures of more than 50°C.

Another trend is that the petrochemical industry is seeking to use plastic pallets as a lightweight alternative to wood pallets. By doing this they reduce costs, drive sustainability and optimise their supply chain. The use of plastic pallets eliminates the need for chemical treatment of the pallets and simplifies the international inspection process.

IRNEA: Which regional markets hold potential for ENGEL?

Mr. Leitner: With altogether nine production locations on three continents, 29 sales and service subsidiaries and 60 representatives, ENGEL is active all over the world. In the 2014/15 financial year, ENGEL achieved a new record turnover of 1.07 billion Euros, and almost all regions have made a contribution to this success. The particularly dynamic regions are Europe, North America and China.
 

IRNEA: Is ENGEL planning to launch new products?

Mr. Leitner: "More than a machine" – this is our theme. Efficiency, productivity, availability, quality and flexibility are decisive for a competitive edge. But to achieve optimal results, you need to do more than just deploy the best injection moulding equipment; it is all about leveraging its potential to the max. inject 4.0 – this is ENGEL's approach for facing these challenges. To this end, ENGEL already has numerous products in its portfolio today that support customers in these optimisations, and further products will follow. For example, the iQ product family for intelligent process control and optimisation is growing.  

IRNEA: Which new strategic partnerships is the company targeting for growth and expansion?

Mr. Leitner: ENGEL has been collaborating with partner companies – for example prime mould makers and automation companies, which are also world-leading in their field – for many years and will continue this strategy. Please understand that we will not pick out any name as our partners differ from region to region and industry to industry.  Our long-standing, proven partnerships with specialists give you access to the fields of technology not specifically covered by these ENGEL core competencies.