Industry Europe – Issue 25.6

VOLUME 25/6 – 2015

The world of European manufacturing

ES-SYSTEM LIGHTS THE WAY CUSTOMISED REFRIGERATION SOLUTIONS FROM IARP ZUE – POLAND’S SPECIALIST IN RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE

METALS - A VITAL RESOURCE

OPINION

PETERMERCER

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Anglo-Saxon attitudes It seems history is to blame for Britain’s problems with the EU.

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t’s never much fun being late for a party.

Most of the time you end up in the kitchen with all the other losers. Maybe that’s what happed to Britain when it was late in joining Europe’s party, all those years ago.

On the other hand it wasn’t entirely its fault – the host kept shutting the door in its face. Robert Towns, in his book ‘The English & Their History’, has to get through more than 2000 years of Englishness but he still manages to give a succinct account of the 60 years in which England was first knocking on Europe’s door and then scratching to be let out. So he reminds us that when Schuman’s Coal and Steel Community was set up in 1951 Britain was given 48 hours to accept it or not. The foreign minister at the time, Ernest Bevin, thought not – he was reported to have complained that the plan’s supranational aspirations opened up ‘a Pandora’s box full of Trojan horses’ – and his successor Herbert Morrison agreed. “The Durham miners won’t wear it,” he said. And, anyway, in 1950 Europe took only 10 per cent of Britain’s exports – New Zealand alone took more than Germany.

By the late 1950s, after the Europeans had set up the European Economic Community, we weren’t so sure. So in 1958 Britain tried to negotiate a free-trade agreement with the EEC. The new French president, de Gaulle, said ‘non’. In 1961 the Macmillan government applied for full membership; in January 1963 de Gaulle said ‘non’ again.

Harold Wilson had another go a few years later and the French ‘non’, in 1967, was even ruder. Britain, said de Gaulle, was driven by desperation and was economically incapable of membership; it was ‘a wornout people’.

He was right about the desperation. The British establishment had bought into the narrative of the country’s inexorable decline and saw joining the EEC as the only way to hold on to its pretensions to be a world

power. The French had the same idea – de Gaulle was determined to make France the leader of Europe and was not about to share leadership with Britain. He preferred to be the sole cock on a small dunghill rather than one of two on a bigger one, as Macmillan explained to President Kennedy. He also thought that Britain’s history of worldwide trade and Empire would make it a disruptive force in the building of a truly ‘European Europe’. The British too were not naïve about the challenge of membership. Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd said that the question was “how to live with the Common Market economically and turn its political effects into channels harmless to us.” That was just what de Gaulle thought the British would try to do and it is still the question in 2015.

Swallowing the lot But when the Heath government came knocking again in the early 1970s the myth – and to an extent the reality – of decline had taken an even tighter hold. The fear was that outside the EEC the country would decline into a ‘greater Sweden’, self-evidently a fate worse than death. So despite the warning of the chief negotiator Sir Con O’Neil that the EEC was all about power and that ‘none of its policies was essential to us; many of them were objectionable’, the government decided it had no choice but to ‘swallow the lot’ – including the CAP and common access to its fishing grounds. The politicians concealed, maybe even from themselves, the commitment to ‘ever-closer union’ that had been the explicit political intention of the EEC since the 1957 Treaty of Rome.

Some people were happy. The CAP increased British food costs by 40 per cent and farmed acreage returned to the levels of 1870. An East Anglian joke was that the new crop rotation was ‘barley, barley, world cruise, barley’. But Towns suggests that maybe Brit-

ain had not joined too late but too early; in its haste the country avoided crucial questions of what membership ultimately involved in terms of power and sovereignty – questions which remain unresolved today. And a few months after it did join, the Yom Kippur war and the dramatic rise in oil prices brought Europe’s years of rapid growth to a decisive end.

In the late 1980s Britain had another go at making the EU less ‘objectionable’. The Thatcher government promoted the Single European Act in the hope of transforming the Community into a true market in which the free movement of goods, people, services and capital would be assured and the Brussels bureaucracy would simply wither away. The Commission President Jacques Delors had other ideas; he argued rather that the Commission’s powers had to be extended into the environmental, social, monetary and regional fields to create not a free trade zone but “a shelter in a world turned upside down by globalisation.”

What was more, he looked forward to full federation by 2000 – it would be national parliaments that would ‘wither away’. It was that vision that informed the 1992 Maastricht Treaty which tied the Single Market to Economic and Monetary Union with a single currency by 2002.

The rest, as they say, is history. Britain’s opt out from both the Social Charter and the single currency put the country on a radically divergent path from the EU core.

And as the endless crises of the eurozone, following the crash of 2008, push it towards deeper fiscal and political integration – ever closer union indeed – the question of Britain is going to have to be addressed – and not just by the British.

Even if associate membership is the best we can hope for that would be better than the absurd pretence that we are the heart and soul of the party. We never have been. We have always been stuck in the kitchen. n Industry Europe 1

CONTENTS Editor Peter Mercer

Production Manager Tania Balderson

Deputy Editor Victoria Hattersley

Administration Amber Dawson Kayleigh Harvey

Profile Writers Abigail Saltmarsh Felicity Landon Piotr Sadowski Emma-Jane Batey Barbara Rossi Philip Yorke Edina Sin

Advertising Manager Andrew Briggs Sector Managers Matthew Howe Milada Preslova Massimo Ragazzo Helen Leisi Anna Dudek Stephen Moore Kevin Gambrill Clayton Green Mauro Berini Dominic Kurkowski Pavlina Kutlakova

Art Director Gareth Harrey Art Editor Rob Czerwinski Designers Leon Esterhuizen Paul Abbott

Metals Industry p6

Comment 1 4

Opinion Anglo-Saxon attitudes Bill Jamieson Eurozone – anything is better than Japan

Metals Industry 6

A strategic resource European metals industry hit by

global overcapacity

9 12

Metal news The latest from the industry Revolutionary ironmaking process cuts both carbon and costs Groundbreaking conversion

technology from Tata Steel

News

Web Development Neil Robertson

Industry Europe Alkmaar House, Alkmaar Way, Norwich, Norfolk, NR6 6BF, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1603 414444 Fax: +44 (0)1603 779850 Email: photos@industryeurope.net adcopy@industryeurope.net Web: www.industryeurope.net

14 16 18 19 20 21

Reports 24 25

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Focus on Germany Allan Hall reports from Berlin Focus on France Ian Sparks reports from Paris

Aerospace & Defence 26

© Industry Europe 2015 No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form for any purpose, other than short sections for the purpose of review, without prior consent of the publisher.

Winning business New orders and contracts Linking up Combining strengths Moving on Relocations and expansions Industry people Appointments Technology spotlight Advances in technology Notice board New products and processes

On the rise Zodiac Aerospace

Automation & Tooling 30

Transforming power supply parameters ABB

Automotive 34 37 46 50 54

Turbocharged growth BorgWarner Advanced technology for local needs Bosch Global leaders in production efficiency Dürr Group Old brand with a new look HAJDU Power to the people Honda Power

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2 Industry Europe

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62 65

Global leader in high-pressure vessels Schoeller-Bleckmann Nitec

The ingredients for success K+S Kali Fertiliser business Nitrogénművek

VOL 25/6

Above: IARP p120

Construction 70 75 84

Shining a light ES-SYSTEM Group Experts in transport infrastructure ZUE Bridging the future Zagreb Montaža Group

Consumer Goods Above: ABB p30 Below: Dürr Group p46

87 Sustainable success Beiersdorf 94 Staying ahead of the curve Ontex 100 Spreading good health Vandemoortele

Above: CLAAS p104 Below: Gruppo Piantoni p138

Heavy Vehicles 104 A touch of Claas CLAAS 108 Delivering advanced axle solutions Meritor HVS

HVAC & R 112

116 120

Quality and innovation at any temperature Cisaplast

Advanced heating technology Riello Group Innovators, not imitators IARP

Metals & Metalworking 130 134

138

Believe in steel Outokumpu Leaders in precision metalworking Poland Tokai Okaya

Ready to serve international markets Gruppo Piantoni

Above: Astra Rail p146 Below: RadTech p166

Pharmaceuticals 143 Ethical pharma producer Takeda

Above: K+S Kali p62 Below: ZUE p75

Rail 146 On a roll Astra Rail

Transport & Logistics 150 Pure logic Broekman Logistics

Also in this issue…

154 161 166 170 173

Energised intelligence BMZ Wire and rope solutions for the world Bridon A cure all RadTech Explosive future Explosia Building a global brand footprint ETI Industry Europe 3

COMMENT

BILLJAMIESON

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Executive Editor of The Scotsman

Eurozone – anything is better than Japan In a turbulent world even Europe’s modest growth is welcome.

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global slowdown cushioned; a Greek implosion averted; Germany unruffled; France placid: what has been by any standards a turbulent year for the world economy has left Europe largely unscathed.

Indeed, its economies have been doing rather better than expected – though expectations were never high.

Growth performance across the eurozone remains firmly stuck at between one and two per cent: Germany better than this, France worse. It hardly signals an economic region firing on all cylinders. But we should celebrate such modest growth in current circumstances more than we do: amid the gyrations of China’s economy, the sharp downturns in emerging markets and the slump in the global energy and commodity sectors it could all be so much worse.

The first three months of 2015 saw growth in the 19-strong euro area picking up to 0.5 per cent and slowing only a little to 0.4 per cent in the April-June period.

Eurozone GDP growth has been locked in a narrow range around 0.4 per cent quarteron-quarter since the third quarter of 2014.

Two factors explain this quiet resilience.

First, the fall in oil prices, while causing problems for Norway and the north-east of Scotland, has broadly acted as a tax cut across the eurozone. It has worked to boost consumer spending, still the main growth driver despite all the exhortations for more balanced economic growth.

And second, low inflation has enabled the European Central Bank to keep interest rates ultra-low. Indeed, the spectre that continues to haunt all Western central banks is not consumer spending overheating or bottlenecks in the business sector but a lapse into prolonged Japan-style stagnation: not one but two decades of near moribund growth.

To stave off this outcome the ECB embarked, albeit with notable delay and foot-dragging, on Quantitative Easing – pro4 Industry Europe

viding money to the banks to enable them to boost lending and buy financial assets.

And far from pulling back on this policy, ECB governor Mario Draghi has signalled he is prepared to step up the QE programme.

These two developments have brought about a third benefit for the eurozone, though one frustrating for UK exporters. It has helped to keep the euro lower than it would otherwise have been, helping eurozone – and especially German – exporters to cope with the downturn in demand from China.

Annual eurozone GDP growth is expected to have edged up to 1.7 per cent in the third quarter – the best annual growth rate since the second quarter of 2011.

Annual eurozone GDP growth is expected to have edged up to 1.7 per cent in the third quarter – the best annual growth rate since the second quarter of 2011. Preliminary data out already show that Spanish GDP growth held up pretty well at 0.8 per cent quarter-on-quarter. In Germany third quarter GDP growth is expected to have marked time at around 0.4–0.5 per cent.

Higher consumer spending of late has been making a big contribution to this growth tick-over. And the number of eurozone unemployed fell by 414,000 in the third quarter. Retail sales volumes grew 0.6 per cent in the July–September period, up from 0.4 per cent growth in the previous three months.

However, external headwinds continue.

Eurozone total goods and services exports fell 4.1 per cent month-on-month in August while imports dipped by a more modest 1.5 per cent month-on-month.

Slow ahead – but better than stop What of the future? The euro area is likely to maintain a steady if unglamorous pace of recovery. The slowdown in China and emerging economies – accounting for some 25 per cent of eurozone exports – will hurt exporting companies. Germany in particular will be affected since it has been successfully exporting investment goods and luxury cars.

Already, German industrial orders have been falling while industrial production declined in the third quarter. Industrial output posted its steepest drop in more than a year in September, raising concerns that Europe’s biggest economy may feel a year-end chill from a slowdown in emerging markets.

The second straight fall in production, on the back of a sharp decline in industrial orders in September, prompted several economists to scale back their forecasts for German growth.

Other data for September showed France’s trade deficit has widened further, but Spain reported a bigger rise in industrial output than expected.

Despite the drop in output in Germany, several economists remained upbeat, noting that business surveys suggested recent weak data may mark just a temporary summer blip rather than the start of a prolonged slowdown.

And the ECB is poised to loosen monetary policy still further when its governing council meets in December. Spending on refugees, especially in Germany, should provide a modest fiscal stimulus – though the political fall-out for Chancellor Angela Merkel is unlikely to be anything like as benign.

Overall, the eurozone should be able to sustain steady growth over the coming months, barring a major downturn in global growth. While it is hard to see it enjoying a growth spurt, it should continue to show resilience. It looks on course for GDP growth of 1.6 per cent this year, edging up n to 1.7 per cent in 2016.

A STRATEGIC RESOURCE The European metals industry has been hit hard by global overcapacity, but it still has a vital role to play in the wider economy. Sean Milmo reports.

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he European metals sector is facing huge challenges at the moment, the outcome of which could dictate its longterm future within the region’s economy.

A major problem is the impact of production overcapacity in China, which has led to a flood of low-priced imports, particularly of steel and aluminium, stemming from a growth slowdown in the country This may be resolved over the next few years as Chinese domestic demand picks up to provide a more equal balance between supply and demand. However, in the longer term competition on the global arena from the metals industries of China and other emerging markets could potentially be a severe threat.

In addition, European metals producers face difficulties at home from continued high energy costs – which put them at a competitive disadvantage internationally – and the effects of climate change measures from the European Union.

6 Industry Europe

Much of the European metals industry’s troubles – from imports and issues like energy costs – are affecting the bulk end of the sector the most. This has prompted commentators and even politicians to urge the industry to concentrate less on defending its commodities businesses and more on the added value and higher tech sections.

Industry representatives are stressing the importance of the sector maintaining a strong commodity segment to provide a crucial support for a series of value chains which in their entirety can be world leaders. While metals are crucial materials in sectors like transport, engineering and construction, they are also vital to technologies in high tech segments, such as electronics and aerospace.

The industry also believes that it can make a massive contribution to Europe achieving its ambitious aims on climate change. The European copper industry reckons that its sector alone can make substantial cuts to CO2 emissions through the supplies of its

metal to downstream industrial, residential and service sectors.

“It is not a pipe dream,” says the European Copper Institute (ECI) in a recent report on the decarbonisation of Europe. “By 2050, copper can reduce the European Union’s carbon emissions by 25 per cent – more than 1100 million tonnes per year. With proper investment in this oldest of mined metals, copper can help to achieve the decarbonisation goals of the European Commission.”

The steel, aluminium and copper industries feel they have a big role to play in enabling the European Union to establish circular economies in which the resource value of products are retained as long as possible. The industry’s message is that this is essential not only to combating global warming but also to making the best use of resources which are often scarce.

“A strong and innovative steel sector is key to meeting the EU’s objectives for a prosperous, sustainable, resource-efficient

and low-carbon European economy,” says Robrecht Himpe, president of the European Steel Association (Eurofer).

Metal products are especially suitable for reusing, refurbishing and recycling. Some copper products are still being reused decades after they were first placed on the market, while aluminium products have been recording some of the highest recycling rates of any sector in Europe.

“The retention of the (aluminium) industry’s value chain offers the biggest potential in terms of growth and employment along with climate and environmental objectives,” Roeland Baan, chairman, European Aluminium Association, told a conference late last year in Rome.

Radical market changes Yet most of the main metals sectors in Europe have been taking a battering over the past 1–2 years from the effects of radical changes in the global metals market. This has raised doubts about their long-term survival as industries covering a full range of products from the bulk to the top premium categories.

The biggest influence behind the changes has been China, which has been rapidly expanding metals manufacturing capacity – particularly in steel and aluminium but also smaller segments like nickel pig iron.

A relatively sudden decline in the country’s fast growth has led to excess metals output

which has been diverted into export markets, particularly those in Europe. Chinese exporters have been able to take advantage of state subsidies and export rebates to slash their prices so that metal prices have been tumbling across the globe.

Furthermore, the slowdown in China has hit other emerging economies which have also been left with surplus output. A lot of this has been sold off in Europe as well, putting additional pressure on prices.

A fall in steel prices last year has continued into 2015, reflecting a sharp drop in prices for iron ore and scrap steel. Global prices of the two main sources of steel raw materials have dived by around 65 per cent since last year to below $50 per tonne.

Aluminium prices have plummeted by around 30 per cent in the past year to levels similar those in the 2008 financial crisis. Prices of copper have dropped by around 25 per cent in a year so that they are now close to half of what they were five years ago.

Nickel prices are nearly 40 per cent below those of a year ago and close to three times lower than five years ago. Zinc prices have gone down by around a third in a year but unlike most other major metals are still higher than they were after the 2008 debacle.

While prices have been going down, imports into Europe, especially of steel and aluminium, have been increasing sharply.

Steel imports into Europe are predicted

by Eurofer to rise by 10 per cent this year, after a 12 per cent increase in 2014. In the second quarter of this year imports spiked by 16 per cent.

Chinese producers accounted for a large proportion of the imports as the country’s total steel exports are now at levels four times higher than they were in 2009. Imports have also been increasing, although to a lesser extent, from Russia and Ukraine. Steel imports from all three countries into Europe amount to 60 per cent of the total.

The EAA warned this summer that Chinese exports of aluminium products to Europe had risen by almost 30 per cent since the beginning of 2015. In addition, in most market segments the growth of these exports to Europe was 2–3 times larger than the growth of Chinese aluminium exports to the rest of the world.

The combination of falling prices and rising imports, not just in Europe but across the world, are now at levels which are dragging large proportions of commodity metal producers into the red.

However, in most sectors there is little sign of sufficient capacity cutbacks to bring supply and demand into closer balance to bring about a recovery in prices.

“In aluminium, we have the all-in price showing that around 60 per cent of the Chinese smelters are loss making at current price levels,” Julian Kettle, vice-chairman of Industry Europe 7

metals and mining research at the UK-based analysts Wood Mackenzie, told a LME Week meeting in London in October. “But in China, state support and the need to generate VAT receipts and power cross-subsidies will mean that cutbacks will be a long time coming.”

In nickel 55 per cent of the global industry is loss making on a cash basis at current price levels. “But there appears to be little appetite to cut capacity with just 30,000 tonnes of production cutbacks so far,” said Mr Kettle.

Of all the major metals, zinc is probably the best positioned in terms of supply/demand balance with only 10–15 per cent of zinc miners losing cash at current price levels, according to Mr Kettle.

Lower prices for bulk metals have been benefiting metal product manufacturers further up the value chain, who are paying less for their raw materials. Cheaper metals are also helping to boost demand for metal products among end-users.

Overall steel demand has been increasing in Europe, even in the UK which is one of the few countries to be hit by steel capacity closures. Steel consumption in Europe is

8 Industry Europe

forecast by Eurofer to go up by 2 per cent in 2015 and close to the same level next year.

Demand for aluminium has been growing in segments like transport, packaging, engineering and other sectors where low volume and low weight materials are required. “The full potential of reducing weight with aluminium (in automobiles) remains untapped,” said Gerd Goetz, EAA director general.

However the surge in imports of lower grade metals has generated tensions along value chains in Europe, particularly after the European Commission has taken anti-dumping actions against products to increase prices of imported steel products.

Eurofer welcomed a decision in October by the European Commission to impose Minimum Import Prices (MIPs) for grain oriented electrical steel (GOES), used to make transformers. The imports come from China, Japan, Korea, Russia and the US. “The European Commission found evidence of severe dumping of GOES on the EU market,” said Axel Eggert, Eurofer’s director general. “The severe dumping has resulted in significant losses for EU producers and has damagingly undermined (by the

sourcing dumped products) the EU’s GOEStransformer value chain.”

T&D Europe, representing electricity transmission and distribution equipment manufacturers, expressed in a statement its disappointment regarding the antidumping since “it does not represent a fair and balanced outcome.”

It claimed that the introduction of MIPs would “create an unnecessary market distortion to the detriment of the EU transformer industry.”

Most analysts are predicting continued low metal prices amidst further rises in cheap imports into Europe and other developed regions for a few more years at least.

Associations like Eurofer and the EAA are warning that the imports, particularly from China, are already making inroads into added-value segments. The volume of finished Chinese steel products soared by 40 per cent year-on-year. There have been similarly large increases in imports of Chinese semi-finished aluminium products.

There is a danger that as exporters like China move into higher grade products, established European value chains will become disjointed and EU ambitions to set up sectors based on n circular economies will be undermined.

NEWS

New developments in the Metals industry

INDUSTRYNEWS

voestalpine awarded major Hydro agrees to sell aluminium rolling mill in Italy has entered into a binding agreement to sell its aluminium rolling mill in Cisterna di Latina, Italy, to contract for pipeline project Hydro Rolling Mills International GmbH. Hydro’s rolling mill in Cisterna di Latina produces aluminium rolled prodin the United Arab Emirates ucts, mainly standard strip and sheet, as well as plain foil. Through the agreement, Rolling Mills International GmbH will acquire 100% of the shares in Hydro Aluminium Slim SpA. Rolling Mills International GmbH is controlled by Quantum Capital Partners AG, a Munich-based investment company.

Hydro Aluminium Slim SpA has around 430 employees and a production capacity of around 92,000 metric tonnes of rolled products per year. The plant was established in 1964, and Hydro took over the plant in 2002 as part of the acquisition of German aluminium producer VAW. Visit: www.hydro.com

DNB office building wins European Steel Design award

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ver the next two years Abu Dhabi is constructing a 114km high-pressure IGD-E pipeline to supply natural gas extracted in the Arabian Gulf to the city, in order to meet its 15% annual growth in demand for natural gas. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2017, enabling an additional 11 million cubic metres of natural gas to be produced and piped daily. Having succeeded in demonstrating the quality of its products, voestalpine Grobblech GmbH is supplying its long-term partner, Indian tube manufacturer Jindal SAW, with 95,000 tonnes of sour-gas-resistant linepipe plates for the pipeline construction. The material will be processed on site into pipes with a diameter of around a metre (42 inches) by the partner company on behalf of gas company GASCO which is in charge of the project.

The challenge of the IGD-E natural gas project lies in the need to transport sour, i.e. unrefined, gas. This places extreme quality demands on the transport pipeline itself. Production of the linepipe plates is regarded as highly quality-critical: The pipes require especially thick walls of 42 to 46 mm in order to withstand extreme operating pressures, as well as the necessary material strength. “Only a very few manufacturers worldwide are able to meet these particular specifications,” explains Herbert Eibensteiner, member of the management board of voestalpine AG and head of the Steel division.

Visit: www.voestalpine.com

Sapa restructures extrusion business in Sweden

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apa’s aluminium extrusion unit in Sweden, Sapa Profiler AB, has informed its organisation about restructuring of operations.

Sapa’s long-term strategy is to build strong and effective production units that meet the demands of local and regional customers. In order to optimise its produc-

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he DNB A office building in Oslo has won the prestigious European Steel Design 2015 award. The award was received at the ECCS Steel Design Awards Ceremony in Istanbul on 15 September. Ruukki designed, manufactured and installed the building’s steel frame “We are both proud and happy about the tribute we have received. Excellent close teamwork between the architects, engineers, steel construction contractor, building management and the development company led to our receiving this award,” declared project manager, Øystein Olav Ylvisâker at development company Oslo S Utvikling AS. The building that has received the award is described as the most multifaceted of DNB’s office facilities in Europe. Among other things,

the building consists of cube-like six by six -metre projections that project from the core of the structure. Ruukki supplied approximately 1600 tonnes of steel for the building.

Visit: www.ruukki.com

ArcelorMittal’s new steel grade in Mexico’s newest football stadium

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he new BBVA Bancomer Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico – home to professional football team FC Monterrey – features ArcelorMittal steel in its foundation, columns, stairs, beams and slabs.

ArcelorMittal Mexico was involved as early as the design phase in 2009, and across a six-year period covering the design, proposal and supply of new value-added products. The rod selected for the project offers construction advantages, as well as significant cost savings of 8%. Ángel Herrera, new products manager at ArcelorMittal Mexico, said: “ArcelorMittal remains the leading developer of new steel products in Mexico. Thanks to new developments, during the last six years with grade 52 rod, and today with our newest 56-grade welding rod, we have the safest and most sustainable products in the country with compelling cost savings, high resistance, and higher ductility.”

Visit: www.arcelormittal.com tion facilities and its organisation to achieve Sapa’s long-term strategy, Sapa Profiler AB will focus its operations on areas where the company has a competitive advantage and invest in these. “Although we have a very strong market position in Sweden, recent improvements have not brought our profitability to a sustainable level. These changes are necessary to ensure that we are competi-

tive over the long term,” says Mari Wilhemsen, Sapa Profiler AB’s managing director.

The investments include increasing the capacity in the remelt facility, adjusting the extrusion press setup to be more efficient, reducing anodising capacity while upgrading the remaining anodising line to fit actual market needs.

Visit: www.sapagroup.com Industry Europe 9

NEWS

New developments in the Metals industry

Outokumpu duplex stainless for oil storage tanks built to last over 50 years

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utokumpu has delivered one of the largest orders for tank building, 245 tonnes of Forta LDX 2101 lean duplex stainless steel for the construction of three big oil storage tanks at the Antwerp harbour in Belgium. Each storage tank has a capacity of 4200m3 which equals a total of 12,600,000 litres of oil transported to the oil terminal by tanker ships.

The tanks are in service from September 2015.

Their expected service life is 50 to 60 years which is up to 20 years longer compared to 30 to 40

years in the past. The use of Forta LDX 2101, with inherent qualities of stainless steel, makes the tanks virtually maintenance free and the strength of duplex stainless steel allows for material and fabrication cost savings and offers good corrosion resistance. The construction of the tanks is carried out by Ivens, a company which specialises in building and renovation of tanks for the storage of chemicals and fuels with 85 years of experience in construction with different types of materials.

Visit: www.outokumpu.com

UC RUSAL to produce alumina from Siberian clay Novelis unveils next-generation high-

UC

RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, has developed acid technology for alumina production of non-bauxite raw materials. The technology will allow the production of alumina using domestic kaolin clay as a substitution to imported bauxites.

The new technology will significantly boost RUSAL smelters’ economic efficiency thanks to the low cost of the material and the logistical cost reduction. The technology also allows for the simultaneous production of a number of high demand products, including those with silicon oxide and rare-earth metals bases.

Acid technology implementation will create an entire complex of related production and research facilities, having stimulated Russia’s industrial and scientific potential by using modern technologies.

The unique demo facility for the production of 1kg of alumina per hour with acid technology will be developed and launched in early 2016. The facility’s major purpose will be to test the technology modes in a closed loop, as well as to confirm consumption indicators and the products’ quality.

Visit: www.rusal.ru

ThyssenKrupp to expand activities in Chinese growth market

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nder a new agreement, ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe will strengthen its market position in China in premium hot-dip coated sheet for the local automotive industry.

The company already has operations in the country via a joint venture with Chinese steel producer Angang Steel – TKAS Auto Steel Co.

10 Industry Europe

(Tagal). Now ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe is additionally acquiring an interest in an Angang group company which is currently building a hot-dip coating facility in the southwestern city of Chongqing. ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe will own 12.5% of this enterprise directly and 37.5% indirectly via Tagal.

“We believe that the strong current demand from the Chinese auto sector for

strength alloys for automotive industry

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ovelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, has announced the development of the Novelis Advanzô 7000-series of high-strength alloys designed for safety-critical components of vehicle structures.

Novelis Advanz 7000-series products can be used to manufacture components such as bumper systems, crash ring components and door intrusion beams. The new alloy series will offer a significant weight reduction when compared to current high strength steels in the marketplace, enabling automakers to further reduce the weight of vehicles while ensuring high levels of passenger safety.

“As more automakers look to reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel economy, high-strength aluminum alloys are playing an increasingly critical role in vehicle design,” said Jack Clark, senior vicepresident and chief technical officer for Novelis.

“Novelis’ Advanz 7000-series will drive the industry forward by offering automakers additional weight savings with superior strength for optimal safety performance.”

Visit: www.novelis.com hot-dip coated steel sheet and the growth prospects in this segment offer clear opportunities and we therefore want to strengthen Tagal’s position in this market,” says Dr Heribert Fischer, responsible for sales and innovation on the executive board of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe.

Visit: www.thyssenkrupp.com

INDUSTRYNEWS launches tailor-made Tata Steel zinc-magnesium coating now SSAB high-strength steels for the also available for automotive outer panels automotive industry T “W ata Steel has expanded its range of MagiZinc® hot-dip galvanised coatings with a Full Finish variant. As a result, the benefits of the zincmagnesium coatings are now also available for automotive outer panels.

MagiZinc Auto is produced at the DVL3 line at IJmuiden in the Netherlands, Tata Steel’s largest plant in Europe. This hot-dip galvanising facility is capable of producing some of the widest coated material in the world and is the only one able to process zinc-magnesium coatings in widths of up to 2020 millimetres. The new MagiZinc Auto Full Finish product range is now available and going through validation testing at several major European vehicle manufacturers.

Complex shaped outer panels, such as hoods, doors, body sides, fenders and tailgates, are the parts where the benefits are particularly noticeable. MagiZinc Auto’s 25% lower zinc abrasion significantly reduces zinc adhesion as well as tool pollution, extending press operating time by 30%.

Visit: www.tatasteeleurope.com

ithin the coming 12 months we will release two new hot-rolled advanced high-strength steel grades tailor-made for chassis applications,” says Josè Puente Cabrero, Portfolio manager, automotive products. “The steels exceed 800 and 1000 MPa in tensile strength and offer a unique combination of properties for maximised hole expansion and edge ductility.”

SSAB will also introduce new cold-rolled martensitic steels with improved flatness. The latest Docol martensitic steels for cold-formed applications, with a tensile strength above 1700 MPa, are being designed into upcoming car models.

Thus far, higher tensile strength has affected the ductility of advanced high-strength steel products.

“Now we are going to introduce new press-hardening steels. These are optimised to reach tensile strengths above 2000 MPa, but with retained good ductility,” says Josè Puente Cabrero.

Visit: www.ssab.com

Salzgitter Blast Furnace B to be thoroughly modernised A

fter eleven and a half years of service, Blast Furnace B at Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH (SZFG) has ended its second campaign life and will be relined and thoroughly modernised starting at the end of August 2015. Blast Furnace B was constructed in 1993 and has produced 21 million metric tonnes of pig iron since its last relining in 2004. The relining will cost around 80 million euros.

Apart from the renewal of the blast furnace vessel’s refractory lining with more than 2100 metric tonnes of refractory material, other parts of the system will also be modernised in the course of 89 days for the new campaign life.

Customer deliveries will be ensured throughout the entire reconstruction standstill in spite of the modernisation measures.

Visit: www.salzgitter.com

EVRAZ signs contract with DANIELI on technical modernisation of slab continuous casting machine

Refurbishing the slab caster will enable the plant to discard casting into moulds altogether, which will significantly increase production efficiency by cutting production costs of rolled goods and improving their quality.

“After the slab caster upgrade we will have a radically new 12-strand billet continuous casting machine unmatched in Russia so far,” says Aleksey Ivanov,

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VRAZ and DANIELI have signed a contract on technical modernisation of the slab continuous casting machine into a billet casting machine. Once completed, the project will enable the plant to fully migrate to continuous casting.

vice-president, head of the Steel division, EVRAZ. “The annual production capacity of the billet caster will be about 2.4 million tonnes of continuously cast semi-finished products. Another billet caster is now being upgraded at the plant, so in the future the two machines together will produce up to 4.6 million tonnes of square billets.”

Visit: www.evraz.com Industry Europe 11

REVOLUTIONARY IRONMAKING

PROCESS CUTS BOTH CARBON AND COSTS The HIsarna pilot plant at Tata Steel in IJmuiden uses groundbreaking technology to convert iron ore fines and coal almost directly into liquid iron.

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he European Union has agreed to contribute €7.4 million towards testing a groundbreaking new iron production process being developed at Tata Steel’s IJmuiden steelworks in the Netherlands.

The six-month test campaign of the HIsarna pilot plant in 2016 will establish whether the new technology can produce molten iron in a stable way over a sustained period of time.

The EU’s support represents nearly a third of the €25 million test costs next year.

If the technology is viable and can be scaled up successfully, it would enable

12 Industry Europe

further resource efficiency improvements in steelmaking – using the world’s limited resources in a more sustainable way while minimising impacts on the environment.

Steel companies would be able to use a wider range of raw materials, including recycling materials, and the technology would lead to 20 per cent lower CO2 emissions.

If successful, the HIsarna technology could deliver greater environmental and economic sustainability 10 to 15 years from now.

Karl Koehler, chief executive of Tata Steel’s European operations, said: “We wel-

come the European Union’s support for this promising and potentially groundbreaking project. The development of this technology still has a long way to go, so support from the EU is vital.”

The main advantage of HIsarna technology is that it eliminates two energy-intensive preparatory stages in iron making. There is no need to cluster fine iron ore into sinter or pellet or to convert coal into coke, as there is in conventional blast furnace iron making.

“The steel industry is an integral part of the circular economy, striving for zero waste, 100

Karl Koehler, chief executive of Tata Steel’s European operations

per cent recycling and the reuse of materials,” Mr Koehler added. “HIsarna could play a future role in the creation of a more sustainable low-carbon European economy.

“Tata Steel and its partners have continued to invest in this potentially breakthrough technology despite some very challenging economic conditions in Europe. But future phases of HIsarna’s development will require very substantial investment that will exceed what the project partners can provide themselves and indeed what current public innovation frameworks are likely to be able to fund.

“We need the European Union’s continued, long-term support for the HIsarna project. If next year’s tests are successful, the following stage would be developing, constructing and testing an industrial-scale plant at a cost of €300 million.”

Sustained production goal HIsarna represents a new phase in the global direct smelting development cycle.

It is, in essence, a merger between Tata Steel-delivered smelt cyclone technology and Hismelt (Rio Tinto) developed bath smelting technology.

The HIsarna plant was designed, constructed and put into operation by Tata Steel’s R&D and Engineering teams. The project was part of the international ULCOS

(Ultra Low CO2 Steelmaking) programme, a joint initiative of the European steel industry.

A former hot metal desulphurisation plant in IJmuiden was chosen for the pilot plant because of good rail connections and an existing baghouse with suitable capacity.

The two-year project was supervised by a technical committee of ULCOS partners and Rio Tinto. In April 2011, the plant was pre-heated for the first tests, where 50 tonnes of liquid hot metal were poured into the furnace for a quick start-up. Sixty per cent of the injection capacity was achieved for a short period, and parameters such as cooling losses and gas composition were in the right range. Two more trials have now been scheduled Next year’s test campaign is the fifth series of tests since the pilot plant was built in 2010. Tata Steel and its project partners aim to prove the facility can produce liquid iron for sustained periods. The previous four campaigns each lasted about two months, during which iron was produced for a maximum of three days.

Another key objective is to establish HIsarna’s potential CO2 savings. There will also be tests using various types of raw materials, scrap and by-products from the steelmaking process.

The EU’s support is part of its Horizon 2020 SILC-II programme. If HIsarna

becomes commercially available on an industrial scale, steel producers could lower manufacturing costs, reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions and take resource efficiency to the next level. An additional advantage is that HIsarna reduces the emissions of fine particle dust and dioxins, as well as nitrogen and sulphur oxides.

HIsarna is a Tata Steel and Rio Tinto initiative, with close cooperation from European steel producers ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp and Voestalpine and technology supplier n Paul Würth. www.tatasteeleurope.com

Industry Europe 13

NEWS

New contracts and orders in industry

DHL and Toyota Material Handling Europe sign contract

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HL Freight, one of the leading providers of road freight services in Europe, has signed a contract with Toyota Material Handling Group, the leading brand of material handling equipment, to provide transportation of their newly launched line of racking systems from the suppliers to the company’s customers’ sites all across Europe. Starting in September, materials

for a wide range of racking solutions, including conventional and high density pallet racking systems, as well as shelving and other nonpalletized racking systems, will embark on their journey to new warehouses via various transport solutions provided by DHL Freight’s network.

Delivery on the exact agreed day is of critical importance since the development of the project at customer’s site depends upon it.

“We are committed to offering high quality solutions that are perfectly tailored to the warehouse storage requirements of our customers.

One of those requirements is that the goods arrive exactly when they are needed. And DHL helps us deliver on our customer promise,” said Hans Larsson, director Logistics Solutions, Toyota Material Handling Europe.

Visit: www.toyota-industries.eu

CTT Systems wins humidifier contract from Airbus

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TT Systems, the market leader of humidity control products in aircraft, has been awarded a contract to develop a humidifier for a new crew rest compartment on the A380 aircraft, to be introduced to customers in 2016.

The humidifier will be offered in the A380 catalogue as a Supplier-Furnished-Equipment (SFE). CTT Systems already provides crew rest humidifiers for the A380 programme (as tier-2).

CTT humidifiers have been in service in the A380 aircraft since 2007.

“CTT is honoured by the continued support and trust in our humidifiers from Airbus and its A380 customers,” says Torbjörn Johansson, CEO of CTT Systems.

CTT’s crew humidifier improves comfort, health and rest by maintaining a relative humidity of around 20%, compared to 3–5% without our humidifier. A higher humidity reduces dry

Siemens chosen for Stansted Airport project

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iemens UK & Ireland has been appointed as a key supplier in the replacement of the Track Transit System (TTS) control system at Stansted Airport. The project is headed by control and communication specialist Firstco and involves updating the TTS, which carries approximately 15 million

14 Industry Europe

air-related problems (e.g. fatigue, jet-lag, red eyes, dry skin, spread of viruses).

The humidifier is based on evaporative cooling technology and uses a method that effectively precludes the transfer of bacteria.

Visit: www.ctt.se

people per year and features many obsolete parts. This will include upgrading or replacing the control room operator interface, the central control system – excluding the interlocking relays – and the training simulator.

Firstco selected Siemens based on the functionality and features of its technology and service offer, and how well suited its WinCC Open Architecture (OA) technology is

Semcon signs new fuel cell contract

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emcon is helping PowerCell take the next step for the mass production of fuel cells. This new contract enables Semcon to provide production development expertise and a number of other services to support PowerCell’s own engineers.

PowerCell is at the forefront in the field of stationary fuel cell systems that convert common diesel into electricity. The technology enables considerably greater fuel efficiency compared with ordinary diesel engines and also gives off no emissions apart from CO2.

“PowerCell is developing technology that has huge potential, but it’s also very advanced.

To take the next step the company needs a partner that can support it in everything, from flow analyses to the production of automation solutions. We are very proud to be given this renewed trust,” says Robert Eliasson, account manager for PowerCell at Semcon.

This contract gives PowerCell access to Semcon’s extensive range of expertise from various manufacturing industries, enabling it to remain at the forefront in terms of production technology. Specific focus areas of the contract include manufacturing optimisation, quality control and cost calculation.

Visit: www.semcon.com for Stansted Airport’s requirements.

The WinCC OA SCADA system is designed to enable the visualisation and management of processes, production flows, machines and plants in all lines of operation. It enables any number of stand-alone systems to be linked via a network, which is a key factor for Stansted Airport.

Visit: www.siemens.com

WINNINGBUSINESS Bombardier wins contract from Israel Railways

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ail technology leader Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract to provide 62 TRAXX AC locomotives to Israel Railways (ISR). Based on the list price, the new order is valued at approximately €230 million. The contract also includes an option for an additional 32 locomotives.

The TRAXX locomotive is based on a highly reliable and versatile locomotive platform that has proven its technology through years of successful operations across Europe. Designed for speeds up to 160 km/h, the new TRAXX AC locomotives will be mainly used to power Israel’s fleet of 369 BOMBARDIER TWINDEXX Vario double deck coaches currently in use. The locomotives also feature the highly reliable and field proven BOMBARDIER MITRAC TC 3300 AC traction converter as well as universal MITRAC drives, which include the latest generation of traction motors and gearboxes.

The new locomotives will be nearly identical to the TRAXX AC locomotives already in service with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and, as ISR’s first electrically powered rolling stock, will play a key role in Israel’s programme to electrify its rail network. The first deliveries are planned for the end of 2017.

Visit: www.transport.bombardier.com

Balfour Beatty to deliver construction package for highways

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alfour Beattyhas announced that its joint venture with Carillion has been selected

by Highways England to deliver a £292 million construction package to upgrade the A14 between Swavesey and Milton as part of the wider A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme.

Tetronics supports Germany’s car recycling efforts

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etronics International, a global leader in environmentally friendly resource recovery solutions, has announced that its plasma arc technology has gone live at Duesmann & Hensel Recycling’s plant near Frankfurt. Duesmann & Hensel Recycling is a global player in the precious metals recycling field and is currently responsible for circa 10% of the global recycled automotive catalytic converter market.

UK based Tetronics’ plasma arc technology is now being used to process and recover value from catalytic converters, which are used in car exhaust systems of modern cars to reduce pollutants, after Duesmann & Hensel Recycling’s plant achieved Final Acceptance Test (FAT) status. The material found in converters includes valuable Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), which are essential for various manufacturing processes.

Tetronics’ process concentrates the PGMs for resale by a factor of x25 and makes them accessible via wet chemistry so that they can re-enter the supply chain and be used in the manufacture of new products. In the same process, hazardous elements contained in the less valuable material are transformed and the waste is turned into an approved, inert, reusable building product called Plasmarok®.

Visit: www.tetronics.com

Liebherr to supply Jurong Shipyard with offshore cranes

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iebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH has been awarded a contract by Sembcorp Marine’s subsidiary Jurong Shipyard of Singapore to supply two offshore cranes of the type BOS 2600-35 EX LIT for the Libra field’s Extended Well Test (EWT) FPSO vessel. The Libra oil field is a large, ultradeepwater (up to 2500m) oil prospect located in the Santos Basin, about 143 miles off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The oil field is estimated to contain recoverable resources ranging between eight billion to 12 billion barrels of oil and is one of the largest deep-water oil accumulations globally.

OOGTK Libra GmbH & Co KG, a joint venture between Brazil’s Odebrecht Oil & Gas and Teekay Offshore, awarded a contract to Jurong Shipyard for conversion of the Navion Norvegia shuttle tanker to form the Libra EWT FPSO. LIEBHERR’s scope of supply includes design, manufacturing and delivery of two offshore cranes.

Works will include the widening of existing road sections between Swavesey to Girton, including the Girton Junction with the M11 Motorway and the Cambridge Northern Bypass. The project will also require major junction rebuilds and numerous services diversions. The wider Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme is subject to statutory approval. The scheme will be

LIEBHERR Singapore Pte Ltd will supervise assembling and commissioning during integration of the cranes onto the FPSO at Jurong Shipyard.

Visit: www.liebherr.com

delivered through an integrated delivery team comprising of a number of contractor joint ventures, designers and Highways England employees. The joint venture is the second construction joint venture to be appointed and will work collaboratively with all parties to input to the detailed design and pre-construction planning.

Visit: www.balfourbeatty.com Industry Europe 15

NEWS

Combining strengths

Eltel buys signalling company in Norway

SCA to acquire Wausau Paper

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ltel has agreed to acquire VETE Signaltjenester AS in Norway. VETE is a recognised player in the Norwegian railway market with an important market position providing railwaysignalling services.

Eltel entered the Norwegian Rail market in 2012. Since then Eltel has successfully been able to capitalise on the growing market. To meet the growing customer demand Eltel has decided to increase its competences and resources in the signalling and safety segment.

The acquisition of VETE complements Eltel’s current offering in Norway and provides clear synergies with the existing Rail business of Eltel.

VETE is leading in its segment in Norway with a turnover of approximately NOK 60 million in 2014. The company has 37 employees with specialised signalling and safety competences.

Its product offering includes new installations, corrective and preventive maintenance, project

management, engineering and advisory services within the railway signalling segment.

Fredrik Häggström, president of Eltel Rail & Road comments: “The acquisition of VETE is a good step for Eltel and aligned with our strategic plan in the Norwegian market. With VETE we can scale up our Norwegian business and further develop cross border co-operation between our Eltel entities.”

Visit: www.eltelnetworks.com

Drylock invests in Italian company

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rylock Technologies, a producer of revolutionary baby and inco products in Europe and Russia, is proud to announce the acquisition of 100% of the shares in CIP Assorbenti near Milano. By integrating this fully dedicated femcare plant, Drylock enlarges its product portfolio and significantly increases its capacity of femcare

Ginolis to acquire business of Wegera Oy

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inolis, the manufacturing solutions provider for diagnostic disposables, and Wegera, an Oulu-based machine and assembly service provider, have announced an agreement under which Ginolis Ltd’s subsidiary, Ginolis Tools, will acquire the business of Wegera Oy.

16 Industry Europe

production in the Russian Federation. Through the transaction, Drylock acquires a state-of-the-art facility, with lines producing up to 2400 pcs/min, and also gains a presence in South Europe with a solid customer portfolio in place.

CIP Assorbenti is located close to Milan, Italy and has been owned by the Family Lenzo for the past 38 years. Bart Van Malderen (CEO), previous owner of Ontex, comments that the employees of CIP Assorbenti will be integrated in the Drylock group structure, ensuring continuity of the existing femcare business. Drylock is convinced that this strategic acquisition will contribute further to its increasing internal growth and welcomes the customers, workforce and knowledge within CIP Assorbenti.

Visit: www.drylock.eu “We have worked together with Wegera for a number of years and are very excited about this acquisition,” states Ginolis CEO, Teijo Fabritius. “Going forward, Ginolis Tools will continue to maintain and further develop the customer relationships established by Wegera.”

Following completion of the transaction, Wegera’s managing director Veikko Pitkälä

CA, a leading global hygiene and forest products company, and Wausau Paper Corp., a North American Away-from-Home tissue company, have announced that SCA will acquire Wausau Paper.

Wausau Paper is one of the largest Awayfrom-Home tissue companies in North America.

With approximately 900 employees, the company manufactures and markets Away-from-Home towel and tissue products along with soap and dispensing systems through its Artisan™, DublNature®, DublSoft® and EcoSoft® brands.

Wausau Paper’s advanced tissue technology with manufacturing flexibility enables it to produce its towels and tissue entirely from recycled paper, which will further contribute to SCA’s efforts to create environmentally-friendly products and extend its sustainability commitment.

“The Wausau Paper product portfolio complements SCA’s offerings in North America and gives us access to premium tissue in that region. We expect the acquisition to generate benefits for SCA and our customers,” says Magnus Groth, president and CEO, SCA. The acquisition is expected to generate annual synergies amounting to approximately USD 40 million with full effect three years after closing.

Synergies are expected in sourcing, production, logistics, reduced imports, increased volumes of premium products and reduced SG&A costs.

Visit: www.sca.com

will be retiring, and Pekka Raudaskoski will serve as the new managing director.

Pekka has a vast work experience within the manufacturing industry. Most recently, Pekka served as JOT Automation’s quality manager in Finland. Going forward the company will continue normal operations and adopt the name Ginolis Tools Oy. Visit: www.ginolis.com

LINKINGUP Trelleborg acquires Maritime International Globus extends its role in the PPE market

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relleborg has, through its business area Trelleborg Offshore & Construction, signed an agreement to acquire Maritime International, Inc., a US based privately owned marine fender systems company. The company designs and manufactures marine fender systems and other quay accessories. The acquisition strengthens the presence of Trelleborg in berthing, docking and mooring in North America and reinforces Trelleborg’s leading position globally.

The acquired business has its head office and main manufacturing facility in Broussard, Louisiana. Sales are mainly in North America and

amount to approximately SEK 200 M annually.

This bolt-on acquisition is part of Trelleborg’s strategy to strengthen its positions in attractive market segments.

“The acquired business is a well-run business with a strong market reputation. With the acquisition we expand and broaden our presence in North America and obtain access not only to enlarged local production capabilities and offerings but also to solid engineering and testing expertise,” says Fredrik Meuller, president of the Trelleborg Offshore & Construction business area.

Visit: www.trelleborg.com

Atlas Copco acquires process control expert in UK

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tlas Copco, a leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions, has acquired the assets of NJS Technologies Ltd, an engineering and sales company that specialises in process control systems for assembly operations.

NJS Technologies, commonly known as Pivotware, is based in Burton, near Birmingham, United Kingdom. The privately-owned company provides error-proofing solutions for original equipment manufacturers and suppliers in the automotive and other industries. Atlas Copco is taking over seven employees.

“This acquisition is a strategic fit as it will expand our product and service offering to manufacturing customers globally,” said Mats Rahmström, president for Atlas Copco’s Industrial Technique business area. “We are looking forward to helping customers further increase their productivity through enhanced quality.”

The acquired business becomes part of the Chicago Pneumatic Tools division in Atlas Copco’s Industrial Technique business area.

Visit: Visit: www.atlascopco.com

Veidekke takes over Leif Grimsrud

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eidekke Entreprenør AS has entered into a letter of intent to acquire 80% of the shares in the civil engineering contractor Leif Grimsrud AS in Halden and its subsidiaries Leif Grimsrud Entreprenad AB and Øst AS. “Veidekke would like to grow in the civil engineering market, and Grimsrud will strengthen our local and regional opera-

tions in the central region of Eastern Norway,” says managing director Dag Andresen of Veidekke Entreprenør.

Grimsrud has 230 employees in Østfold and 30 in Strømstad, and revenues totalled NOK 920 million in 2014. Grimsrud carries out local building projects in Halden and construction contracts in Østfold, Akershus and Bohuslän.

lobus (Shetland) Ltd, a multi-million pound international business consistently achieving double digit turnover growth, has acquired Alpha Solway Ltd for an undisclosed sum. Over the past two decades Globus has become a significant force in the hand protection industry and has acquired Alpha Solway to further extend its role in the personal protective equipment (PPE) industry.

Alpha Solway, headquartered in Dumfriesshire, is a leading manufacturer and supplier of specialist chemical protective clothing and disposable respiratory products. The company offers a range of off-the-shelf garments and also works with its customers to develop bespoke items designed to specification. Alpha Solway’s well-established products are available throughout the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. All Alpha Solway’s facilities and staff will remain following the acquisition.

Speaking about the acquisition Haraldur Agustsson, CEO of Globus Group said: “I’m delighted to welcome the Alpha Solway team to the Globus Group and recognise the skill and expertise they bring with them. The introduction of Alpha Solway further extends our portfolio enabling us to offer a comprehensive range of high performance PPE to new and existing clients.”

Visit: Visit: www.globus.co.uk

“Grimsrud is a solid, well-run contractor that has delivered good long-term results.

They have a high level of expertise in engineering design, planning and management with their own employees and machinery.

In addition, they have a similar corporate culture and values that will fit in very well with Veidekke,” says Mr Andresen.

Visit: www.veidekke.no Industry Europe 17

NEWS

MOVINGON

Relocations and expansions across Europe

Mitsubishi Electric Europe BV further bolsters business in Norway

M Nespresso inaugurates its third production centre

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estlè Nespresso has inaugurated its new production centre in Romont.

This is the third Nespresso site built in Switzerland since 2002, after Avenches and Orbe.

“This production centre represents a strategic, long-term investment to meet the growing global consumer demand for the highest quality Nespresso coffees in the coming years,” said Paul Bulcke, CEO of Nestlè SA. “It will not only contribute to the success of Nespresso in the growing portioned coffee segment, but also to the local, regional and national economic and social dynamism.”

A true centre of coffee excellence and expertise, the Romont production centre was built in just over two years and represents a CHF 300 million total investment. Since 2002 Nespresso has invested more than CHF 1.1 billion in its industrial facilities in the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg.

Visit: www.nestle-nespresso.com

Sulzer’s Stavanger Service Centre relocates to new premises

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he Stavanger Service Centre in Norway offers a complete range of services for pumps and rotating equipment used within the oil and gas sector. Recently the centre has moved to new premises, with improved facilities that will enable more efficient workflows to accommodate the workload which has increased in recent months. Specialising in solutions for pumping applications, the new facility will expand the portfolio of services on offer to include turbomachinery services, which will enable the service centre to become a single source supplier to the oil and gas sector.

Mel Hallas, general manager of Sulzer’s Stavanger Service Centre: “This move will allow us to expand the services on offer to our customers. We have been able to reorganise our repair processes and storage facilities to increase our working capacity by 40%, without compromising on the quality of repair.”

Visit: www.sulzer.com

EuroChem to construct new ammonia plant in Kingisepp

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uroChem, a leading global agrochemical company, announced that its subsidiary Phosphorit has commenced the construction of a new high-tech ammonia plant in Kingisepp, Russia.

The Kingisepp ammonia plant will have a design capacity of 1 million tonnes per

18 Industry Europe

itsubishi Electric Corporation has announced that its European subsidiary, Mitsubishi Electric Europe BV, has completed the integration of its former air conditioning distributor MIBA AS, acquired in July. In addition, from October 2015, the company will expand beyond air conditioning by promoting other businesses, like Factory Automation, in the Norwegian market.

This news marks a significant milestone for Mitsubishi Electric in Norway as it establishes a presence in the country under its own name, strengthening its market position through contributing to the overall energy saving ethos of Norway, which is akin to its own, as well as providing energy and resource efficient products.

Prior to its integration, MIBA AS had been selling Mitsubishi Electric air conditioning equipment in Norway for almost 25 years, steadily entrenching its market position with strong technical expertise and customer friendly after-care service. The Norwegian air conditioning market has expanded in recent years in response to increased demand for low energy consumption air conditioning systems. Furthermore, it is expected that demand for hot water heat pumps will also increase.

Visit: www.mitsubishielectric.com

Solvay inaugurates South East Asia sodium bicarbonate plant

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olvay has inaugurated South East Asia’s largest sodium bicarbonate plant based in Thailand to meet growing demand for high-quality products in healthcare, food and other consumer goods markets throughout Asia. Located on Solvay’s existing site in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate, Rayong province, the plant, with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tonnes, benefits from strong synergies in infrastructure, utilities and supply chain. Solvay invested €20 million in this plant which uses Solvay’s new generation BICAR® production technology that minimises waste generation, optimises energy recovery and maximises yield.

“The addition of this new plant complements our existing presence in Europe and in the United States and creates a new platform to further grow our business in Asia. Our unique global industrial network of nine sodium bicarbonate plants takes us even closer to our global and local customers,” said Christophe Clemente, president of Solvay’s Soda Ash & Derivatives Global Business Unit.

Visit: www.solvay.com

annum. In addition to the ammonia production facility, the project includes utilities and offsites, such as a warehouse for liquid ammonia. All Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) work is expected to be completed within 36 months.

Dmitry Strezhnev, CEO of EuroChem, said: “We are pleased to have launched the construction of our new ammonia produc-

tion facility in Kingisepp.This project is part of EuroChem’s broader strategy to improve our level of self-sufficiency through greater control over our own raw materials base.

The additional volumes of ammonia from the Kingisepp facility will have a direct, positive effect on the future efficiency and reliability of our fertiliser production.”

Visit: www.eurochemgroup.com

NEWS

INDUSTRYPEOPLE New CEO for Airbus Defence and Space Halton Group appoints new CEO

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irbus Group SE has appointed Dirk Hoke (46) to succeed Bernhard Gerwert (62) as CEO of Airbus Defence and Space (DS). As of 1 April 2016, Dirk Hoke will take over the operational lead and become CEO of Airbus DS as well as member of the group executive committee.

Group CEO Tom Enders said: “I am pleased that we found an excellent successor to Bernhard in Dirk Hoke; a man with a very remarkable track record of building and growing businesses throughout four continents; a man with strong experience in high-tech industries, engineering and project management, value-added services and digitalisation.”

Dirk Hoke holds a mechanical engineering degree from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. In 1994, he began his professional career in the automotive industry at Renault in Paris. In 1996, he joined Siemens AG where he occupied various management posts over the last 18 years.

Visit: www.airbusgroup.com

New CFO for Arla Foods A

rla Foods has announced the appointment of Natalie Knight as new CFO and member of Arla Foods executive management group in January 2016. Ms Knight currently holds the position as senior vice-president Finance in the adidas Group.

“Natalie has a proven track record of performance management in a global FMCG company. She has strong leadership, great communication skills and from her experience in Investor Relations, she has great capabilities in building relationships,” says Peder Tuborgh, Arla CEO. Natalie joined the adidas Group in 1999 and has a held a variety of senior Finance positions including vice-president of Investor Relations and Mergers and Acquisitions, CFO adidas North America (the Group’s biggest subsidiary) and senior vice-president for Brand and Sales Finance.

In addition to the financial and legal teams at Arla, Natalie will also have global responsibility for IT. Visit: www.arlafoods.com

New CEO at Arise

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he board of directors of Arise AB has appointed Daniel Johansson as the company’s new CEO. Daniel will take up the post on 18 January 2016 and replaces Peter Nygren, who will be stepping down as CEO. Daniel has previously been a state secretary in the Alliance government, and has worked in the past in the finance industry.

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ong-standing CEO of Halton Group, Heikki Rinne, will retire at the beginning of January, 2016. Kai Konola, executive vice-president of the Weather business area at Vaisala Oyj and member of the company’s management group has been nominated as Halton’s new CEO. “Kai Konola has gained versatile experience in demanding executive positions in global technology companies. We wish him warmly welcome at Halton,” says Mika Halttunen, the group’s chairman of the board.”

He adds: “During Heikki Rinne’s years Halton has evolved into one of the world’s leading providers of demanding indoor climate solutions.

I warmly thank him for his significant contribution to developing and directing the company.”

Visit: www.halton.com

New head of Group Communications at VW

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ans-Gerd Bode (54) has been appointed head of Group Communications, Investor Relations and External Relations at Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft with immediate effect. He succeeds Stephan Grühsem (53), who is leaving the company by amicable agreement.

The CEO of Volkswagen AG, Matthias Müller, states: “Stephan Grühsem has played a decisive and strategically shrewd role in shaping communications in the group over the last nine years. With Hans-Gerd Bode, another recognised expert is taking over at the helm of communications in our company.”

Hans-Gerd Bode was latterly head of Public Relations & Press at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG in Stuttgart.

He moved to Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg in 1999 and assumed responsibility for the group’s brand and product communications. He was appointed head of Product and Technical Communications at Porsche AG in 2008, becoming head of Public Relations & Press in October 2010.

Visit: www.volkswagenag.com

“We are extremely pleased to appoint Daniel Johansson as the new CEO at Arise.

Daniel has extensive experience from the finance and energy sectors, as well as the sound leadership background we need to be able to continue realising our strategy within the wind power field,” says Joachim Gahm, chairman of the board of directors at Arise.

Visit: www.arise.se Industry Europe 19

NEWS

TECHNOLOGYSPOTLIGHT

Advances in technology across industry

Vehicles that could run forever Volvo Cars and Autoliv join forces in F orget the obsession with driverless autonomous cars; energy independent vehicles (EIV) are the megatrend. Electric land vehicles, boats, underwater craft and aircraft already exist that never plug in or refuel.

Most use solar cells for their power, storing the power for night use. They are not without shortcomings – few use bad weather harvesting and they waste much of the captured energy as heat. However, the good news is that these weaknesses can be fixed. The best EIVs will charge batteries, even while stationary, using onboard energy harvesting equipment. Tethered aircraft charging ship batteries at tens of kilowatts have been demonstrated. You can buy boats that charge batteries by the propeller going backwards when the boat is moored in a tidestream and, with sailing boats, when under sail. In windy areas, a car could erect a wind turbine and extend more solar panels when parked. Spray-on solar is also promised.

Dr Peter Harrop of analysts IDTechEx enthuses, “Taken together, the multiple uses of energy harvesting for internal efficiency and for external sourcing of energy can give tenfold increase in performance by 2025.

Structural electronics will take it further. Even remote regions and developing countries will afford EIVs with near-zero operating cost and ultimate freedom of use. Today’s demonstrations and plans shows this will encompass on- and off-road vehicles, boats, ships, airships and fixed wing planes. It will not all happen overnight but here is a huge new industry in the making.”

The whole electric vehicle business is forecasted by IDTechEx to be around $400bn in 2026, rising strongly thereafter. The report provides unique insight into electrical EIVs on land, on water, underwater and in the air with the electric vehicle market addressable by energy independence technology forecasted in 45 categories.

Visit: www.IDTechEx.com/eiv.

Autonomous Driving

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Synthetic batteries for the energy revolution

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team of researchers at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU Jena), in the Centre for Energy and Environmental Chemistry (CEEC Jena) and the JenaBatteries GmbH (a spin-off of the University Jena), have made a decisive step towards a redox-flow battery which is simple to handle, safe and economical at the same time. They developed a system on the basis of organic polymers and a harmless saline solution.

“What’s new and innovative about our battery is that it can be produced at a much lower cost, while nearly reaching the capacity of traditional metal and acid containing systems,” Dr Martin Hager says.

In contrast to conventional batteries, the electrodes of a redox-flow battery are not made of solid materials (e.g. metals or metal salts) but come in a dissolved form. The electrolyte solutions are stored in two tanks, which form the positive and negative terminal of the battery. With the help of pumps the polymer solutions are transferred to an electrochemical cell, in which the polymers are electrochemically reduced or oxidised, thereby charging or discharging the battery. To prevent the electrolytes from intermixing, the cell is divided into two compartments by a membrane.

Visit: www.uni-jena.de 20 Industry Europe

olvo Cars, the premium car maker, and Autoliv, the automotive safety technology company, two of the world’s leaders in automotive safety, have agreed to work together on the groundbreaking Drive Me project, the world’s first largescale autonomous driving (AD) initiative.

Drive Me involves 100 self-driving Volvos being used by families and commuters on public roads in everyday driving conditions in the Swedish city of Gothenburg – the first time anywhere in the world AD cars have been made available to members of the public for their daily use.

Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, said: “We are delighted to welcome Autoliv to the Drive Me family. Autonomous driving will make our roads better and safer. The sooner we can develop the necessary technologies and start offering them in our cars the better.”

One extremely important aspect of autonomous driving is the potential for far fewer traffic accidents, injuries and fatalities. According to independent statistics, over 90 per cent of all fatal accidents are believed to be caused by human error, typically due to inattention. A self-driving car can detect and respond to situations causing these tragedies.

The present active safety systems for Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning and Safety Lane Keeping Aid are examples of the first step towards automated driving.

Visit: www.volvocars.com

NEWS

NOTICEBOARD

UK start-up develops smart cooler with Stratasys 3D printing technology

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tratasys Ltd, a global leader of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, has announced that UK start-up company, Nipi Smart Cooler, has created a one-of-a-kind ‘smart’ cooler using Stratasys 3D printing. Stratasys’ technology has enabled Nipi to realise a functional prototype 75% faster than using traditional manufacturing methods.

Competing to be the world’s most diverse, multi-purpose cooler, Nipi is a solar-panelpowered cooler offering ice retention of up to six days and is packed with a host of features including a charging hub, internal and external

LED lighting, a safe deposit, cup holders and chopping board. According to Luke Guttery, product design lead at Nipi Smart Cooler, 3D printing was crucial in quickly converting Nipi from a concept into a working product.

“Without 3D printing, this simply would not have been achievable in the given timeframe,” he said. “In just a few days we had already produced the main body in UV resistant materials to test the solar panels in the sun, and large-scale over-moulded wheels with rigid interiors and rubber treads. Using this technology, we were able to develop a final working prototype in

a just under a week, whereas with traditional manufacturing it would be closer to a month.

Visit: www.stratasys.com

New foundation High performance, low power pilot from IMI Precision Engineering for flow control C

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he new mass flow controllers and mass flow meters of the 874x series from Bürkert offer an efficient method of connecting several sensor-actuator modules to Industrial Ethernet via a single system control unit (SCU). A MEMS sensor that measures directly in the gas provides maximum precision and very short response times of the flow controllers/meters. The Bürkert Communicator software, part of the new device platform EDIP (Efficient Device Integration Platform) allows user-friendly parameterisation.

The mass flow meters (MFM) and mass flow controllers (MFC) for gases have become a Bürkert success story since their introduction in 1996. Available in different sizes, sensor variants and designs, they are ideal for all types of applications requiring high precision and reproducibility.

In the new Type 8741 mass flow controller (MFC) / mass flow meter (MFM) Bürkert removed control-relevant elements. These control tasks are transferred to a higher-level controller, which communicates with the sensor actuator modules (SAMs) via a system bus.

Visit: www.burkert.com

apable of controlling in excess of 1 bar pressure while using one thousandth of the power of an energy saving lightbulb, the Type 220 Modular I/P Pilot is an extremely low-power pilot technology, newly launched by IMI Precision Engineering.

The new patented pilot has been designed to meet a growing need for high-performance positioners and valves operating in low-energy or certified systems and is ideal for use within a variety of custom pneumatic systems. Using only six milliwatts of power, the Type 220 pilot is also nearly three times more stable across a temperature range of -40ºC to +85ºC than current pilot designs available – meaning it can be used in a variety of environments without compromising on performance.

The low power nature of the technology means hazardous area certifications are achievable and the entire product has been design in accordance with global and regional certification standards, offering the opportunity for the device to pilot not only compressed air but also flammable gases.

The Type 220 can be fit into almost any size of enclosure or space, as all interfaces, base and manifold designs, as well as electrical connections, can be customised to individual system requirements.

Visit: www.imi-precision.com

APK offers MDPE ReCompound from post-consumer scrap

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ecycling specialist APK has developed a technology capable of producing particularly high quality recycled regranulates from post-consumer film scrap originating from Germany’s Dual System collection scheme (DSD). This scrap, known as fraction 310, consists of pieces of PE and PP film with a greater or lesser degree of contamination which is supplied to APK in bale form. The products leaving the elaborate cleaning, separation and recycling

process are Mersalen® LDPE ReCompounds and now also the particularly readily processable MDPE ReCompounds in pellet form.

Mersalen® MDPE in particular, offers processing and service characteristics which have not previously been achieved with post-consumer recycled material. As a result, applications include blown films with thicknesses of 50 µm upwards which are used, among other things, for producing barrier membranes for construction, heavy duty films and recycling sacks.

Particular advantages for HDPE processors using this MDPE ReCompound as an admixture in film extrusion are the higher achievable draw-off speeds in comparison with pure HDPE, a wider processing window and processing temperatures which may be as much as 25°C lower, so helping to cut manufacturing energy inputs.

Visit: www.apk-ag.com Industry Europe 21

22 Industry Europe

EURO-REPORT

FOCUS ON...

Germany Allan Hall report from Berlin on a warm welcome for reugees in at least one town.

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Germany, as attacks against asylum seekers continue to spike and the nation awaits a human tsunami of ever-more arrivals, there is one town which has laid out a welcome mat.

With refugee centres burning and German pitted against German as an influx of 800,000 desperate people is awaited this year, barely 100 foreigners have found sanctuary in the tourist town of Goslar, and the mayor wants more and more to kickstart a dying economy. The community is banding together to protect them. Ever since conservative mayor Oliver Junk said his town couldn’t get enough of them, locals have pledged to shelter them in the face of threatened right-wing attacks.

“We have no Nazis here,” Mr Junk said.

“We welcome refugees and will continue to welcome them.”

The refugees in the town are naturally scared, incredibly wary of being seen or identified in any way for fear of reprisals. But some were brave enough to speak out, and to pledge their support for a town that has supported them and which they, in turn, want to support with taxes when their visa applications are procesed and they can go to work.

Dawit Weldaab, 26, a Christian from wartorn Eritrea, made it to Goslar two years after an odyssey that took him through Ethiopia, Tunisia, Libya and Italy. He now supplements the 600 euros a month he gets from the state by mowing the lawn at the local church.

He said: “Goslar and its people have been nothing but kind to me. You cannot imagine, really, the things I and others have had to endure to get here. We saw people die, we saw people killed. My brother drowned in one of the boats off Lampedusa.

“Of course we see all this tension in Germany, the asylum centres being burned and people being harassed and I just thank God that I ended up in a place where we are welcome and where people are friendly to us.”

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All welcome As large chunks of Europe turns its back on immigrants, insisting it has neither room nor money for more refugees, Mayor Junk is a rare, humane exception. “Refugees are the best way to regenerate a struggling area,” he insists. “We are losing several hundred young people a year. Housing is standing empty.

This can be used by refugees who, we hope, will like Goslar and choose to settle here and bring their skills to the community. The simplest growth programme for Goslar is immigration. As a region with a declining population, we rely on immigration. We need citizens to help our communities and our economy to function, so that we can get schools, swimming pools and our municipal infrastructure.

Many entrepreneurs say to me: ‘We need more staff and professionals.’ That’s why I say we need more refugees in Goslar.

“In Germany we don’t distribute refugees intelligently, and we end up preventing sensible integration.”

Cities such as Dortmund, Berlin and Göttingen build container villages and tent cities, and use empty school buildings. Thus ghettos are formed, because otherwise it wouldn’t be possible to accommodate the people.

Agron Llapashtica, 30, a Kosovar Moslem, said his own land remains ‘full of hate’ and is, like Dawit, grateful for the refuge he has found here. His wife and two young daughters live with him in an apartment provided by the city and he gets 900 euros a month in support. “But I want to work,” said Agron, who has been in the country for eight months and whose aylum application is still pending. “I am a trained painter and there are jobs for painters here. If we are allowed to stay, I will stay in this town and give back to the community. I have not experienced anything negative since coming here. People have given clothes for our children, they ask after our health on the street. I am really touched by the kindness

of strangers. We are not the enemy, we are people seeking to get a decent life, that is all. And it doesn’t come at the expense of someone else, as the right wing would like to portray it.”

Ute Liebau, a local church worker, is a liaison worker with the refgugees, saying: “Germany is a rich and a strong land. I am proud of what we do and I am proud of our mayor for standing up for refugees and inviting them into Goslar. Integration is the hardest task. Group all aslum seekers together in a housing block and people will be scared of them, but put them somewhere where they can be your neighbour and you can help them with their shopping, and people start to feel responsible for them.”

“There cannot be enough of them,” added Mr Junk, 39, and a member of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats. “We have plenty of empty housing, and rather than see it decay we could give new homes to immigrants, helping them, and so give our town a future.

We must see refugees for what they are, which is people, lonely and frightened and needing a helping hand. But they are also a resource, particularly in a place like Goslar which has lost and continues to lose young people. Anyone who tells me Germany is full up, or that we can’t afford them, I say think of our past, and of the future. Of course we can afford them – we’re a rich country – and we do have a duty to help those in need.”

On his Facebook site enemies have already begun attacking him. ‘Doesnít Goslar have enough problems of its own?’, or ‘Now my tax money is being used to finance foreign criminality’ are two of the more printable comments.

The insults do not faze Mayor Junk. “I am saying that the refugees are the best hope for Germany,” he added. “And I hope the welcome we give them in Goslar will make them want to stay in the community and n contribute to it.”

EURO-REPORT

FOCUS ON...

France Ian Sparks reports from Paris on more challenges to the French way of life.

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rance’s language police have called for an end to the use of English words and phrases which are invading the French workplace.

The French Culture Ministry has posted a list of English expressions on its website which it would like those working in French industry and offices to stop using, and replace with French words instead. Many are new English phrases that have emerged with the rise of the Internet and technology – and that Gallic ministers believe are eroding their mother tongue.

They include ‘startup’, which they say should be replaced with ‘jeune pousse’; ‘pop-up’, which should be replaced with ‘fenetre intruse’; and ‘hacker’, which should be changed to ‘fouineur’.

The ministry has also given French phrases for exit strategy, venture capital, crowdfunding and smiley – all of which are regularly used in English by the French.

The drive to purify workplace French comes after the Culture Ministry put up another list of words on its website two years ago which it said had slipped into common usage and should be banned. These included ‘email’, ‘blog’, ‘supermodel’, ‘take-away’ and ‘lowcost airline’.

Even such obscure terms as ‘shadowboxing’ and ‘detachable motor caravan’ and ‘multifunctional industrial building’ were blacklisted over 65 pages of forbidden vocabulary on the website.

Senior French government adviser Herve Bourges warned at the time that the global domination of Anglo-Saxon culture had plunged the future of the French language into ‘deep crisis’. In a damning report commissioned by French ministers, he said French was being ‘besieged’ by the growing numbers of English speakers around the world.

He said: “English speakers have a vision of the so-called English-speaking world, but an equivalent concept does not seem to exist

in France. Despite having 200 million French speakers on earth, the idea of a French-speaking world is becoming obsolete.

“France is failing to promote its own language, and there seems to be very little interest in doing so.”

Hotels and bistros up in arms The French restaurant industry has also demanded action this month against the sharp rise of home chefs offering gourmet meals for diners in their own homes.

The main restaurateurs’ union Synhorcat claims traditional eateries could be put out of business by websites that put their customers directly in touch with private cooks eager to cash in on their kitchen skills.

Synhorcat says private chefs are able to drastically undercut roadside bistros and brasseries because they do not have to pay the same taxes and social charges on staff wages, nor are what they call ‘underground restaurants’ subject to the same food safety and hygiene controls.

The union’s president Didier Chenet said: “There are people out there offering a service which is identical to restaurants: a choice of starters, main courses, desserts, wine, the works. But they pay no rent, no staff, no taxes – it is completely illegal.

“And if you want to set up a real restaurant, you need qualifications: how to deal with allergens; how to deal with alcohol.

Do these people realise that if a customer drink-drives after a meal, they, the chefs, are partly responsible? Today many restaurants in France are on a knife-edge because of the economic crisis. Losing just half a dozen customers can spell disaster.”

Mr Chenet said he feared the same fate could await the restaurant industry that has hit the hotel sector with the advent of the Airbnb home letting website.

Earlier this year, the bosses of Paris’s luxury hotels demanded that the French gov-

ernment clamp down on Airbnb, which they claim is stealing their wealthiest clients. Three years ago there were just 7000 properties for rent on the property site across the whole of France. But today there are 50,000 flats and houses to let on the site in Paris alone, making the city the world’s top Airbnb destination.

The site is also increasingly attracting wealthy renters, and currently offers around 400 Paris apartments at over 500 euros a night and, of those, about 40 charge over 1000 euros.

Didier le Calvez, managing director of the French capital’s famed Bristol Hotel, said: “Airbnb is a menace that enjoys an unfair advantage. The Paris market is going to get very difficult.”

François Delahaye, managing director of the Plaza Athenee, said: “It’s a tax attack on our livelihoods. Although Airbnb landlords should declare any income for tax purposes, they do not face the other tax and social charges that a business such as a hotel has to pay.”

Airbnb has insisted that it is not in competition with the French capital’s hotels. A spokeswoman for the website said: “We offer a totally different thing. These residences are chosen for the unique experience they offer, but which remain very different from what a luxury hotel can propose.”

But it is likely that hotel owners will not get the legislation they are demanding and will simply have to up their game instead after Paris’s deputy mayor Bruno Julliard agreed: “I don’t think that for us to win, anybody has to lose. Airbnb chiefly serves as an alternative for those who struggle to find low cost accommodation and who would otherwise not be able to afford visiting Paris.

“Airbnb has become an essential offering for accommodation in Paris, especially for younger tourists. Whatever anyone says, it has only boosted the number of visitors to Paris, and for us that is a good thing.” n Industry Europe 25

26 Industry Europe

ON THE RISE

Zodiac Aerospace is a world leader in the design and production of integrated interior cabins, galleys and on-board safety systems for commercial aircraft. Based on its on-going success in the Czech Republic, last year the company launched a new production line to support its German unit, Zodiac Premium Galleys. Romana Moares spoke to the Czech plant´s managing director, Mr Philippe Michel, about the latest development and plans for the future.

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odiac Aerospace was founded in 1896. It currently ranks among the top 10 leading companies manufacturing aircraft interiors and equipment and its share is increasing. Zodiac Aerospace employs 30 000 people in its manufacturing plants and companies throughout the world.

Zodiac Aerospace first entered the Czech Republic via its acquisition in 2008 of Driessen Aerospace, now Zodiac Galleys Europe, which had been operating one of three global production units in Plzeň since 2001. Zodiac Galleys Europe Ltd is the only Zodiac Aerospace plant in the Czech Republic.

Since the acquisition, Zodiac Galleys Europe has grown rapidly and is now the sole supplier of galley systems for the Airbus A320 narrow-body jet airliner.

Czech expansion “Zodiac Galleys Europe has its headquarters in Plzen, Czech Republic with 800 people in Engineering, Supply chain, Manufacturing and Assembly. This facility fully leverages its convenient location in the cen-

tre of Europe, where it employs a number of highly skilled staff. Since 2011, the company has tripled in size and revenues,” says Mr Michel.

The plant in The Czech Republic has been one of the biggest success stories for Zodiac Aerospace and has become an integrated part of this French group. However, the former premises were soon at full capacity. The plant expanded its assembly space in 2013 to support the A320 business, and a second 4400m2 hi-tech production facility was developed to support the Long-Range (A330) and Wide body (B777, A380) businesses. This second plant expands the production of Zodiac Premium Galleys, based near Frankfurt, and maximises integration with the manufacturing and assembly processes in Germany.

Zodiac Aerospace’s production process is based on modern flow lines with vertical integration to reduce time to market linked to the high customisation levels associated with the Premium Cabin Interior market segment. The new Premium Galleys production facility at CTPark Plzeň has made Plzeň the preferred location for Zodiac Aerospace in the Czech Republic and a major production hub for

Industry Europe 27

the company in Europe. Further growth in Plzeň is anticipated, depending on external conditions.

Europe is not the only continent in which the company expects further growth. “We have also started operations in Tunisia, where Zodiac Aerospace Group has a major footprint. This was a much expected and welcome addition to our Assembly capacity. The Tunisian plant feeds Plzen with bonded structures which are then customised and tested before delivery.” says the managing director.

Going up The core products are composite structures, called galleys, that are fully integrated with systems interface and customised to serve as kitchens on-board the A320 family and A330. “We are exclusively focused on aerospace, which is one of the few sectors that has seen constant growth over the past decade,” confirms Mr Michel.

Zodiac Galleys Europe’s production plants in Plzen at Borská pole are currently producing 35 to 40 shipsets per month. The number of employees has grown from 520 in May 2013 to 850 today.

The company constantly invests into research and development and one of the newest product releases has been developed, in cooperation with Airbus, to allow for an additional row of six seats for travelers. That means a major economic impact for the revenues of airliners.

Double-digit growth Zodiac Galleys Europe has developed a solid supply chain that is able to deliver continuous and sustainable performance. It suppliers are to a large extent composed of Czech component manufacturers.

“On-time delivery and quality are a must, and then a continuous focus on increasing competitiveness is also essential to help maintain our leading position at a time of increasing volumes. For instance, in the Czech Republic Zodiac works in close cooperation with Quitner & Simek for the manufacture of harnesses and electrical 28 Industry Europe

panels. This is a good example of a supplier being involved right at the development and industrialisation phases,” says Mr Michel.

“We are part of an international group which has operations across the entire world and customers on all continents. Aerospace is by its very nature a global market, and we serve our airlines customers everywhere, either directly or through Airbus when it comes to newly-manufactured aircraft,” says Mr Michel. He adds that the future looks promising: “The company will continue to enjoy doublen digit annual growth in the next five years.”

TRANSFORMING POWER

SUPPLY PARAMETERS ABB is a global leader in the supply of advanced power and automation technologies. Philip Yorke looks at how this multinational giant is utilising its unique knowledge of transformers and automation technology to help increase industrial productivity in an eco-friendly and sustainable way.

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BB is the power house for change in the electrical transformer and automation technology sector. Since the company was founded in the late 1880s it has helped hundreds of countries all over the world to develop, build and maintain their power supply infrastructures in the most efficient, cost-effective and eco-friendly manner. Today the ABB group of companies operates in over 100 countries and employs more than 140,000 people.

Leading the world in high performance transformers ABB has earned an enviable reputation for innovation in all its many advanced engineering disciplines. However, none is more pertinent to addressing today’s environmental challenges than the cutting-edge technology that it has applied to its electrical transformer and automation divisions. The

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company’s latest UHVDC (Ultra High Voltage Direct Current) converter transformer can operate at over a million volts and enables the efficient and reliable transmission of larger amounts of electricity across longer distances than ever before. At the same time this innovative system minimises any impact on the environment.

In July 2014 it was announced in Switzerland that the ABB Group had successfully developed and tested a 1100 kilovolt (kV) UHDC converter transformer, which has broken all records for the highest DC voltage levels ever transmitted. In addition, it has afforded the facility of transmitting this huge electrical capacity over longer distances than has ever been possible before. This ground-breaking technology was developed specifically by ABB to serve the needs of the Xiangiaba-Shanghai link in China, where transmission distances of over

3000 km are commonplace. The new 1100 kV converter transformer technology from ABB makes it possible to transmit more than 100 megawatts (MW) of power across the huge expanses of China both efficiently and economically.

Today ABB’s converter technology plays a critical role in HVDC transmission by providing the vital interface between the DC link and the AC network. The development of its 1100kV transformer addressed several technology challenges – for example, the sheer size and scale of the project and the electrical insulation including bushings and thermal performance parameters required for the task.

It will come as no surprise therefore, to learn that ABB is the world leader in UHVDC transmission technology, with countless pioneering achievements recorded since it embarked upon the development of

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advanced transformer technology over 50 years ago. Today there are more than 70 such large ABB projects in progress around the world, with a combined transmission capacity of more than 60,000 megawatts.

Complete power and automation solutions ABB can call upon more than a century of experience in providing power and automation solutions that improve the efficiency, safety and performance of hydropower plants. Today hydropower remains the world’s most widely used form of renewable energy and currently produces more than 20 per cent of the world’s electric power and accounts for almost 90 per cent of all electricity generated from renewable sources.

Hydropower is clean, sustainable and emission-free and ABB is the world’s leading supplier of almost every product used for the power and automation required for hydropower plants. These can range from generator circuit breakers and power transformers to switchgear, motors, drives and total plant automation systems. Furthermore, ABB supports its customers with a global network of centres

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of excellence and professional support in more than 100 countries worldwide.

ABB’s unique single-source capability enables the company to provide complete and fully integrated turnkey packages that include instrumentation, control and electrical (ICE) solutions with a single, intuitive constant user interface. The company’s fully integrated ICE solutions have proved consistently over many years that they save time, reduce costs and minimise risk management.

Investing in a more sustainable, eco-friendly future There is probably no other multinational company in the world that attaches more importance to sustainability and environmental protection than the ABB Group. These issues are at the heart of its diverse business activities. So when a strategic decision is made to invest in a new plant or in new technology, the company’s environmental management programme is at the forefront of its considerations. An example was its investment in new plant for its existing site in Lodz, Poland.

In July 2012 ABB announced that it was planning to invest around $30 million in a

fully automated production plant in Poland in order to make components for its power and distribution transformers. This ecofriendly unit is located adjacent to ABB’s existing transformer production facility in Lodz. The state-of-the-art 10,000 square metre factory was completed in mid-2013 and employs about 140 people including machine operators, and logistics personnel, as well as staff for purchasing, quality control and engineering support services.

“The component manufacturing plant acts as a feeder factory for our transformer units in the region,” said Bernhard Jucker, head of ABB’s Power Products Division.

“This investment reinforces ABB’s continued commitment to Europe and underlines our strong position in the market” This is just another example of how ABB helps to address the challenge of balancing the rising global demand for power, with increasing concern for the environment.

With a 125 year heritage of technology and innovation, ABB continues to shape the parameters of the energy systems of the future by delivering power and productivity for a better, more sustainable world. n

Industry Europe 33

TURBOCHARGED GROWTH BorgWarner’s production complex in Oroszlány, Hungary is one of the BorgWarner Group’s foremost producers of turbo systems, also producing emission systems and torqtransfer (TTS) systems. Industry Europe looks at recent developments, including the opening of its brand new production facilities, latest products and continued focus on sustainability.

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-based BorgWarner Group is a global leader in highly engineered components and systems for powertrains with manufacturing and technical facilities in 58 locations in 19 countries throughout the world. The group’s stated mission is to deliver innovative powertrain solutions that improve fuel economy, emissions and performance, and ultimately help us all to live in a cleaner and more energy-efficient world.

The group has been present in Hungary since 2001 when its turbocharger factory was established. Initially it focused solely on the assembly of turbochargers to serve the Audi factory in Hungary, but it soon began to manufacture the products themselves as well. From the very beginning the company has seen strong growth, doubling its turnover year-on-year.

BorgWarner’s turnover growth for its Hungarian operations has been accompanied by regular capacity expansion, with enlargement of its facilities taking place in 2003, 2004 and again in 2007.

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A further investment of €26 million in 2013 has meant that the turbo plant is today the second largest of BorgWarner’s global turbocharging technology manufacturing facilities.

Continuous investment Today BorgWarner already has three constantly growing business units on its Oroszlány site. These are BorgWarner Turbo Systems, BorgWarner Emissions Systems and BorgWarner TTS. The first two are owned by the same legal entity, BorgWarner Oroszlány Kft, whilst BorgWarner TTS is a separate legal entity. Together, the Oroszlány complex employs more than 1400 people and covers an area of 35,000m2.

BorgWarner Turbo Systems’ Oroszlány production profile includes BV turbochargers with variable turbine geometry, turbochargers with waste gate for diesel and gasoline as well, and turbochargers with twin scroll. The products from this business unit are used by personal car, light/medium/heavy truck and commercial vehicle manufacturers (although the Oroszlány plant itself mostly serves the PC market). It serves many globally renowned European automotive companies.

In July this year (2015) the new BorgWarner TTS production site was officially opened. The background of this business unit goes back to when BorgWarner acquired the Hungarian company Haldex’s AWD (All-Wheel Drive) division in 2010. This operation has now been moved in its entirety to the new plant in the Oroszlány complex. It produces hydraulic pumps for ‘preemptive’ AWD systems, complete transfer

case units for Jaguar Land Rover and related spare parts for OEMS. This facility is one of the most modern of its kind today with a much larger floor space (covering 3300m2) than ever before in its history. It employs more than 150 people.

October 2015 saw the culmination of yet another major investment when the BorgWarner Emissions Systems plant (covering an area of 25,000m2) was opened at the Oroszlány complex. The opening ceremony for this facility was attended by a mixture of government officials, customers and BorgWarner representatives.

The building of this plant was partially achieved through government subsidies, a part of which was used to further increase the Turbo Systems plant capacity.

BorgWarner Emission Systems manufactures advanced products including exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) tubes, valves and coolers as well as thermostats – all key technologies for modern engines aimed at reducing emissions. In addition to this comprehensive range of products, the facility is also highly energy efficient: it uses waste heat from air compressors, recycles rainwater for lawn irrigation and benefits from reduced energy consumption owing to its use of LED lighting and solar power.

Latest coupling solution One of the most significant new additions to BorgWarner’s range has been the latest Gen V coupling, which enables car manufacturers to build efficient, accurate and highly controllable AWD vehicles.

Industry Europe 35

TTS opening: Dr Petra Pana, Vice State Secretary for Foreign Trade; Judit Czunyiné dr Bertalan, Educational State Secretary; Stefan Demmerle, President and GM, BorgWarner TTS; Zoltán Lazók, Mayor of Oroszlány.

The Gen V is an electric-hydraulic system that uses a patented Centrifugal Electro Hydraulic actuator system and a wet clutch pack to provide the very fast and accurate torque on demand AWD solution.

Gen V technology can be used for a large number of applications, including: advanced axle technology such as FXD for front wheel driven cars to transfer the torque between right and left on the same axle; and different AWD applications such as torque transfer from front to rear axle when mounted in the rear axle, or split torque between front and rear axles. The system can be used in many different kinds of vehicles, providing the optimal solution for passenger cars, sports cars as well as fully equipped off-road vehicles.

Growth prospects A spokesperson for BorgWarner informs us that all three of its Hungarian business units offer excellent opportunities for development moving forward. Emissions and TTS are particularly exciting because these are being built up almost from zero and are already seeing rapid expansion (with up to 400 new employees expected on-board in the near future). Furthermore, the advanced and innovative turbocharging technologies being produced in the Turbo business unit allow for constant growth, as two-thirds of the output coming from BorgWarner’s factories is still made up of its globally renowned turbo systems. n

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ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

FOR LOCAL NEEDS

A new diesel systems plant in India is just the latest stage in the growth of the Bosch Group’s commitment to sustained growth in the country, where it has been active in manufacturing for over 60 years.

IN

August 2015 Bosch, the global supplier of innovative technology to the automotive, industrial, consumer, construction and energy industries, officially inaugurated a new state-of-the-art diesel systems manufacturing facility at Bidadi, Bengaluru, in India.

The Bidadi plant is the 14th manufacturing facility that Bosch has established in India since it set up its first production operation in the country in 1953. Total investment in the new plant has been around €45 million since the project was begun in September 2013 and the second phase of construction is due to be completed by 2018.

The new factory is, in fact, the fifth production unit that Bosch has opened in the state of Karnataka in southern India. It will produce diesel products that were previously manufactured at the Adugodi plant, which is also located in Bengaluru, and will employ more than 2600 people.

Bidadi will now be the lead plant for the production of single cylinder common rail diesel pumps as well as conventional fuel injection pumps.

In phase one of the development Bosch will start production of the common rail fuel injection pumps at Bidadi and expects to be producing the newer version of the pumps by 2016–17.

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“The developing industrial area in Bidadi will offer more space and better infrastructure support for our future expansion,” said Dr Steffen Berns, president of Bosch in India and managing director of Bosch Limited, the flagship business of Bosch in India, which has its headquarters in Bengaluru. “We see a lot of growth potential in India and are striving to bring more projects, products and manufacturing to the country. Our growth here is interwoven with the close relationship we have with the State of Karnataka and we look forward to further enriching this partnership.”

New gasoline systems plant The start-up of the Bidadi Diesel Systems plant came only seven months after the inauguration of a new Bosch manufacturing facility dedicated to production of gasoline fuel injection systems. Opened in January 2015, the plant at Gangaikondan, Tamil Nadu, in south east India, was Bosch’s sixth manufacturing plant in the country and is already playing a crucial role in Bosch’s strategy to enter the highly competitive two-wheeler market in India with electronic fuel injection systems. The new plant is producing power train sensors, fuel delivery modules and air management components for both automotive and two-wheeler applications. Before the opening of this new plant the Gasoline Systems division shared the Bosch Naganathapura facility, in the state of Karnataka, for local production of its fuel injection systems. Naganathapura is part of Bosch’s Automotive Electronics business in India and produces spark plugs, starter motors, alternators and generators.

Moving gasoline injection systems production to the new Gangaikondan facility has enabled Bosch’s Gasoline Systems business to further localise manufacturing and increase cost competitiveness.

Commenting on the significance of the investment last January, Dr Steffen Berns said, “It is important for our Gasoline Systems business division to have a strong manufacturing footprint in an important and growing market such as India. The expanded local production capabilities in this state-of-the-art location will help Gasoline Systems to further grow its market share with a highly competitive product portfolio.”

Bosch in India In the Indian market Bosch is a leading supplier of technology and services in the areas of Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods and Energy and Building Technology. The company operates in India through a total of nine companies – Bosch Ltd, Bosch Chassis Systems India, Bosch Rexroth India, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions, Bosch Automotive Electronics India, Bosch Electrical Drives India, BSH Home Appliances, ETAS Automotive India and Robert Bosch Automotive Steering India. Since its manufacturing operations began in the country in 1953 they have grown to include 14 manufacturing sites and seven development and applications centres employing a total of more than 29,000 people. India is also home to the largest Bosch development centre outside Germany and the company employs some 12,000 research and development specialists.

Bosch Limited, the largest of the company’s businesses in India with a workforce of some 12,000, produces a wide range of products, including diesel and gasoline fuel injection systems, automotive aftermarket products, auto electricals, packaging machines, electric power tools and security systems. It operates manufacturing facilities in Bengaluru, Nashik, Naganathapura, Jaipur and Goa and in the last year opened three new plants – the diesel systems plant at Bidadi, the gasoline systems plant at Gangaikondan and a power tools factory at Chennai.

In 2014–15 Bosch’s Diesel Systems division achieved growth of close to 10 per cent and the Gasoline Systems division also registered strong double digit growth. Dr Berns commented that the company’s localisation approach to the Indian market had been a key factor in achieving this growth. “In the past year we further expanded our market presence in the automotive aftermarket segment by adding around 300 new distributors to our sales network,” he added.

In spite of the current challenging market conditions in its major sectors, Bosch sees continuing prospects for significant growth in its Indian businesses. “We are making pro-active investments for infrastructure and technology including efficiency improvements on our products with regard to new emission regulations and CO2 reduction measures,”

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Godrej Tooling – a new link in Bosch SCM Godrej Tooling, India, has been serving automotive multinationals for the past 20 years. An important opportunity to serve the German OEM came in the form of a major assignment from world-renowned producer Bosch.

The challenge was this: Bosch’s existing suppliers in India had been struggling to meet the basic production and quality requirements owing to a high rejection rate of 30 per cent. It entrusted Godrej with the task of finding a solution to this problem.

Working in close collaboration with Bosch’s experienced team, Godrej was able to design brand new Dies with innovative Slider in Slider concept to address the near-impossible squeezing action at the center profile. An extensive network of jet cooling and spiral cooling arrangements with intermittent cooling cycle were used to address the critical problem of porosity.

The result? At the first trial itself the parts were observed to be 95 per cent acceptable. In mass production this was improved further with less than 3 per cent rejection. Yield was improved by up to 58 per cent.

Godrej Tooling is proud to be associated with Bosch and hopes to continue working with such challenging assignments and growing alongside them.

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said Dr Berns. “The market performance in the coming quarters will be determined by factors such as fuel prices, interest rates and the speed of execution of government reforms, as well as by the monsoon season.

We expect moderate growth in the Indian automotive industry this year and are cautiously optimistic.”

Connected production A key driver in this expected growth will be the Indian government’s success in improving the business environment in the country to ensure continuing growth in the economy. Bosch expects to see positive developments in the country over the medium and long term; indeed India’s economy is expected to grow by some six per cent this year.

“The new Indian government is systematically addressing key issues such as infrastructure, education and reducing bureaucracy,” said Dr Berns. “Especially in the areas of mobility, infrastructure, industry, energy, security, packaging and health care there are many opportunities for our products and solutions.”

In particular, the new ‘Make in India’ initiative, which aims to advance industrialisation in the country and to modernise production, opens up exciting possibilities for Bosch in the field of ‘connected production’. “We believe that the use of intelligent and connected solutions in manufacturing will play an increasing role in India and Bosch is very well positioned to assist in this,” said Dr Berns. The company already offers a wide range of relevant technologies and services such as drives, automation solutions, sensors, software and predictive maintenance and it is already

cooperating closely with partners in Germany and in India to develop connected solutions. It is working, for example, with the IT companies Cisco (in the USA) and Tech Mahindra (in India) to drive forward connectivity in industrial tools as part of the Industrial Internet Consortium.

Bosch’s new research and development centre in Bangalore is taking a lead in these programmes, focusing on areas such as connected technology for the internet of things. Its engineers have, for example, developed software which links all the machinery in a manufacturing faci9lity and enables the collection and analysis of data in real time. This enables production status to be constantly monitored and a material shortages as well as machine failures to be resolved quickly.

The development centre has also recently been focusing on big data analysis. A software model that it has developed for manufacturing performs statistical analysis on the basis of algorithms, enabling specific predictions to be made and changes to be detected. It can be employed in factories to reduce throughput times, enable predictive maintenance and optimise resource use as well as to improve the management of capacity, inventory and logistics. Bosch itself uses this kind of manufacturing data at its plants in Bangalore and Jaipur, for example, to shorten throughput times in the testing and calibration of diesel injection pumps.

Connected technology is also at work throughout Bosch’s logistics procedures worldwide. In its diesel plant in Nashik, for example, RFID radio tags monitor the progress of workpieces through the factory by identifying the position of transport crates. These tags enable precise details to be known about the process steps that each piece undergoes and when the injectors will be ready so that precise schedules can be drawn up for packing, shipping and installation.

In emerging markets such as India Bosch also focuses on locally developed solutions that are specifically tailored to the requirements of the local market. These have included an electronic hitch control for Indian tractor manufacturers and a common rail system for small engines as well as an affordable and robust engine management system for specially designed for the booming Indian two-wheeler market.

Technology for eye care Bosch India’s Bangalore development centre is not only focused on innovation for the mobility solutions sector. A recent non-mobility project, for example, has been the in the field of eye care. Engineers at the centre have developed a compact retinal camera with special software that can detect conditions such as cataracts at an early stage.

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Founded in 1937 as a Transport Operator, LGB was the first Indian company to supply timing chains to OEMs in India and is the largest exporter to the US. LGB is now the No.1 OEM supplier of drive chains with a 70% market share (of which 50% is for the replacement market). Relying on its refined engineering expertise, LGB has formed technical alliances with various companies in order to offer better quality services to clients in India. In 1990 LGB expanded its offering with the introduction of forged products. Today the company makes hot, warm and cold forgings for all Tier 2 OEMs in both India and abroad.

In the mid-1980s LGB invested in fine blanking technology for the manufacturing of chain plates. In the 1990s its blanking division was separated and further expanded in order to cater to the increased demand from OEMs for fine blanked components.

LGB is now a leading fine blanking manufacturer, with around 25 presses currently in operation.

L.G.Balakrishnan & Bros. Ltd. - Krisnarayapuram Road, Ganapathy, Coimbatore - 641 006. - Tel: 0091 422 253 2325 - Fax: 0091 422 253 2333 - E-mail: info@lgb.co.in

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The Bosch Eye Care camera operates on a rechargeable battery so it is lightweight and portable and its findings can be shared over tele-medicine using Bosch’s MediBilder software. The automated detection algorithm can detect and mark conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma enabling comprehensive eye screening to be carried out at a primary level, Bosch is working with India’s Aravind Eye Care System to create ‘vision centres of the future’; a programme is already in place to equip around 50 Aravind Eye Care centres with the camera systems.

Energy solutions Another important and growing business in the Bosch non-mobility sector is Bosch Energy and Building Solutions (BEBS) which has been delivering solar energy projects in India since it was set up in

2014. In August this year BEBS commissioned a 12 MW solar project for Cochin International Airport (CIAL); covering some 50 acres, this is the largest single solar project that has been constructed at any airport in India and will generate around 50,000 units of electricity each day, making the airport completely ‘grid power neutral’.

“Based on installed capacity, CIAL is the largest project that has been executed by the Bosch Energy and Building team in India to date,” said Dr Steffen Berns. “We draw strength from our broad-based technical know-how and experience, our pan-India presence and understanding of the different regions of the country, as well as strong local competence to deliver customised design and engineering projects. India has the potential to achieve the government’s ambitious target of 100 GW of solar power generation in the country by 2022 and Bosch is committed n to being a significant part of this success story.”

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GLOBAL LEADERS IN PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY The Dürr Group, headquartered in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany, is one of the world’s leading mechanical and plant engineering firms, offering highly efficient manufacturing processes for industries including automotive, chemical, pharmaceutical and woodworking. Industry Europe looks at its long and distinguished history, current structure, most recent achievements and the importance it places on its key suppliers, several of which were honoured at this year’s Dürr Supplier Awards.

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he Dürr Group has a strong global presence, providing its mechanical and plant engineering solutions to 28 countries and employing around 14,400 people. In 2015 it achieved a turnover of almost €3.5 billion, owing in part to its distinct culture of continuous innovation: Dürr never rests on its laurels, but is constantly striving to meet evolving customer demands with the latest technologies.

The group has an impressive pedigree, with a history reaching back to 1895 when its founder Paul Dürr established a metal shop for roof flashing in Cannstatt. However, it was not until 1917 that he made his first forays into sheet metal processing and since then the company has gone from strength to strength, expanding all over the world.

With regards to its more recent history, in 2000 the group was taken over by the measuring systems group Schenk. With the backing of this globally renowned player, Dürr has in the intervening years established itself as a full-range supplier of equipment for final vehicle assembly and is also the world leader in balancing and diagnostics equipment.

Production profile Today the Dürr Group’s production is divided into five distinct divisions: Paint and Final Assembly Systems; Application Technology; Measuring and Process Systems; Clean Technology Systems; and Woodworking Machinery and Systems. Approximately 60 per cent of sales are accounted for by the automotive sector, with the remainder divided between other key market segments such as mechanical engineering, chemical and pharmaceuticals. It has been involved in the woodworking sector since October 2014 when it took over the Homag Group.

Dürr’s Paint and Final Assembly Systems division, Dürr Paint, offers complete paint shops for the automotive industry and beyond, Tier 1 and 2 suppliers as well as systems for vehicle final assembly.

As a general contractor it offers everything from a single source, including: plant, application and environmental technologies as well as conveyors, control, automation and manufacturing executions systems and service and modernisation solutions. Also within this division is Dürr Consulting, which offers international customers a range of professional and individual planning and consulting services in the automotive, aircraft, testing facilities and industrial sectors.

The Application Technology division is today the clear world market leader in automated paint application. Regardless of body form, paint systems or number of production units it has well-engineered solutions at its disposal. In particular, the company has been harnessing the growth in advanced robotics technology with the manufacture of painting robots. Furthermore, the innovative Dürr Ecopaint Sealing system product range improves economic efficiency and guarantees the highest quality and environmental compatibility in vehicle sealing. The Dürr Ecopaint Gluing bonding solutions are based on know-how and experience from several hundred installations that have been successfully carried out in recent years.

Products are supplied either individually or as combined intelligent overhaul solutions.

The Measuring and Process Systems division is further subdivided into five distinct areas: Balancing and Diagnostic Systems; Assembly Products; Filling Systems; Cleaning and Surface Processing; and finally the Schenck Technology and Industry Park. The first of these, Schenck RoTec GmbH, covers all activities in the area of balancing and diag-

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nostics with a wide range of innovative balancing products under the Schenck brand. Dürr Assembly Products GmbH, meanwhile, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of products, systems and plants for the sophisticated assembly and test procedures that are part of automobile manufacture. Dürr Filling’s product portfolio covers filling equipment for household appliances and heat pumps. In the area of Cleaning and Surface Processing, the Dürr Ecolean Group supplies state-of-the-art, needs-based cleaning systems for engine and transmission production as well as metal-cutting and other metalworking processes. Finally, Schenck Technology and Industry Park GmbH is the leading full service provider at Dürr’s Darmstadt site. From facility management to warehouse logistics, financial and medical services, it provides everything to help customers focus on their core businesses.

The fourth main division, Clean Technology Systems, is focused on processes for improving energy efficiency and air abatement.

Through this division, Dürr is able to make a key contribution to reducing emissions in a wide range of industry sectors. Its state-ofthe-art plant technology allows for the efficient disposal of exhaust gases and residues whilst ensuring a high level of process reliability and reduced energy consumption. With technologies such as micro turbines, ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle), heat exchangers and heat pumps, Dürr uses excess process heat, waste heat as well as conventional and alternative sources of combustion to store, convert, transmit or transform energy.

Finally, as mentioned above, the activities of the Woodworking Machinery and Systems division are carried out by the recently acquired Homag Group, which offers a perfectly coordinated portfolio for efficient woodworking. Its diverse products and services include: panel production; sawing; surface finishing; drilling and hardware mounting technology; sizing and edge banding; CNC routing and machining; structural element machines; timber frame construction; transport and handling; assembly; packaging; consulting and finally software solutions.

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A global player Dürr’s expansion in recent years had been underpinned by solid growth in demand from its customers in China and North America.

Over the past year, new orders in China have risen by 52 per cent and have also doubled in America. To give an example of a recent success in China: in July 2015 Dürr completed the upgrading of a 17-year-old paint shop for automaker Shanghai General Motors (SGM) in record time (just six weeks). The company can now apply environmentally friendly water-based instead of solvent-based paints. The order, worth in excess of €30 million, was the group’s largest upgrade project in China to date and also highlights its continued commitment to sustainable production methods.

According to Ralf Dieter, chairman of the management board of Dürr AG: “Looking further down the road, China will remain the largest market for the automotive industry and for Dürr. Given the market volume achieved, the slower growth rate in vehicle sales do not come as any surprise especially in view of the large absolute figures. Our pipeline is still amply filled with new capex projects in the automotive industry.”

Major partnership Aside from its continued global expansion, the Dürr Group also continues to consolidate its leading position in the domestic market. It received a major boost here in September 2015 when it announced it had been selected by the Volkswagen Group as a strategic partner in the field of surface technology for its FAST supplier initiative. The initiative is targeted at selected suppliers of the Volkswagen Group and at intensifying the level of exchange and cooperation with them.

FAST stands for ‘Future Automotive Supply Tracks’. It is intended to make innovations faster and more efficient to develop for Volkswagen. To this end, partners such as the Dürr Group are integrated into projects at an early stage of innovation. It should be pointed out that amongst the suppliers Dürr is the only provider of paint technology.

Ralf Dieter said of the partnership: “The Volkswagen Group and Dürr have been cooperating closely on a global scale for decades now. We’re proud that this successful partnership has been honoured with our inclusion in the FAST initiative. Innovation and globalisation are central strategy fields of Dürr, in which we can effectively support Volkswagen.”

The importance of suppliers The Dürr Group has long recognised that all of the above achievements would not have been possible without its stable of key suppliers. In May last year (2014), it made the decision to publicly acknowledge this fact when it held its first Dürr Supplier Awards. It was decided that in future these awards will be held every two years as part of the Open House event. The awards, which were presented in three categories (‘Global Partner’, ‘Quality & Reliability’ and ‘Innovation & Technology’), were intended to honour partners that have contributed to Dürr’s success through both strong performance and reliability.

The nomination was based partly on supplier assessment carried out over the past few years, looking at factors such as quality, service and delivery reliability. In addition, Dürr drew up assessment benchmarks for the individual categories in the awards.

The ‘Global Partner’ award was given to Sova Liberec s.r.o. of the Czech Republic. This company, a system supplier of pipework, has been a reliable partner to Dürr for many years, providing engineering, delivery and installation services to many of its construction sites throughout the world.

The award for ‘Quality & Reliability’ went to Nabtesco Precision Europe GmbH. This European subsidiary of a Japanese company suppliers transmissions for painting robots. It received the award because of its excellent quality standards and fast response times, even during the trading problems in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Finally, Sensitec GmbH of Germany received the award for ‘Innovation & Technology’. A manufacturer of measurement technology systems for balancing machines, the company supplies Dürr with innovative, highly precise sensors.

Dürr’s CFO Ralph Heuwing said at the event: “Our suppliers play a crucial role in our business. A partnership of equals with them is very important to us. As an international company which has seen strong growth we need reliable partners who can supply to deadlines on a global scale. In the newly launched Dürr Supplier Award we are seeking to underline our bond with strategically valuable suppliers n and accord them recognition for their work.”

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50 Industry Europe

OLD BRAND WITH A NEW OUTLOOK

HAJDU today is a renowned name all across Europe. The award winning brand belongs to Hungary’s most well known manufacturer of household goods and is now used by the company’s diversified divisions, which are undergoing dynamic development. Edina Beale reports.

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or many decades HAJDU has maintained a Hungarian market leading position in its traditional line of household products. However, since 2006 HAJDU Hajdúsági Ipari Zrt has begun to shift towards the renewable energy sector and has experienced continuous growth in this field. In 2014 HAJDU won the MagyarBrands and the Business Superbrands awards. Its water tank with heat pump, which is suitable for heating passive houses and producing hot water, won the innovation award. The same water tank family range also received the Hungarian Grand Prize award.

In response to new environmental laws focusing on the ecological requirements of household goods, HAJDU has redeveloped and produced many new products in recent years. This includes improving the insulation for their heater tanks and launching the basic SMART water tank family range and new water tanks with heat pump. In order to meet the changing market needs HAJDU has turned its focus to new designs and is currently developing heat restoring air handling equipment and an angular hot water tank.

Automotive supply In addition, recent investments have extended the capabilities of HAJDU Autotechnika Ipari Zrt, the diversified manufacturing operation of the HAJDU group. The firm offers full services to its partners, including prominent car manufacturers and leading automotive suppliers, in order to meet the stringent quality requirements of the automotive industry.

Based on the 2D and 3D models provided by partners, the company

designs the necessary tools whilst optimising them with stimulation software. The tools are then manufactured on site.

An investment of nearly one million euros has enabled HAJDU Autotechnika to implement new technologies, including 3D laser cutting and vacuum welding, CNC grinding, heat treatment workshop and modern cutting equipment. Thanks to a new HSC CNC milling machine, the company is now able to manufacture electrodes on its own. In addition to technological investments, the infrastructure of the factory has also been developed.

The company’s most important awards include the Bisnode AAA grade and Diamond diploma and the ‘supplier of the year’ by HIPA and KÜKÜM. The firm also won the IIASA-Shiba Award for excellent quality and the Recognized to Excellence award by EFQM.

Large investments To secure its future HAJDU Hajdúsági Ipari Zrt currently aims to develop its products and services and build capacities. As part of this, the company is investing €1,300,000 alone on increasing its products’ energy efficiency. Focus will be on the technologies and capacities which are required to manufacture new innovative technical solutions and product ranges.

In the past ten years HAJDU Autotechnika Ipari Zrt has continuously developed its technological capabilities. The company’s sheet processing capacity is fully utilised, operating seven days a week in three shifts so the firm is in a need of capacity extension and broader

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choice of technologies. “The investment plan, which is worth €13 million, will seriously increase our competences and improve our technologies which enable us to satisfy our customers’ requirements on the highest level,” says vice-president, Mrs Dede Novotni.

She continues: “The backbone of the investment is three press machines with varying pressing forces. We will need to get rid of the oil on the pressed parts, so a washing facility which is suitable to carry out this activity will also be purchased. We are no longer able to fit these new machines in the current production hall so we need to build a new production hall with cranes. The whole product flow, from the storage of basic material to the delivery of the finished product, will be carried out in this production hall. The third part of the investment is the development of the tool making factory. We need to extend our capacities to make tools for the new pressing machines, but these tools come in extremely large sizes and therefore require special table size tool making machines.”

Superior infrastructure The group’s third division, HAJDU Infrastruktúra Szolgáltató Zrt, operates the HAJDU Industrial Park, where in addition to the company’s own manufacturing sites several other businesses are located. The infrastructure of the industrial park has been continuously developed.

In recent times its condensed air system was renewed and it was connected to the SCADA system, that allows for the use of a new electronic meter system for condensed air users.

The site’s drinking water system has been fully reconstructed and a new gravel filter equipment was implemented, whilst the full control of the chemical meter system and the drinking water system was integrated with the SCADA supervisory control system. In addition to this the reconstruction of the ’Big Boiler District’, which started in 2014, was completed this year. The district heating system of this area was replaced with modern insulated tubes.

Good results The infrastructural development of the Industrial Park is being continued in the future. The aim is to keep the total energy consumption for unit of revenue below 7GJ/million, which would mean that the firm halves the total energy consumption per unit of revenue measured in 2010.

HAJDU’s revenue in 2014 increased by 16 per cent compared to the previous year. Both domestic sales and exports have increased. HAJDU achieved excellent 35 per cent growth results in the renewable energy sector, while sales in Russia increased by more than 50 per cent. These successes could not only be owing to the famous HAJDU brand. The company’s innovative product developments, its focus on the changing market needs and its large investments plans demonstrates that HAJDU is ready to meet n challenges head on.

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POWER TO THE PEOPLE Global automotive brand Honda’s Power Equipment division offers a huge range of engine-fuelled products to its customers worldwide. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to PR and communications manager Lucy Carter to learn more about how the division is growing and investing.

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apanese multinational corporation Honda is primarily known for its manufacture of cars and motorbikes, but its creation and supply of power equipment started way back in 1953 when it began manufacturing small engines specifically for this purpose, using its extensive knowledge of motors. Initially focused on the US market, Honda Power Equipment today has manufactured more than 100 million power products worldwide thanks to its network of state-of-the-art production sites and many thousands of dealers across the world.

Honda Power Equipment’s portfolio is focused on the six core product families of generators, lawn mowers, pumps, snow blowers, tillers and trimmers. Indeed, the division is the world leader in the development of low-emission, fuel-efficient, environmentally-friendly four-stroke engines for use in many power equipment applications such as generators, water pumps and outboard motors.

A global family Headquartered in Georgia, USA, where it has more than 40 million satisfied customers, Honda Power Equipment is also particularly active across Europe. Its main European manufacturing site is located in Orleans, France, under the name Honda France Manufacturing, and it is here that its products are developed and created for the European market. PR and communications manager Lucy Carter spoke to Industry Europe about Honda Power Equipment in Europe. She said, “The key product groups that we offer from our European site in Orleans include lawn mowers, marine outboards and inflatable boats and industrial and agricultural engines. We have been continually investing in new technologies to ensure that we are able to keep expanding our market share and this is proving to be a successful strategy.”

Honda Power Equipment in Europe’s portfolio provides lawn mowers, ride-on mowers, robotic mowers and hand-held mowers for the Lawn & Garden sector, outboards and inflatable boats for the Marine sectors, tillers and snow throwers for the Agricultural sector and generators, water pumps and power carriers for the Industrial sector. Ms Carter continued, “We are well known for our high quality power generation products and in order to maintain and promote this reputation for excellence our investment in new technologies has already seen a number of innovative products introduced. For example, our Miimo robotic lawnmower uses unique Honda technology and our innovative Snow Thrower is the only hybrid machine available on the market. Our EU70 generator is also the only fuel injection generator on the market and our BF250 Marine engine is the only product of its sort that uses our unique air-intake system.”

Ms Carter is clear that Honda Power Equipment’s focus on development and innovation thanks to heavy investment and a strategic utilisation of its extensive experience is highly necessary in a challenging market. She said, “Given the increasing competition from emerging markets we are well aware that active, dynamic R&D is more important than ever. We are finding that aggressive Chinese copies are increasing so having USPs backed up by an Authorised Dealer Network is essential.

Customers know they can trust the Honda brand and it is imperative that we look after that reputation by creating and manufacturing power engine products that excel on quality and performance.”

Good for growth Annual growth and expansion of market share across Europe is very much the mission of Honda Power Equipment. Already successful in this regard, the company expects to continue this through its focus on innovation and the reliability of its dealer network. Ms Industry Europe 55

Carter added, “Recent innovative developments such as our Miimo robotic lawnmower have played an important role in our continuing European growth, with our R&D teams working hard to develop robotic technology that truly adds value to our customers in terms of product performance. On-going investment is very much at the heart of this success too so in order to keep growing year on year we will continue to invest in new technologies.”

In terms of European sales, Honda Power Equipment’s main markets are France, Germany and the UK for its Lawn & Garden products, Italy for its Marine products and Norway, Sweden and Switzerland for its snow throwers. Ms Carter explained that

customer demand and priorities vary according to geographical regions and, as such, the company’s business development plans reflect changing requirements. She added, “Lawn mowers continue to be our key product in terms of sales as they contribute the most to our turnover, but we are dedicated to providing local products that suit the needs and requirements of our customers across European markets.”

With continued R&D and investment assured, Honda Power Equipment is positive its growth will remain strong year on year. The company expects to venture into new markets as well as growing in n its current markets, with mainly organic growth predicted.

Edel Tamp Edel Tamp has been part of Honda‘s product development for the last 20 years.

Our aim has been to acquire a perfect understanding of Honda’s requirements in terms of product development, offering the right solutions, based on precise results of tests and calculations in our studies and not on extrapolation.

Edel Tamp’s ultimate objective is to provide a complete and flawless product and service. Our expertise encompasses every area, from understanding of the product, through validation, development and implementation. On time and within budget.

Edel Tamp’s approach to Honda’s projects has been global. Our experience in managing skills and keeping up to date with the latest technologies enables us to respond to Honda’s distinct needs at every stage: development, production and logistics. Our key area of involvement has been Plastics Engineering but we have the possibility of combining this area with Precision Turning, Stamping, Welding, Paintwork-decorating, Assembly, Polyurethane foaming, electronics, aluminum casting.

In Honda’s product development, our polymer specification laboratory has offered Honda the possibility to acquire the relevant polymer mix specifically developed for Honda’s products in accordance with product specification.

Our laboratory is equipped with Impact test, Tensil stress test, Polymers characterization, Melt flow index test.

Expertise and Control: These are two pillars of our engineering consultancy and laboratory, enabling us to maintain a high level of independence and objectivity when studying Honda’s needs in terms of materials characterization at any temperature. All the results of these studies are then integrated into our rheology and structure simulation models. They provide Honda’s designers and product controllers with materials that places Honda’s products amongst the highest ranked in terms of quality and precision.

Edel Tamp’s commitment to Honda is constant and we strive to maintain a total quality approach to solutions in all future Honda development and production.

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GLOBAL LEADER IN HIGH-PRESSURE VESSELS Austrian Schoeller-Bleckmann Nitec GmbH designs and builds high-pressure vessels for the chemical and petrochemical industries. It is one of the global market leaders in industrial apparatus engineering for the fertiliser industry. Marco Siebel spoke with CEO Hermann Kernberger to find out more.

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choeller-Bleckmann Nitec employs 150 people whose efforts generated a turnover of €50 million in 2014. The company has four production sites, of which two are in Ternitz, a town south of Vienna. The history of the company goes back to 1862, when Alexander Schoeller acquired the iron and steel works in Ternitz. In 1935 Schoeller-Bleckmann began the manufacturing of vessels for the chemical, food and drink industries. In the past 30 years the company has positioned itself as a producer of industrial vessels for the fertiliser industry. Schoeller-Bleckmann Nitec GmbH has been part of the group J. Christof Apparatebau Beteiligungs GmbH since 2008.

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Vessels for the fertiliser industry Schoeller-Bleckmann Nitec (SBN) produces high-pressure heat exchangers and high-pressure reactors for urea and ammonia production to be used in the fertiliser industry. The reactors are cladded in highly corrosion-resistant materials, and have built-in liquid distribution systems. The materials used for these products include heat-resistant chrome-nickel steels and nickel-based alloys, as well as pressurised hydrogen resistant steels. The welding is computercontrolled using software developed by Schoeller-Bleckmann Nitec’s own team of engineers and programmers.

Hermann Kernberger says: “We have some customers in Europe, but most of our vessels are exported to countries in North America, Asia and the Middle-East. Iran is buying a lot, simply because they have the raw material – natural gas – in huge quantities. In China they convert coal to synthetic natural gas. All these SBN customers manufacture the fertilisers that they then export to the agricultural industries abroad.”

Vessels for chemicals and petrochemicals SBN supplies high-pressure vessels and components for the chemical and petrochemical industries, whether it’s processing crude oil and gas, or processing intermediates and finished products. The company is renowned for its heat exchangers, reactors, separators and columns. Materials used include carbon steels, low-alloyed steels for hydrogen service under elevated temperatures and pressures, austenitic chrome-nickel steels, nickel-based alloys as well as pure nickel or titanium.

Monowall or multilayer-wall SBN’s vessels are built either in monowall or multilayer-wall construction. SBN offers high-pressure reactors in classic monowall designs with wall thicknesses of up to 300mm. The high-pressure shell sections are either manufactured from hot rolled and longitudinally-welded plates or from seamless forged shell parts. SBN’s multilayer design is used where high pressures are combined with large-dimensioned high-pressure vessels and shell lengths, for example in urea reactors, pool condensers and pool reactors or ammonia converters.

Hermann Kernberger continues: “To ensure that the high-pressure equipment we manufacture for the fertiliser industry is state-of-theIndustry Europe 59

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art, we have long maintained close working relationships with licensors and material producers. SBN was a pioneer in the extensive use of Safurex – a super duplex grade developed by Swedish steel producer Sandvik AB and the Dutch process licensor Stamicarbon BV. Our engineers developed the necessary welding technologies in conjunction with Sandvik. We are now working on the next generation of pool condensers and pool reactors, according to Stamicarbon’s Urea 2000 process, which significantly increases productivity in urea plants.”

Advantages of SBN’s multilayer design Manufacturing the shell from elements with low thicknesses produces better metallurgical characteristics, such as higher yield strength and higher stability. Significantly greater safety reserves are achieved to prevent the spread of damage through the entire vessel wall.

Hermann Kernberger adds: “For processes involving high corrosion attack, either the core shell is produced from corrosion-resistant material or an appropriate loose lining is installed. The higher the operating pressures and diameters or lengths of the pressure vessel are, the more advantageous is the weight ratio between multilayer and monowall design.”

Production in Ternitz is concentrated in two buildings with a total floor space of more than 5000m2. All prefabrication stages are carried out in a new 3000m2 pressure vessel shop with CNC vertical lathe and BTA deep hole drilling machines, manipulators with capacities of up to 100 tonnes, and six cranes with lifting capacities of up to a maximum of 240 tonnes. SBN has the entire range of the necessary welding equipment, including TIG, MIG and MAG and coated rod welding, submerged arc wire and strip overlay welding,

and computerised tube-to-tubesheet welding (conventional and innerbore). There are also a large number of vessel rotators with capacities of up to 500 tonnes.

Hermann Kernberger concludes: “The increasingly larger dimensions and weights of the equipment forced us to invent new ways of manufacturing: our welding processes have changed, along with the knowledge level of our employees. Because of size and weight restrictions on road and rail transport, we have started to scout out new production sites close to the sea. We already have a production site in Linz on the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, and are now looking for a fifth production site near the sea, either in the Netherlands, n Belgium, northern Germany, or Poland.”

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The plant Zielitz in Saxony-Anhalt produces high-purity potassium chloride. This picture shows the production site for KaliSel.

THE INGREDIENTS

FOR SUCCESS K+S Kali GmbH is a globally recognised name in the extraction and processing of potassium and magnesium for a wide range of applications including Health Care and Nutrition, the subject of this article. In a conversation with Alexander Baart, VP and head of Health Care and Nutrition, Victoria Hattersley finds out about what makes this division unique within the group and how it is keeping pace with market trends and the regulatory challenges of this sector.

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all need to maintain certain levels of potassium and magnesium in our bodies in order to remain healthy, and that is where companies such as K+S Kali with its world-leading Health Care and Nutrition division come in. Producing the highest quality food grade potassium chloride and magnesium sulphate for the pharma, food and feed industries, the company strives to consistently meet the highest standards and the most stringent regulations, as we shall see.

But to give some context to this division: it is still a small part of the global giant that is the K+S Group. Headquartered in Kassel, Germany, the group has a long and distinguished history in mineral extraction and processing reaching back over 150 years. The natural crude salts it mines are extracted and processed into high purity salts at its sites in Wintershall, Hattorf and Zielitz.

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The K+S Group consists of two separate business units – one salt and the other Kali. In fact, it is today the biggest worldwide producer of salt, with Kali among the biggest producers of potassium chloride. The biggest part of the group’s turnover is still accounted for by its traditional fertiliser business. The Health Care and Nutrition element of the business is therefore a small part of the group, but one that is experiencing healthy growth nonetheless. The food, feed and pharma products are produced in K+S Kali’s own, completely independent manufacturing facilities.

Mr Baart begins: “This division was established four and a half years ago so we are still relatively young. K+S Kali GmbH produces 6.8 million metric tonnes of potassium chloride and magnesium sulphate per year.

Of course we are working with far smaller numbers within the domain of food, feed and pharma so we are just an island within the bigger group structure and rely on it for our continued stability.

With large-sized machines the raw salt is transported to the belt conveyor systems.

From there it takes its journey to the shaft and to further processing in the factories above ground.

“What many people don’t know however is that the group also has three salt production companies: one of these is esco in Europe, the second is K+S Chile and the third – probably the best-known – is Morton Salt in the US. This means we actually have a two-pillared business model: K+S Kali and the salt companies.”

Products and industries served In essence, the production profile of K+S Health Care and Nutrition is relatively simple: it sells high-purity potassium chloride, magnesium sulphate (also known as Epsom Salt) and potassium sulphate products for the food and pharma industries. For the feed sector it relies on potassium chloride and magnesium sulphate, which are marketed under the KaSa brand name.

As Mr Baart explains, “Our actual products don’t change very much because for our customers – particularly those in the food industry – consistency is very important. They don’t want to have to keep reformulating their products and neither do we.”

Of course, the products themselves do vary according to the end use sector. To give an example, Mr Baart tells us, “The interesting thing is that if you make a comparison between animal food and human food products, in theory there are far stricter certification procedures for animals. I say in theory, because in practice what you will often find is that many producers will try to cheat the system which nobody would ever risk doing in the food business or the pharmaceutical segment.”

Regulatory challenges This last point brings us to one of the biggest challenges companies operating in this sector worldwide will face: that of meeting all the regulatory and quality standards required for the pharma, food and feed industries. It is here that K+S Kali Health Care and Nutrition is able to distinguish itself. It is unique within the group structure in that it is in the only member to take control of its own regulatory and technical affairs in addition to sales. It will, for example, coordinate with auditors – and indeed its clients are welcome to carry out their own audits of its facilities whenever they like. Furthermore, it can assist clients with their documentation to ensure that their own products meet the required standards.

Mr Baart explains why this is such an important strength: “We have to make sure that all our products are up to standard for each and every market we serve. Different regions of the world have different requirements: for example, if you are exporting to the Far East there are many, many registration processes to go through and it makes much more sense for us to coordinate this together with our partners (end users and/or distributors) to avoid any costly complications for all involved.”

All K+S Kali’s facilities operate according to the most stringent hygiene and quality controls, with closed production systems to protect its salts against environmental influences during the manufacturing process. Furthermore, it constantly tests the purity of its products at its own laboratories. The Darmstadt Regional Administrate Council and the US Food and Drug Administration regularly carry out inspections at its site and the SGS Institut Fresenius audits its KaliSel in accordance with IFS. Furthermore, the animal feed salts are certified in accordance with GMP+ and are QS-recognised.

“You need to meet international standards in such a way that you can get through any audits necessary. This is something we as a company take extremely seriously because, in short, we have to if we want to survive and maintain the strong reputation of the group as a whole.”

Current and future trends We go on to discuss the increasing trend for food manufacturers to reduce the sodium content of their products. This is an issue that most of us are aware of today, but how does it affect companies such as K+S Kali? Mr Baart tells us, “Six years ago we invested in our Zielitz site which produces crude salt to be refined into highly pure foodgrade potassium chloride. At the time the discussion of low sodium in the European food market was at a relatively low level so when our division was established I questioned whether we would get near to half capacity at this site. Well, four and a half years on we are seeing roughly a two-digit increase each year.”

It looks, then, as though low sodium food production is here to stay: major food processors throughout Europe are now committing to reduce the salt content of their food by 3-5 per cent, and whilst Mr Baart doesn’t want to name names he says K+S Kali is getting into dialogues with many of them about how to meet increasingly stringent market demands. (In the US, meanwhile, companies have been lowering the salt content of their food since the 1970s and consequently this has always been, and remains, a very important market).

“Of course,” adds Mr Baart, “Any company seeking to reduce sodium, wherever they are, has to consider the entire formulation of their product into their hands so they need a supplier like us who can provide a consistent level of quality. For example, the entire Dutch bakery industry has reduced its salt content by over 25 per cent in recent years and that’s OK, but if you go much lower you may have to look to replace the sodium with something else, as sodium’s role is definitely not limited to the taste only.”

Which brings us on to a second, emerging health trend that companies such as K+S Kali are observing – that of products ‘enriched with natural minerals’ such as potassium. “Just to give an example, Industry Europe 63

View into the production line of high-purity potassium chloride of plant Zielitz.

Alexander Baart, Vice President – Head of Unit Health Care & Nutrition of K+S KALI GmbH

I was in a US supermarket recently and I saw a can with ‘potassium enriched’ on the label. So maybe the focus is starting to be on not just what you need to cut out, but what you need to include in your food.”

Naturally K+S Kali can expect to take advantage of this burgeoning aspect of the food production market in the coming years.

Increasing global presence In terms of market outreach, K+S Kali’s traditional markets of Europe and the US are still very important. In Europe it has a particularly strong presence in the UK, Scandinavia and the Netherlands, with up-andcoming markets including the Mediterranean countries and France, where the processed food business is increasing rapidly. “On the other hand,” adds Mr Baart, “there is something of a standstill on the domestic German market because at the moment producers here just aren’t interested in reducing sodium.”

The company is also seeing growth in South America, where the diet salts business is growing very fast. Apart from this, Mr Baart says that the situation in the Far East is changing in a positive way.

“In fact, our main competitors have tended to be companies in places such as the Far East which produce lower quality, non foodgrade products more cheaply because the regulations are not nearly as strict. However, that is at last beginning to change with markets such as China becoming more quality minded, particularly as more and more global names are starting to produce or sell there.”

When asked about the future direction of the company and whether there are any acquisitions or long-term business partnerships in the pipeline, Mr Baart concludes: “Moving forward, we are not necessarily thinking about acquisitions. We are looking instead at building strong partnerships. We don’t have an aggressive strategy but we are looking for synergies. Already we have existing collaborations with companies who are distributing our products and we are in discussions with more n partners in the Far East and South America.”

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FERTILISER BUSINESS In the past decade Nitrogénművek Zrt has become the leading nitrogenous fertiliser manufacturer in Hungary. The company’s ongoing success and rapid development is predominantly down to its cautious investment planning and efficiency focused operational policy. Edina Beale reports.

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ince its establishment in 1991, Nitrogénművek Zrt has always put special emphasis on modern technologies and has continuously invested in new facilities in Pétfürdő to meet the highest requirements of the fertiliser market. Most recently, the company has again made significant investments into improving quality and increasing capacity.

Increased output Based on the design of the American company Kellogg Braun & Root, the expansion of the ammonia plant started in 2011, and as a result of this the company went from an output of 1200 to 1400 tonnes

per day in the primary reformer section. In mid-2012, €10 million was invested into expanding the capacity of the reformer facilities.

In October 2015 the company implemented a major investment plan – worth €35 million – which is currently being carried out.

Thanks to these investments Nitrogénművek Zrt is now operating one of the most modern ammonia plants in the region. Apart from greater output, the plant’s environmental and safety features have vastly improved and energy consumption has been reduced by about 3 per cent.

The capacity of the nitric acid plant has been increased in two phases; based on the design of the French Grande Paroisse, the plant’s output

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increased from 1600 to 1800 tonnes per day. As a result of this investment, the efficiency of the plant has also improved greatly. It is now one of the most modern nitric acid plants in the world.

New production plants To stay in line with the increased production of ammonia and nitric acid products, the company began to construct a brand new production plant to manufacture granulated fertiliser. The development of this latest facility was carried out by the German Thyssen Krupp Industrial Solution (previously Uhde). The new plant will be able to manufacture alternatively 2000 tonnes per day CAN (calcium ammonium nitrate) or 1500 tonnes per day ammonium nitrate. The new plant will meet the highest standards in terms of environmental, product quality and technology aspects.

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The fertiliser plant will be equipped with a brand new packaging facility, and the total costs of investment will reach €60 million.

In order to further increase the production of nitrate fertiliser products, a new 1150 tonnes-per-day capacity nitric acid plant is required. This construction project began at the beginning of 2015 and is also being carried out by Thyssen Krupp Industrial Solutions.

Together with the infrastructural investments, it is estimated that the cost of this investment will reach €80 million.

Self-sufficient energy operation Alongside the technological investments mentioned above, Nitrogénművek Zrt has been continuously modernising its energy systems to achieve efficiency. In the past 10 years Nitrogénművek

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OT INDUSTRIES is a Hungary based group of companies providing unique and complex solutions for the energy industry, with services including: high-quality project management; engineering; manufacturing; and procurement and construction services for the chemical, petrochemical, O&G and energy industries.

The meeting place for world-class expertise

OT INDUSTRIES offers you: • 70 years of experience with a wide range of project and client references • World-class EPC project realisation that includes project, site and engineering management, and procurement • Full range of engineering services based on the expertise of the available engineering staff and a massive pool of cutting-edge IT assets • Capacities and resources to construct pipe lines at 200 km/year and tank farms up to 50,000m3/tank • Wide range of closing devices, vessels and other equipment produced at its 30,000 m2 plant • Proven competence in European and global standards • Stable financial background • Partnership experience with recognised international companies.

Registered Office: 44 Galvani str., Budapest, H-1117 Hungary Phone: Fax: E-mail: Web:

+36 1 453 6300 +36 1 453 6433 otindustries@otindustries.hu www.otindustries.eu

ACE Apparatebau construction & engineering GmbH

Highest Pressure - Highest Quality For decades, the team of ACE Apparatebau construction & engineering GmbH has been developing special solutions for industrial equipment, which are recognized worldwide. In the factory in Lieboch, ACE is able to produce apparatuses with pressures up to 750 bar, weights up to 600 tons and diameters up to 5.4 m in one piece. One of ACE’s premises is located directly at the river Danube so that hassle-free loading of up to 600 tons onto the ship is possible.

The product range includes all different kinds of pressure vessels, heat exchangers, columns, reactors and special products such as FCC components. ACE is also a competent and confident partner when it comes to plant shut downs and revamps. The diversified business activities and the flexibility of ACE’s employees permit a short-term project realization.

ACE’s equipment has primarily applications in the petrochemical and chemical industry as well as in refineries and the ammonia/fertilizer industry.

Through quality assurance with state-of-the-art test equipment, performance that meets all quality guidelines worldwide, planning and carrying out of special transportation, on-site installation and assembling of units manufactured by ACE as well as development of facilities and components in cooperation with renowned engineers’ offices, ACE strengthens its position worldwide as a reliable partner regarding special knowledge, perfection and flexibility in industrial apparatus and vessel construction.

ACE is part of the versatile Christof Group and the apparatus construction company group JCA (J. Christof Apparatebau Beteiligungs GmbH), which consists of three apparatus construction companies, all located in Austria.

Nitrogénművek Zrt. has been a client of JCA for decades and now realized a further project with ACE. Its price-performance-ratio let ACE win the contract against international competitors.

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The scope of supply of this project comprised a Methanator Feed Preheater, a Methanator Effluent BFW Heater, a Syngas Compressor Intercooler, a Methanator Effluent Trim Cooler, a Synthesis Gas Chiller, a Mixed Feed Coil and a Steam Air Coil.

Design calculation and detail engineering were included in the package.

One of the major challenges was the short delivery time. In the course of the project it was necessary to act flexibly and to find improved solutions together with Nitrogénművek. The key to success were the continuous meetings also on site in order to find and realize suitable solutions for open issues in time.

Hans-Thalhammer-Str. 18 8501 Lieboch, Austria P: +43 3136 63600 0 F: +43 3136 63600 4600 M: ace.office@christof-group.com

Zrt has built up a power generating capacity of nearly 4 MW in order to rationalise its energy consumption. The latest development started in 2014, and it involved the implementation of a power generating unit driven by a 24 MW steam expansion and related infrastructure. The €15 million investment is expected to be completed by the middle of 2016 and as a result of this the company’s current electricity consumption will be almost self-sufficient.

New activities Besides technological and capacity investments, the company has been focusing on expanding its activities. Since 2014 it has been supplying seed and agricultural products and since the beginning of this year a new segment was added to its trading activities; the sale of pesticides. Moreover, recently Nitrogénművek Zrt has been offering transportation services through its own fleet of trucks to improve customer service. Currently two thirds of production is distributed in Hungary and the rest is exported to other countries including Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Romania and Poland. The company has also set up sales subsidiaries in Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Germany, Italy and Poland.

est world standards whilst energy efficiency has been continuously improving. As a result of this, the company’s products are competitive not only in the domestic but also in the export markets.

Managing director István Blazsek reveals the reasons for the company’s success: “The most fundamental tools to maintain our competitiveness are: efficient market research, careful operations and good quality maintenance, efficient technological solutions and well thought out investment policies.

“According to the forecast of Fertilisers Europe, agricultural production and fertiliser usage in central and eastern Europe is estimated to steadily expand in the next few decades. This will enable us to grow in size and in capacity too. Nitrogénművek Zrt will have a profitable future if we maintain our focus on quality when implementing our investments.” n

Growing prospects Today Nitrogénművek Zrt employs nearly 670 staff but its subsidiaries provide jobs for a further 80 people. The company achieved a turnover of 130 billion HUF in 2014 and is owned by the family enterprise Bige Holding.

The environmental impact of the company’s activities has been gradually reduced and the production plants now meet the high-

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POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw

System Cyberia 70 Industry Europe

System COSMO LED

System INDUSTRY FLOWER

Kashubian Philharmonic Hall in Wejherowo

Museum of Fire in Żory

European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk

SHINING A LIGHT ES-SYSTEM Group, headquartered in Krakow, Poland, is one of the leading European producers of professional lighting technology with strong focus on LED solutions for different sectors of the construction industry.

This year it celebrates its 25th anniversary, as Dariusz Balcerzyk reports.

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he company’s history goes back as far as 1990. The idea behind its establishment was based upon the energy saving effect in each lighting solution, achieved by the application of modern technologies. This concept is reflected in the company’s name, as ‘ES’ refers to its Energy Saving motto.

ES-SYSTEM SA is the dominant company within a capital group, which consists of two production plants in which ES-SYSTEM SA has a 100 per cent share (ES-SYSTEM Wilkasy and ES-SYSTEM NT in Dobczyce), and the group’s foreign subsidiary ES-SYSTEM Scandinavia AB with its seat in Sweden (75 per cent share).

The ES-SYSTEM NT plant in Dobczyce is the group’s latest and most technologically advanced company, opened in 2010. ES-SYSTEM NT (the NT acronym stands for New Technology) has a production plant with a total area of 6400m2, in which there are three manufacturing bays, a high bay warehouse and electronics warehouse. Until 2014 the group owned another production plant in Rzeszow; however last year the plant was wholly overtaken by ES-SYSTEM Wilkasy.

Thousands of solutions The estimated value of the professional lighting sector in Poland amounts to approximately €44 million. ES-SYSTEM has an almost 11 per cent share in the sector of professional lighting for public, architectural and industrial facilities, open areas and illumination of architectural objects as well as for private housing and specialist lighting.

“We offer 55,000 varied lighting solutions grouped in 127 systems.

Each year we introduce about 3000 new products including updates to existing products and up to 20 new lighting systems developed by our design team and the R&D department. We have many years

of experience in cooperating with leading domestic and international architectural studios and design offices. Our excellent knowledge of the market allows us to shape new trends in the field of lighting and luminaire production, as well as to pave the way for new directions of development in the industry,” says Rafal Gawrylak, the group’s president of the management board.

The group employs more than 700 people. Its annual sales in 2014 reached more than PLN 169 million (approximately €41 million) and it achieved a profit of PLN 6.8 million (more than €1.6 million).

Meanwhile its sales in the first quarter of 2015 was estimated at PLN 37.4 million (more than €9 million) and increased by 10 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2014.

Exports made up 18 per cent of the overall sales in the first quarter of 2015. “ES-SYSTEM’s products are sold worldwide to more than 50 markets. Such EU countries as Sweden, Austria, France, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and the Netherlands are the group’s main foreign markets. Our lighting systems are also present in Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Bosnia, Iceland and even in Greenland. We cooperate with top investors worldwide. Our lighting systems are present in such prestigious projects as Aarhus Harbour in Denmark , Aeroflot skyscraper in Moscow, Museo Soumaya in Mexico City, Halfmoon Bay Marina in Auckland, New Zeleand; Jakomäki Library in Helsinki” specifies Mr Gawrylak.

Some of the most prestigious projects in Poland realised by ESSYSTEM in the last few years include: the National Stadium in Warsaw, Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Chopin Airport Terminal II Okecie in Warsaw, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, European Solidarity Centre building in Gdańsk and Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre.

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TELZAM The company TELZAM manufactures inductive components based on ferrite cores, that is, transformers, including impulse transformers, telecommunication transformers, inductors, chokes, DCF antennas and a whole range of air coils.

Impulse transformers are used also in lighting equipment. Our products are characterised by a very high reliability and stability of parameters over time. Therefore, the use of our components ensures very high reliability of the equipment over their long-term use. This in turn translates into significant savings when operating equipment. Achieving this level of reliability was possible after the introduction of innovative technological solutions and their implementation into the production processes.

HELVAR HELVAR are specialists in energy efficient lighting solutions.

Our extensive range of products, including intelligent lighting controls, LED drivers, modules and ballasts, can be used as single components or combined into lighting systems to achieve smart solutions. These solutions allow our customers to deliver not only vastly improved energy efficiency but enhanced human comfort, mood and productivity with human centric lighting.

Electro Terminal provides BETTER CONNECTIONS With more than 50 years of experience and exceptional knowhow, we will continue to provide perfect connections for luminaires and installations.

MICROCON SMD – PCB connector with push-in terminal, SMD ■ SDKF – Universal wire connector ■

Electro Terminal GmbH & Co KG Archenweg 58, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria T +43 512 3321 office@electroterminal.com ■ www.electroterminal.com

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Wamtechnik Sp. z o.o.

Wamtechnik Sp. z o.o. was founded in 1992 as a Polish-German joint venture company. We began by assembling battery packs for Polish producers of emergency lighting and metering equipment.

Today Wamtechnik is a well-known producer of power supply systems and battery packs, designed and produced in-house by our specialists. Our product is used worldwide in devices that demand portable sources of energy, mainly power tools, medical and measuring equipment, electric vehicles and battery backup.

We design and produce power supply systems based on the latest technology. Our production plant covering around 2000 sq. metres (the biggest of its kind in Poland), provides employment for over 100 people.

Our offer consists of: - Battery pack assembly - Distribution of batteries and cells: nickel-cadmium Ni-Cd, nickel- hydride Ni-Mh, lithium-ion Li-Ion and NMC, Lithiumpolymer Li-Poly, lithium-manganic Li-Mn2O4, lithium-ironphosphate Li-FePO4, alkaline cells, 3,0V and 3,6V lithium cells - Distribution of: maintenance free lead-acid batteries in AGM and gel technologies; fixture; cables and connectors - Photovoltaic systems: modules, inverters and controllers; PV power stations; ready-to-use photovoltaic sets; photovoltaic and hybrid lamps; and components for PV systems.

- a global supplier of power sources.

The main activity: • Battery packs design • Production and assembling • Supplier of cells and batteries (nickel-cadmium Ni-Cd, nickel-hydride Ni-Mh, lithium-ion Li-Ion and NMC, lithium-polymer Li-Poly, lithium-manganic Li-Mn2O4, lithium-iron-phosphate Li-FePO4, alkaline cells, 3,0V and 3,6V lithium cells, maintenance free lead-acid batteries in AGM and gel technologies) • Authorized supplier for armed forces and NATO • Integrator and contractor of photovoltaic systems

www.wamtechnik.pl

WAMTECHNIK Sp. z o.o. | 24, Zawodzie STR | 02-981 Warszawa | Poland Tel: +48 22 701 26 00 | Fax: +48 22 701 26 01 | E-mail: office@wamtechnik.pl

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Shakespeare Theater in Gdańsk

LED revolution ES-SYSTEM is Poland’s leading producer of professional LED lighting technology, which has been a part of the company’s significant offer since 2004.

“LED technology is a modern and energy efficient lighting solution for a wide range of applications. LED gives freedom of design, it means the sky is the limit and that combined with its ecology advantages makes the market demand for this technology continue to grow. According to the European Union the share of LED lighting in the European countries will grow in leaps and bounds from 19 per cent in 2013 up to 54 per cent in 2017. At the moment, the LED solutions share in our export sales is 50 per cent, while on the domestic market the figure is 41 per cent. Such top LED systems as Office Flower, Cosmo or Cyberia enjoy great popularity among our customers both in Poland and in foreign markets,” says Mr Gawrylak.

Reliability and honesty Mr Gawrylak believes the group’s competitive advantage lies in its practical know-how, ability to meet its customers’ needs, portfolio of prestigious international projects completed up-to date and the high

speed of order execution. “Our customers are confident with our quality, not least because we use only the best components from global suppliers. We’re not going to cut corners by using cheap but unreliable electronics manufactured in the countries of the Far East.”

ES-SYSTEM owns a laboratory which is authorised to carry out professional photo-biological examination. This is particularly important since the LED-based products must meet strict photo-biological safety standards to provide quality and avoid any hazards to the skin and eyes.

ES-SYSTEM’s clients also appreciate its business honesty, which is manifested, among other things, by the group’s agreement on intellectual property rights signed with Philips, the globally-renowned Dutch technology company. “Philips owns most patents relating to lighting technology. Some producers use its technology illegally but we do not go this route: we do not cheat anybody and we do not counterfeit other companies’ products. We are only one of quite a few Polish companies that have the agreement with Philips, which enables us to n use its technology legally,” points out Mr Gawrylak. www.essystem.pl

European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk

Museum of Fire in Żory

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EXPERTS IN TRANSPORT

INFRASTRUCTURE

ZUE Capital Group from Krakow is one of the Poland’s leading players in the construction industry, focused on public transport infrastructure. In 2016 it will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Dariusz Balcerzyk reports.

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he company operates as a general contractor. Its main scope of activity is designing and delivering comprehensive railway constructions. It also executes the entire accompanying infrastructure including earth works, railway beds and drainage systems and station building.

ZUE CG provides complete services in terms of the construction and modernisation of powering systems for tram line infrastructure, as well as the construction and modernisation of the tram and train catenary network. The company’s areas of interest include the provision of services for the current maintenance of city infrastructure systems (tracks, catenary, powering systems, lighting). In addition, ZUE CG delivers construction services for complete electric networks at a low, medium and high voltage level.

“Next year, ZUE SA will celebrate its 25th anniversary. A quarter of a century on the market can attest to our position. I must

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admit that for me, a founder of the company, this is an important moment. When I decided to open my own business I had a vision of its development, but this is the market that always verifies each vision. The strong position that ZUE maintains in the tram and railway infrastructure market, and in the energy infrastructure market, allows me to look back at the company’s history with satisfaction,” says Mr Wieslaw Nowak, the company’s chairman of the board and general director.

25 years of development ZUE was founded by Mr Nowak in 1991. Initially, the company operated in the electronics and radio communication industry in the Krakow area. The extension of its activities into the field of power electronics, energy and traction works took place in 1994. Two years later, ZUE established a cooperation with SIEMENS AG, based in

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P.I.R.K. TOR-KRAK SP. Z.O.O. Przedsiębiorstwo Inżynieryjnych Robót Kolejowych TOR-KRAK Spółka z o.o (TOR-Krak the Railway Engineering Works Ltd.) was founded in Krakow in 1989 and since then it has specialized in the construction and modernization of the tram and train infrastructure, together with full accompanying infrastructure.

The company uses modern technologies and design solutions; it has the special equipment for trackworks, well-educated engineering staff that have appropriate permissions, and an experienced crew.

Main products and services: • Construction, reconstruction and repair of tram and rail tracks and turnouts in ballast and slab technologies (including Reda City, ERS, CDM and others) • Construction, reconstruction and repair of tram traction networks with accompanying infrastructure, ie. the construction of pillars, foundations, power and return cables, and the switches’ control and heating systems • Complex construction of earthworks, drainage and beddings • Thermite and electrical welding of 60r2, 49E1, S49 rails and junctions • Pouring of rail gaps in ‘hot’ technology with use of Super Shot 125DC CRAFCO device • The investments’ comprehensive geodetic and lab services • Mechanical flooding of rail in the floating rail technology, with use of own production devices.

In the course of doing business we obtained the following certificates and awards: • Management System Certificate in accordance with ISO 9001: 2008 • “Business Gazelle” for 2010, 2011, 2012 • “Fair Play” Gold Certificate for the years 2012, 2013, 2014 • Malopolska Economic Award received in 2013 • The “Forbes Diamonds” for 2014

SIKA Poland Sp. z o.o.

SIKA Poland offers effective and complete system solutions for three sectors of transportation: trams, metro and railway. The solutions offered by SIKA Poland include elastic fixing of rails, vibration-isolating elements manufactured by the company Getzner Werkstoffe and the non-ballasted Low Vibration Track system supplied by the company Vigier Rail AG. We also offer materials for complete securing of steel and concrete road constructions and railway engineering facilities.

Przedsiębiorstwo Inżynieryjnych Robót Kolejowych TOR-KRAK Spółka z o.o .

We provide the highest possible level of service when it comes to the construction and modernisation of tram and train infrastructure, as well as the entire accompanying infrastructure.

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P.I.R.K. TOR-KRAK SP. Z.O.O. ul. ISEP 2E • 31-588 Kraków • POLAND tel. +48 (12) 266 04 92 tor-krak@tor-krak.pl www.tor-krak.pl

LafargeHolcim Group As the global leader in construction materials industry, LafargeHolcim Group focuses first and foremost on relations with business partners, technological innovations and the best possible solutions in the area of sustainable construction.

When completing contracts within the railway industry, it is most important that the cooperation is based on partnership. We recognise ZUE Capital Group for its professionalism and the highest quality standards. Together, throughout the years, we have completed numerous important projects in the field of railway track engineering across the territory of Poland. We believe that on the basis of experiences gained so far we are able to build long-term business relations with ZUE Capital Group, delivering solutions of the highest quality, tailored to the needs of our key client.

LafargeHolcim delivers the highest quality solutions dedicated to railway engineering. Our offer allows us to use a wide range of products and solutions tailored to the needs of our clients.

LafargeHolcim offers: • Technologies for improving ground base, using Gruntar

hydraulic binders; • Aggregates for protective and upper layer of trackways, which is

produced in one of our many mines; • Cement and aggregates dedicated to prefabrication of elements

of railway infrastructure; • Construction concretes and special concretes, which are

successfully used in engineering facilities, stations, platforms; • Architectural concretes from the Artevia range, which are an ideal

solution in urban and station infrastructure, where aesthetics plays

a very important role.

All products have certificates which allow for their use in railway construction sector.

ECO-BAZA Company Stanisław Łukasiewicz ECO-BAZA Stanislaw Lukasiewicz, a multi-sector company is a Polish railway company, engaged in the construction and modernization of the railway infrastructure and maintaining the railroads’ surfaces since 2008. The company’s success has been built by its employees.

That’s why ECO-BAZA means primarily the employees, people who are open to knowledge, well experienced and perfectly qualified. We provide our employees with the suitable professional development conditions. The company employs approximately 200 track employees along with the technical staff and the necessary equipment. We are specialists in providing comprehensive services of high performance heavy machinery for track construction. We modernize both: route and station tracks, as well as switches. We also deal with: 1) Auxiliary handling of heavy machinery: Truck Renewal Machine, Cleaner, Tamping 2) The Truck Renewal Machine accompanying works: • Unloading rails with the settings in track and fishplating • Untwisting the track before TRM • Screwing the track • Adjusting the tension with welding • Unloading the sleepers from railway carriages • Untwisting the sleepers along with segregation • Forging the sleepers • Dismantling works on storage yards for materials from demolition.

3) Modernization of railroads: • Dismantling tracks with segregation (rails, small scrap, sleepers) • Rubble withdrawal and renewing • Track installation (sleepers, rails, fastenings) • Replacement of switches 4) The railroad surface maintenance: • Replacement of sleepers, rails, switch sleepers, whole sections of the route tracks and railway station tracks • Cutting down bushes and grasses • Any other works performed manually or by using small equipment 5) Removal of mining damages in railway infrastructure Our partners: • ZUE Kraków, Zakłady Linii Kolejowych, STRABAG, LHS Zamość, PORR Polska, Swietelsky Rail Polska Sp. z o.o., OHL Polska, SKANSKA Polska. The most important moments in the history of our Company include, with no doubt, the redevelopment of the Grodzisk Mazowiecki station, which was carried out together with ZUE Kraków and the assembly of the first in Poland switch with a radius of 2500 meters– it’s an icon! Taking advantage from the experience gained so far, ECO-BAZA performs works related to the modernization of railway infrastructure throughout Poland and Central Europe.

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KRAKOWSKIE ZAKŁADY AUTOMATYKI S.A. Krakowskie Zakłady Automatyki S.A. is a company, which does the projects related to the railway infrastructure, to the modernization of railway lines and to the installation of traffic control devices.

Safety of passengers is the guiding principle of the KZA S.A. work.

During the entire process of the project implementation the company takes the utmost care to guarantee the maximum comfort of the execution of contracts for its business partners and safety for passengers during their trips.

The quality of services provided by Krakowskie Zakłady Automatyki S.A. is confirmed by, among others, ISO 9001: 2008 and IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard) certificates as well as by numerous business awards and commendations won in the recent years. The best showcase of the company and the confirmation of the high quality of its services, however, are its completed investments, as well as numerous references and recommendations from the company’s business partners.

The company also continues to work on solutions designed to improve the safety of the road users at unguarded level crossings and pedestrian crossings. The result of this work is the Dynamic Warning System on Level Crossing and Pedestrian Crossing (DySOnaPP) - a unique, innovative solution designed and implemented by KZA S.A. Krakowskie Zakłady Automatyki S.A. has been for 7 years the initiator and patron of the press magazine “KZA Express” (the magazine is also available electronically on: www.kza.com.pl).

For more information about Krakowskie Zakłady Automatyki S.A. visit: www.kza.com.pl

Pražská strojírna a.s.

The long tradition of the Pražská strojírna a.s. company started at the beginning of the 1830s. Its history was related to Prague’s public transportation. On April 1, 1994 the joint stock company “Pražská strojírna a.s.” was established.

...all for the modern tramway track

Development and manufacture of rail structures and setting devices for tramway transportation form the fundamental line of business. Comprehensive servicing of setting devices is extended to other components, such as tramway turnouts with flexible replaceable blades in various modifications based on customer demands, turnout heating, track drainage and other engineering products.

Pražská strojírna a.s. delivers the above-mentioned products not only to the Czech Republic and surrounding countries like Poland, Germany, Austria and Slovakia, but also to Sweden, Italy, Russia, Estonia and even overseas North Africa, US, Australia.

Pražská Strojirna a.s.

Tel.: +420 284 810 852 E-mail: sekret@pstroj.cz www.pstroj.cz

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In recent years company is strengthening its machining capacities, acquiring CNC milling centres and machines. The service portfolio was also widened by acquisition of reliable company experienced in the area of after purchase services – surfacing and grinding.

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Fabryka Przewodów Energetycznych S.A. Fabryka Przewodów Energetycznych SA is a Polish manufacturer of high quality power cables, and its operations have been developing successfully since 1928. Many years of experience, tradition and sophisticated technology combined with modern machinery have allowed the company to achieve a leading position in the domestic market for the production of bare cables used for medium, high and extra-high voltage application.

All products are made using the highest quality copper (CuETP and CuOFE) and aluminium raw materials. The main strengths of FPE SA are its human capital, efficient management and responsible attitude to business.

The factory exports to several countries in Europe and around the word, and its portfolio of clients has increased to 150 companies from the energy, rail and automotive sectors.

The company’s range includes the following products: • Aluminum conductors: ACSR, ACSR/TW, AAC,ACSS, • Traction conductors – profiled and rounded contact wires (Cu and CuAg 0.1%), copper and copper alloy CuBZ II conductors, • Commutator profiles in Cu and CuAg (CuAg 0.04%, CuAg 0.1%) • Copper bus bars and profiles.

The products are manufactured in accordance with the highest technical standards, which has been confirmed by numerous certificates including the Railway Institute and Institute of Energy and the Certificate of Clean Production.

KZA KATOWICE S.A. Many years of experience and established market position of the Railway Automation Factory Katowice S.A. resulted in setting up cooperation with ZUE S.A. Group in 2009.

As a company operating in the branch of railway, tele-technology and electro-energetics industries, we have been cooperating, amongst others, in the completion of the following contracts: •

•

2009-2012: completion of construction works in modernising line 8 on the line Warszawa Zachodnia – Warszawa Okęcie, and the construction of the interlink Warszawa Służewiec – Okęcie Airport (consortium) 2013-2015: improvement of the quality of transportation services through increasing the quality of the technical state of railways number 1, 133, 160.186, on the line Zawiercie – Dąbrowa Górnicza Ząbkowice – Jaworzno Szczakowa

We are currently implementing the following contracts: • Since 2014, revitalisation of lines number 134, 137 and 138 on the line Gliwice Łabędy – Katowice – Sosnowiec Jęzor • Since 2014, improvement of safety and removal of usage risks on selected railway crossings – stage I POliŚ 7.1-59 • Since 2015, revitalisation of track number 2 on line number 131 on the line Tarnowskie Góry – Kalety, reconstruction of the Boronów Station and reconstruction of 18 crossovers at the Tarnowskie Góry station • Since 2015, building of SSP appliances on railway crossings on line number 61 Kielce – Fosowskie The experience gained in joint completion of the above contracts allows for a continuous and systematic development of our company in the field of infrastructure.

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ELPAR Cables Factory ELPAR Cables Factory is an established and solid partner, with 25 years of experience and two factories in Poland. The manufactured assortment meets the strictest European and national standards, confirmed through the following: • Certificates: Q&R Poland (ISO 9001:2008), CNBOP, BBJ-SEP, EVPU Slovakia, EMAG, Institute of Railways • Attestations: EMAG, Technical Opinions • Technical Opinion: EMAG • Admission: Principal Institute of Mining (WUG) Range of products includes: • Electro-energetic cables and wires • Steering, signalling and special cables • Safety and halogen-free cables • Railway cables and wires • Mining cables and wires ELPAR stands for high quality of production, timely completion of deliveries and satisfaction from undertaken cooperation.

More on: www.elpar.pl

Vienna. As a result, new technologies (such as modern WS90E tram driver switches) have been introduced into the Polish market. In 1997, ZUE saw its first major success with the design and construction of a catenary section made entirely using Western technology.

ZUE was the first company in Poland to accomplish such a task.

Following this, the company built Poland’s first underground power supply substation for tramways and received a five-year contract to operate the tram traction power supply system in Krakow. In 2000–2001, Mr Nowak acquired shares in a track and road maintenance company.

In 2014 the company entered a new business segment: the design and construction of power transmission lines. Together with its Croatian partner, ZUE carried out the construction of a 400 kV line with a total contract value of PLN 469 million (more than €100 million). In the same year, ZUE and its Slovakian partner acquired a contract in Kosice, Slovakia, worth more than €33 million.

Today, ZUE CG consists of four companies: ZUE SA, the parent company; Biuro Projektow Komunikacyjnych (Communication Design Office) in Poznan; Railway Technology International Germany GmbH, and Railway gft Polska. Mr Nowak owns 62.53 per cent of ZUE’s shares, with the remaining 37.47 per cent being held by stock market investors. In 2014 the ZUE Group’s revenues exceeded PLN 644.1 million (€157 million). Currently, the group employs more than 900 people and carries out orders throughout the entire country.

“For many years, ZUE has provided top-notch services, taking care of the safety of employees and customers as well as reducing the environmental impact of its activities to the greatest possible extent. This has been confirmed by the obtaining of relevant certificates: ISO 9001 in 1999, ISO 18001 in 2003, ISO 14001 in 2006 and OHSAS 18001:2007,” points out Mr Nowak.

New visual identification “Owing to the fact that the group has recently opened a new chapter in its operations, we have decided to refresh our brand. In December 2013 we combined two largest entities within ZUE – PRK Krakow SA and ZUE SA – thus consolidating our infrastructure execution capabilities. In May 2015, a similar process has taken place in our design offices. By acquiring a majority stake in Railway gft Poland we have expanded the scope of our services in the rail manufacturing sector. We own a company in Germany and are currently establishing another one in Africa. As a group we have therefore entered a period of dynamic growth; but for our employees and customers it should be clear that we remain the same, reliable business partner.

“The new logo, common to all companies within ZUE CG, aims to support the process of integration that has occurred between them.

The quality of our company’s services should be reflected in the visual identification of the group. We also would like to send a strong message to our partners and contractors that ZUE is developing.

Based on the synergy potential we will continue to strengthen our position in the market, and actively strive towards reaching new n areas,” says Mr Nowak.

Visit: www.grupazue.pl

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BRIDGING THE FUTURE Zagreb Montaža Group currently occupies one of the leading positions among Croatian construction companies.

Engaged in a wide range of services from manufacturing and assembly of industrial plants to turnkey investment projects, the group’s annual turnover exceeds €100 million owing to many contracts both at home and abroad.

Vanja Švačko reports.

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IN

1989 Zagreb Montaža started its operations as an independent company for the construction and maintenance of buildings and industrial plants. ZM Ltd owns shares in several limited liability companies, which together comprise the Zagreb Montaža Group.

Zagreb Montaža has been operating on both the domestic and foreign markets in various structural forms since 1950. The company has grown continuously in this time, and in 1994 it was re-organised to become the Zagreb Montaža Group.

From a company dealing mainly in the construction and maintenance of industrial plants, Zagreb Montaža has grown into a company with a wide range of industry applictions, including: chemical & petrochemical plants, oil refineries, thermal power plants, gas cleaning plants, industrial food plants, metallurgy plants, natural gas and water pipelines, crude oil Tanks, flue gas desulphurisation facilities (FGD), electrostatic precipitators (ESP), steel structures and bridges.

ZM-Metal is the company in the group with an almost centurylong experience in metal processing and the manufacture of metal products, machine parts and industrial armatures.

The manufacturing company within the group is ZM-Vikom, located in Šibenik, Dalmatia. Owing to its excellent strategic position and proximity to the highway, railway and the Adriatic Sea, the company became a fast and efficient export wheel for the group, responsible for the production of various steel constructions and heavy industrial equipment.

The third company, ZM-Elemes, applies the most advanced technologies within the construction industry. It designs, manufactures and assembles aluminium, ceramic and tin facades as well as light metal constructions, and offers comprehensive technical surveillance, investment project executions and so on.

One of Zagreb Montaža’s branches is situated in Germany with its headquarters in Düsseldorf. Three companies operate in that branch: ZM-Montag (steel bridges, thermal power plant parts and industrial plant assemblage), ZM-Vikom (steel constructions, air and smoke chimneys, DeNox facilities, E-filters and fabric filters) and Zagreb-Montaža (shipbuilding and metal surface ennoblement).

In January 2015 ZM-Montag merged with Zagreb Montaža. It holds ISO 9001, 14000 and OHSAS18000 certificates.

Business advantages Zagreb Montaža offers a wide range of activities that also include thermal energy plant assembly, water purification plant construction (mechanical and biological purification), electric and fabric filter assembly, high pressure main gas pipeline assembly, bridge assembly and many others. It differs from the classic contract company by the fact that it executes its own investment projects.

“In comparison to our competitors, our advantage lies in the wide range of services that we offer, which are embodied in the workshop production and installation of industrial plants,” says Mrs Sandra Miklavčić, PR in Zagreb Montaža. “Another advantage that we consider to be crucial for the success of our company is its modern structure within which each of our companies develops individually and demonstrates a high capability to meet the most demanding requirements in the construction industry.”

Zagreb Montaža has a long-term cooperation with renowned European suppliers Eiffel Deutschland, Hitachi, Alstom Power, Hitachi Zosen Inova Swiss and so on, which is an additional impetus to maintaining its strong market position.

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Investment aims Zagreb Montaža employs around 1200 staff, half of which currently work on international sites in Germany, Slovenia, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe. The main manufacturing plants are located in the cities of Šibenik and Hercegovac. The company invested in a large production plant in Šibenik, which covers around 20,000m2 and is equipped with the most advanced fittings for the manufacturing and welding of steel parts.

The group’s investment strategy is aimed at expanding its services and working towards new acquisitions on the European market, as well as the regions outside Europe.

“The foundations of our future development strategy will be implemented through additional acquisitions and gaining new customers, especially in the areas of environmental protection – i.e. in building plants for environmental protection,” adds Mrs Miklavčić.

Building bridges Zagreb Montaža participates in many challenging projects in Croatia and abroad. It plans, designs and constructs various facilities for its clients such as shopping and business centres, residential areas and so on.

The company is also heavily involved in the bridge construction sector. It has gained a world-class reputation by building more than 50 bridges in Germany alone since 1994. Although in Croatia bridges are mostly made of concrete, Zagreb Montaža has been involved in some of the most challenging projects here, such as 86 Industry Europe

the bridge across the river Sava in Zagreb and the longest Croatian bridge, 2.5km across the river Drava in Osijek.

By 2017 the company will have completed ten bridges in Germany, the Netherlands and Scotland worth €10 million, which is a record in the history of the Croatian bridge construction industry. The newest project of strategic interest for Zagreb Montaža involves its participation in the assembly and welding of a 2660m bridge at the Fort Replacement Crossing in Scotland. The contract was concluded with a consortium consisting of American, German and British companies.

This will hopefully open possibilities for new business deals and further market expansion.

An additional boost for the company’s business in this sector came from Croatia’s accession to the European Union. “Membership in the EU has created the preconditions for easier access to new markets outside Croatia and the possibility to offer services more flexibly,” Mrs Miklavčić states.

Although more than 70 per cent of its turnover comes from exports, the company sees further potential in the government’s launch of a series of infrastructure projects after a prolonged economic crisis. The construction industry in Croatia is set for a recovery, which is sure to n secure stable growth for Zagreb Montaža.

Visit: www.zagreb-montaza.hr

SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS Beiersdorf is a global leader in the development and manufacture of personal care products. The company builds sustainability into every aspect of its operations and is responsible for some of the world’s most recognisable brands, which include Nivea, Eucerin and Elstoplast. Philip Yorke reports on a company that sets the benchmarks for innovative, consumer-driven skin care products.

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B

eiersdorf was founded in Hamburg in 1880 by Paul C Beiersdorf, who started by taking over a chemist shop before building a laboratory a year later to develop and manufacture medical plasters.

In 1892 a leading pharmacist, Dr Oscar Troplowitz, acquired the laboratory and quickly expanded it to become a leading branded goods company. International success soon followed with a contract with the US trading company Lehn & Fink. The most significant company achievement at that time was the creation of brands that are still famous today. Namely Labello in 1909 and Nivea in 1911.

Today Beiersdorf is a true global brand leader and is organised in two separate business units: Consumer business and Tesa selfadhesive products. The company is quoted on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and employs more than 17,000 people worldwide. In 2014 Beiersdorf recorded sales of €6285 million.

Innovative technologies One of the key factors driving Beiersdorf’s global success is its ability to innovate. New product research and development activities have always played a major role within the Beiersdorf organisation. To strengthen yet further the unwavering consumer trust in Beiersdorf products, the company is continuing to invest substantial funds in dermatological research and new, innovative technologies. Beiersdorf’s global brands unite international trends

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with regional consumer needs because no two markets are the same and consumer skin care requirements differ considerably from one continent to another.

Innovation continues to drive Beiersdorf’s sales and the company has been setting the gold standard for skin care products for decades, initially with the introduction of the first sun screen protection factor, followed by the first skin care regime especially for men. In addition it has developed countless numbers of active ingredients such as the co-enzyme Q10 in the field of anti-aging and Hydra IQ technology in moisturising products. These products stand out from the crowd due to their exceptional, gentle action and outstanding quality.

The company’s basis for progress and innovation is its continual search for new biological opportunities in order to target specific skin-related needs of different skin types and age groups.

Strategic sustainability During the last three years Beiersdorf has reduced its CO2 emissions per product sold by 48 per cent and has already exceeded its environmental commitment for 2020 by 18 points. In other areas, the search for more sustainable solutions has led to some surprising results. An analysis relating to the Nivea facecare range revealed that plastic jars appear to be more environmentally friendly

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LINDAL Group The accelerating launch of compressed deodorants and antiperspirants throughout the world marks the further use of exciting aerosol technology developed and patented by LINDAL Group.

A worldwide leader in aerosol packaging technology, LINDAL Group anticipates comprehensive global acceptance of the new compressed deodorant and antiperspirant format. Watch for new compressed format aerosol solutions in cosmetics and body care, sun protection, hair care and styling, household and technical products.

The Hamburg, Germany-based company has more than 50 years of experience with aerosol solutions for the cosmetics, household, pharmaceuticals, food and technical industries.

The LINDAL Group is represented by subsidiaries and licensees in more than 15 countries throughout Europe, Asia and The Americas.

The company is renowned for its innovative designs, which deliver optimal functionality and return on investment. As a result, LINDAL packaging solutions are the choice of the world’s most prestigious and trusted brands.

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than the previously used glass jars. Today over 12 per cent of annual sales are achieved by products with significantly reduced environmental impact, and by 2020 Beiersdorf plans to raise that percentage share to 50 per cent.

Another important aspect of Beiersdorf’s sustainability strategy is its social and brand commitment. By maintaining transparent communication and encouraging active consumer involvement, the company’s products not only create social value, but also strengthen the brand’s positioning, resulting in a ‘win-win’ situation for both society and the company’s business objectives.

When it comes to packaging the company believes that every stage of its packaging life-cycle can offer potential savings that can make a substantial contribution to environmental protection. The development of retail pouches is just one example of Beiersdorf’s commitment to reducing packaging waste and environmental impact. Thanks to its refillable containers and the possibility of using product packages like soap dispensers for an extended period, waste volumes can be reduced significantly. The refill pouches used in the Nivea Crème Shower Gel result in 75 per cent less waste.

Today almost 100 per cent of Beiersdorf’s packaging materials are

recyclable. The company works closely with accredited regional and national recycling organisations to improve the quality of recycling to consumers and to increase its recycling rate. Worldwide the reclaiming and recycling of used packages is dealt with by different disposal companies that also observe country-specific requirements.

Since 2009, sustainability has been strategically anchored in the company’s packaging development processes. Wherever possible, it applies the sustainability criteria of ‘avoid, reduce and recycle’ to all its innovations.

Positive performance Beiersdorf continued on its profitable growth path in 2014 despite a more difficult market environment. The company recorded organic growth of 4.7 per cent in the past financial year. Innovation and new product development were largely responsible for the company’s on-going success.

“Beiersdorf was successful in 2014. Once again we increased sales and earnings. We also gained market share in our relevant markets and became even more innovative and more competitive,” said Stefan H Heindreich, CEO of Beiersdorf AG. “This positive per-

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formance is based upon our clear and systematically implemented business strategy. We have achieved a level of stability that leads us to expect further growth in even more difficult political and economic conditions. This makes us cautiously optimistic for 2025.”

A recent innovative and significant breakthrough was announced recently in the company’s goal to stimulate the skin’s natural defences against free radicals. Scientists from Beiersdorf’s ‘Front End Innovation’ team, in cooperation with Eucerin, have now discovered a way to enhance the skin’s protective capacity. Licochalcone A, an active ingredient derived from licorice root extract, directly activates cellular safeguard mechanisms and helps the skin to naturally defend itself. The current publication in the peer-reviewed scientific journal ‘Experimental Dermatology’ initiated a press release by the journal which has resulted in a very positive reception from the scientific community.

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“We did not expect such a response,” says Beiersdorf researcher Dr Jochen Kuhnl, head of the company’s Experimental Technology Lab. Jochen Kuhnl has been working intensively on making skin cells more robust against stress. He explains, “When it gets chilly outside, cold showers help to boost our immune system which protects us from colds. We asked ourselves if this analogy is transferable to the UV protective mechanisms in skin and whether

we could make it cosmetically useful.” The new active ingredient, Licochaclone, developed by Beiersdorf, helps the skin in two ways against UV stress: it activates the skin’s own protection and is an n antioxident itself.

For further details of Beiersdorf’s latest innovative products and services visit: www.beiersdorf.com

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STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE After a game-changing year in 2014, with a successful IPO and a refocusing on consumer needs, Ontex is continuing to grow, particularly in developing markets.

IN

June 2014, Ontex, the Belgium-based manufacturer of hygienic disposable products, completed a successful IPO on the Euronext Brussels exchange. A total of some 33 million shares were sold, producing gross proceeds of €325 million.

“In 2014 we completely transformed the financial structure of Ontex through our IPO and a subsequent refinancing,” explained CEO Charles Bouaziz. “In fact, the IPO was a milestone for Ontex, which not only helped to reduce our debt, but significantly improved our profile towards customers, suppliers and employees. Then in November 2014 we saw an opportunity to bring forward our refinancing plans to take advantage of the low cost of debt. Our interest charge will decrease by approximately €29 million in 2015. This stronger financial position is reflected in our rating with the credit agencies.

“2014 was also the year we transformed the company from an R&D and manufacturing company operating in the consumer goods business, into a more consumer-focused company. We have worked hard to put the consumer at the center of our organization and increased efforts to work with our customers. In a tough competitive environment, customers want our insight and understanding of consumer needs across product categories. We deliver products that meet consumer needs 94 Industry Europe

– combining performance and affordability, and anticipate new trends, fueling our future growth.

“Over the last few years our business has expanded its geographical presence both organically and through acquisitions and has increased the weight of our brands and incontinence products in our mix. In 2014 we achieved a strong performance in developing markets, while developed markets also advanced in a very challenging environment. All Divisions and categories contributed positively for both the quarter and year, demonstrating the strength of Ontex’s balanced portfolio: growing competitive retailer brands in developed markets, and offering our own brands for institutional channels and retail in developing markets. And we delivered profitable growth while maintaining a disciplined commercial approach and continuing to invest in the business.”

Global reach Since it began as a family company in Belgium in 1979 Ontex has grown into a truly global business. Today has a total of 15 manufacturing facilities in 12 countries across Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Australia and China. It employs more than 5000

people across the globe and earned in excess of €1.4 billion in 2013 from sales in over 100 countries.

Ontex’s core business is built around three categories – products for baby care, adult incontinence and feminine care. Baby care products, mostly nappies but also baby pants and wet wipes, currently account for more than 50 per cent of revenue. Adult incontinence products, such as pants, towels and bed protectors, make up some 33 per cent and feminine care products, such as sanitary pads, panty liners and tampons, add up to around 13 per cent. The balance of sales comes from the trading of products such as cosmetics and medical gloves.

Ontex is headquartered in Erembodegem, near Aalst in Belgium, and its 15 production facilities are located in Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Algeria, Turkey, Pakistan, China and Australia. The company also reaches its customers through 23 sales and marketing teams across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australia.

Brand strategy Across the world Ontex sells its products primarily to major retailers. More than 60 per cent of these sales are of retailer branded products and the rest are of products under Ontex’s own brands.

The company’s core strategy over the years has been to develop deep relationships with the major European retail chains such as Ahold, Aldi, Auchan, Carrefour, E, Leclerc, Lidl, Metro, Rewe and Tesco, helping them to establish or enhance their own branded product lines. The large number of retail partners means that the total business is significantly diversified, with the largest customer accounting for only 6.4 per cent of the company’s revenue; indeed the ten largest customers together account for less than 40 per cent of total sales by value.

“When Ontex was created in 1979 the business was wholly focused on production for retailer brands,” explains Charles Bouaziz. “More recently, however, two factors have driven the development of Ontex branded product lines – our expansion outside western Europe, through which we have acquired brands in countries such as Turkey, Russia and Pakistan, and the

growth of the adult incontinence market in Europe, where through acquisitions such as that of the Italian brand Serenity in 2013 we have greatly expanded our presence. The Serenity business now accounts for one third of our total Healthcare business, that is the sales and delivery of our products to nursing homes, hospitals and to consumers’ own homes. The acquisition has also delivered important financial and operation synergies, helping to drive efficiency in production and, procurement and bringing us expertise in product development and home delivery systems” Ontex’s own brands now include Moltex, a leading top-quality eco-nappy that was invented, developed in Germany and is made with sustainable raw materials to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers, and Babycharm a value-for-money brand that is popular with cost-conscious parents across Europe. The Helen Harper range of babycare, feminine care and adult incontinence products offers top performance quality at a modest price to consumers across Europe and in Russia. The Canbebe brand was acquired by Ontex when it moved into Turkey in 1990 and is now a leading regional babycare brand that is widely distributed in many markets in the Middle East and Africa.

Expansion A key element in Ontex’s sustained performance is its continuous investment in the development of its products and in the expansion and updating of its manufacturing facilities. “Our annual revenue growth of some 7 per cent over the last ten years has enabled us to maintain a constant level of investment at around 3 per cent per year of revenue,” says Mr Bouaziz, “and now thanks to our engineering facility in Germany, we can even manufacture some of our own production lines – it is quicker than buying in machinery and we know exactly what we need.”

In March 2015 Ontex announced a plan to regroup its current production sites in the North of France. Its two current operations, at Arras and Wasquehal, are to be united in a new site in Bourges and Noyelles Godault. This new factory will allow the company to further improve its production systems and better serve its French Industry Europe 95

and international customers. This integration amounts to a total investment of €45m in buildings, factory lay-out and machinery.

The move of the production lines will be phased over 2016 and 2017 after construction of the new factory is completed in the summer of 2016.

A steady flow of innovation in babycare, feminine care and adult care also plays a vital role in the company’s success. Its three R&D Centres in Belgium and Germany develop solutions to keep the company’s retail partners ahead of the game in performance, value and consumer satisfaction.

“Understanding customer preferences is just as important as technical excellence,” says Mr Bouaziz, ”so soon after I took over as CEO in 2013 I recruited a new head of marketing and strengthened the marketing team. Success in this business today is not just about delivering an excellent product; it’s also about fully understanding changes in customer demands and hearing the voice of the consumer. To do that we have to work closely with our retail partners, our suppliers and with other sources of knowledge in universities and technical institutes. “ Sustainability is also a central concern at Ontex; it is committed to maximising energy efficiency, reducing the impact of production by minimising waste and encouraging recycling and increasing the efficiency of its logistics operations. Its central warehouse logistics project for raw material delivery in Europe, for example, has already resulted in a decrease in truck mileage of some 800,000 km – equivalent to a reduction in CO2 emissions of almost 600 tonnes.

“We are constantly working to produce lighter and thinner products with the same or even better performance – these not only reduce raw material consumption but need fewer trucks to transport them. So you reduce costs and environmental impact at the same time,” explains Mr Bouaziz. “We are also developing ranges of biodegradable products but, of course, these are more costly and therefore appeal only to certain types of consumer.”

Looking forward Ontex’s strategy for the future centres on helping its retailer partners gain greater shares of the market and, in EMEA countries where there are no major retailers, to grow its own brands.

Commenting of the company’s performance in the first half of 2015, Charles Bouaziz said, “We have made further progress on both the top and bottom line in the first half of 2015. Despite slowing market growth and heightened competitiveness in Western Europe, group revenue moved 4.4 per cent higher on 96 Industry Europe

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a LFL basis, and 5.3 per cent higher on a reported basis due to net favorable foreign exchange impacts. We maintain a disciplined commercial approach where competitive pressures are particularly strong, and captured revenue growth in a number of our developing markets, confirming the benefits of our balanced portfolio. In a more volatile FX and commodities environment, our commitment remains to grow profitably, including a relentless pursuit of efficiencies which will support continued moderate margin expansion for the full year 2015.

“The benefits of our refinancing are now coming through, driving strong net profit growth. And finally, our net debt position improved n further, demonstrating financial discipline.”

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SPREADING

GOOD HEALTH Vandemoortele is a household name in Europe. Its margarines, oils, dressings, pastry and patisserie products grace tables throughout the EU. Philip Yorke reports on a company that continues to gain market share with its healthy recipes and innovative new products.

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andemoortele is a family controlled food group with Belgian roots and a European perspective. The company occupies a leading position in its two core business activities; bakery products and lipids.

In 2014 Vandemoortele recorded revenues of more than €1.3 billion with over 5000 employees working in 35 production facilities and 17 commercial sites across 12 European countries.

Vandemoortele is a premier household name across Europe with its margarines, oils, dressings, breads, donuts, pastry and patisserie products finding their way into the lives of millions of people every day. However, some people may not have associated the Vandemoortele brand with some of these product categories, because many of its products are not marketed to consumers under its own brand name but to private-label retail food producers.

Vandemoortele manufactures and markets high-quality food products focused on two main activities: frozen bakery products and margarines and fats (lipids). In the bakery products sector, the company offers a wide range of frozen bread products, pastry, American products and patisserie for professional users in bakery and food service channels. This is in addition to food retailers, who rely on the high quality and convenience of Vandemoortele’s products.

In Lipids, Vandemoortele targets European professional users with a broad portfolio of products that combine processability, with taste

and flavour. The company also appeals to European retailers with private label margarines and frying fats. In addition, the company has a number of strong consumer brands of its own in the Benelux such as Vandemoortele, Vitelma, Diamant, Reddy and Gouda Glorie.

Palm oil promise As a leading European food group, Vandemoortele is fully aware of its important role in the procurement of its raw materials such as palm oil. In 2009 the company became a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and thus committed to source 100 per cent sustainable palm oil by 2105. The company is also committed to using only traceable, non deforestation and non exploitation palm oils in its supply chain.

Vandemoortele’s margarines, fats and frozen bakery products are sold by leading retailers and restaurants across the EU and as a privately owned business the company considers its values, including trust and integrity, as central to the way that it operates.

Since becoming part of the RSPO in 2009 the company has used only certified RSPO palm oil for its own retail brands and many of its production sites have been certified using RSPO ‘Mass Balance and Segregated’ certified sustainable palm oil.

In 2013, Vandemoortele, recognising the importance of traceability in helping to bring transformation in the palm oil industry, also

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became a member of the French Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil, and is an active participant in many other initiatives to promote the uptake of sustainable palm oil internationally.

Strategic acquisition In line with its strategy to grow its business through strategic acquisitions in Europe, Vandemoortele recently announced its purchase of Italy’s leading frozen focaccia and bread manufacturer, LAG (Lanterna-Agritech).

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With this key acquisition, Vandemoortele strengthens its bakery products business in Italy and extends its product range with typical Italian products such as focaccia and ciabatta. “We are impressed by the passion for the product and by the strong performance of LAG in the Italian market. We see clear opportunities for further growth,” said Jules Noten, CEO of Vandemoortele.

Currently LAG employs around 300 people with production operations in Genoa Ravenna and Padua with an annual turnover in 2013 of more than €87 million. Currently Vandemoortele employs 30

people in its Milan office in Italy and a further 4700 across the group.

Jean Vandemoortele, chairman of Vandemoortele commented, “This acquisition is fully in line with the growth strategy of Vandemoortele, and comes on top of our investments in Lyon and our future plans for Poland as previously announced.”

Adding value Vandemoortele has announced a brand new value-added communications platform for its Lipids industry Channel called: Baker’s Margarines®. The company’s specialised experience in both margarines and bakery products gives it the perfect insight into the products and the markets of tomorrow for the benefit of its bakery clientelle. Therefore as a part of the new branding and communication strategy, Vandemoortele has presented four new innovative ranges, especially for bakers and inspired by the latest consumer trends.

These are, ‘Bakers Taste’, which gives products an additional tasty boost, and ‘Baker’s E-Free’, which is a recipe for natural products. In addition, ‘Bakers Low Sat’, makes a significant contribution to consumers’ health, and ‘Baker’s Low Fat’, reduces the intake of fat in consumer products. Interested parties can find out more about these latest developments at the Baker’s brand new website: www. n bakersmargarines.com For further details of Vandemoortele’s high quality consumer products and value-added services visit: www.vandemoortele.com

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A TOUCH OF CLAAS The name ‘CLAAS’ is recognised all over the world as a producer of state-of-the-art agricultural machinery, particularly combines. Industry Europe looks at its continued global expansion, most recent advances in product development and the importance it places on its key suppliers.

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stablished in 1913 as a family-run concern by August Claas, the company has always been strongly innovation-focused.

Today headquartered in Harsewinkel, Westphalia, it began by producing straw balers and in 1936 moved on to the development of combine harvesters – a product with which the CLAAS name has been indelibly associated ever since.

Expanding operations A series of investments and acquisitions over the years have further expanded the group’s product offering and geographical presence. In 1997 it took over the Hungarian plant in Törökszentmiklós in eastern Hungary. CLAAS Hungaria Kft manufactures cutterbars and mowers, as well as attachments and implements for self-propelled agricultural machinery such as combine harvesters and tractors. In the same decade CLAAS also moved into the US market when it opened a new factory for the manufacture of its LEXION combine harvesters at Omaha, Nebraska.

This was followed in the highly significant 2003 takeover of the French tractor manufacturer Renault Agriculture. Since then, the CLAAS product range has included a broad range of modern tractors. As a result, group sales increased by over €600 million and its workforce grew by around 2000 people.

The past 10 years have seen the group’s gradual move into the Asian market too. In 2008, it set up a new production facility in India, near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab, for the manufacture of combine harvesters. A new ‘Regional South Centre’ was opened in March 2012 in Bangalore, which is home to a large spare parts depot and sales office to serve the southern Indian market. Finally, in September 2012 CLAAS established a new company in Beijing, China. CLAAS Agricultural Machinery Trading (Beijing) Co. Ltd works on promoting and marketing CLAAS technology to this hugely important market.

Powered by innovation As mentioned above, continuous innovation has always been the main pillar upon which CLAAS is able to maintain and indeed build upon its world-leading position. For example in July this year (2015) the company announced that it will be launching the widest tractor-mounted mower conditioner ever made. The new machine, the DISCO 1100 C/ RC BUSINESS disc mower will offer a cutting width of 10.7 metres, allowing it to appeal to a wide range of customers. Next year, the company is also set to introduce a new range of nine mowers which can be attached at the front or rear of a tractor and come with rather more modest cutting widths ranging from 2.6 to 3.4 metres.

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Another significant product launch, in mid-2014, was the CARGOS 8000 dual-purpose wagon. From the beginning it has received excellent feedback on its performance, operation and maintenance.

This will be followed up in 2016 with introduction of the new CARGOS 9000. The large dual-purpose wagon with its three models – the 9400, 9500 and 9600 – has been completely redeveloped. It has been equipped with the new loading and crop cutting assembly developed for the CARGOS 8000, whilst the EFS (Efficient Feeding System) has been equipped with a hydraulically powered pick-up with optional hydropneumatic suspension.

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Award-winning company CLAAS is regularly honoured by various awards bodies for the consistently high quality of its products and innovation. For example, it received two awards at the SIMA Innovation Awards 2015: the completely new PANORAMIC cab concept on the ARION 400 tractor, which was launched this year and reached the final round of the ‘Tractor of the Year 2015’ competition, are the recipient of one of two gold medals; the new VARIO cutterbar in the VARIO 930 and 770 models with cutting widths of 9.30 and 7.70m for the TUCANO and LEXION combine harvesters also received a special mention.

Furthermore, at the 2015 SIMA Trade Fair in Paris two CLAAS machines won awards in the ‘Combine Harvester’ and ‘Mower’ categories. In the former, the new TUCANO was again recognised for its superior quality and comfort, whilst in the latter the DISCO 9200 with its new MAX CUT cutterbar received the coveted award.

Honouring suppliers The importance of a strong supply network for a huge global operation as CLAAS cannot be overestimated. In recognition of this fact, the company runs its annual CLAAS Suppliers’ Day to award the suppliers who have made the biggest contribution in the preceding year in areas such as quality, logistics, innovation service and overall excellence. In previous years major winners have included Orcaplast, a France based producer of cover panels and mounting parts (Service category, 2013) and Hölling – DMA GmbH & Co. KG, a Germany-based distributor of industrial machinery and equipment (Logistics category, 2013).

The 11th CLAAS Supplier Day, which took place in January 2015, was based on the theme of ‘implementing ideas’. As usual, the Supplier of the Year titles were divided into several different categories,

www.atikmetal.com.tr

with one ‘Total Winner’ award which this year went to Mitas a.s., a Czech producer of tyres. A stand-out winner in the ‘Quality category was Turkish castings supplier Atik Metal. In the area of Logistics, Duvenbeck of Germany received an award, whilst Rába Axle Ltd of Hungary was awarded for Innovation. In the category of Service, BS Energy of Germany was awarded for its expert advice and innovative power procurement strategies.

Future focus Looking ahead, CLAAS’s plans for future growth include the expansion of its global dealer network. According to Jan-Hendrik Mohr, worldwide sales director, said it was important for the company to expand its distribution and service network: “We are convinced that this is the right way to move forward with CLAAS, and now we have to convince customers.”

Alongside this, the group will be looking to carry out major investments in the introduction of new technology at its primary manufacturing facilities worldwide in order to continue serving its customers with the world-class quality machines they have come n to expect.

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FROM PART DESIGN TO TOOLING AND PRODUCTION Industry Europe 107

DELIVERING ADVANCED

AXLE SOLUTIONS

Meritor HVS is a global leader in the design and manufacture of drivetrain components and safety systems for commercial vehicles with a special focus on axles and brake assemblies. Philip Yorke talked to Napanda Poovaiah Thimmaiah, CEO of Meritor India, about its latest investments in new technology and growing involvement in the military vehicles sector.

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eritor HVS (India) is a joint venture company and a subsidiary of Meritor Inc USA and Kalyani Pune India, and is the largest independent axle manufacturer in India. The company supplies advanced drivetrain solutions including axles and brakes for heavy vehicles in the commercial, military and off-highway sectors. Meritor HVS has its own in-house design, development and testing facilities in order to provide the most advanced and cost-efficient drivetrain solutions for its OEM commercial vehicle sector customers.

With more than 100 years of experience in the design and manufacture of axles for commercial vehicles, Meritor HVS has become the world’s largest independent producer of truck axles for a broad range of vehicle applications. Thanks to its unique expertise, Meritor HVS has mastered the combination of precision engineering, component durability and lightweight construction, to bring optimised drivetrain solutions to the commercial vehicle industry. Meritor’s product portfolio includes drive-axles, brakes and suspension

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interfaces, which are all designed to offer greater strength at lighter weights for increased payloads and higher operating efficiencies.

Today Meritor HVS India employs more than 2000 people and in 2014 recorded sales of more than US$150 million.

Driven by safety Meritor is also an acknowledged world leader when it comes to brake assemblies for commercial vehicles, both in its size and manufacturing capabilities. The company supplies more than 2 million brake assemblies every year for trucks, trailers, buses and coaches, as well as for vehicles operating in the emergency services and the defence industry.

Meritor is driven by safety and is committed to optimising the efficiency of every braking product that it produces, from drum and airdisc brakes to hubs and automatic slack adjusters for hydraulic braking systems and friction products. In addition, its ‘Platinum Shield®’ coating technology is also available to protect brakes from rust-jacking, to extend brake-shoe life and provide increased value for its customers.

Thimmaiah said, “We continue to invest heavily in R&D and new technology in order to maintain our leading position in the marketplace and to provide increased value for our customers.

Our advanced drivetrain products are manufactured to satisfy the demands of our home market but increasingly for overseas markets too. Europe remains our biggest overseas market with other regions such as South America and China demonstrating interesting potential for us. In addition to our strong commercial vehicle markets we are also seeing growth in our military vehicle sector, which is an area that we are becoming increasingly involved in.

“In order to meet these increasing demands we have invested in a brand new, purpose built, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility here in Mysore that extends to over 50,000 square metres.

Thimmaiah added, “In North America, our Meritor Wabco joint venture also supplies active safety systems such as pneumatic and hydraulic anti-lock braking systems for tractors and trailers, as well as stability control and collision avoidance systems. Our mission is to not only meet contemporary breaking systems but to keep advancing the cause of safety, wherever it may apply. Based upon current projections, we expect to see consistent growth of around 8 per cent per year and will not be considering entering into further acquisitions or joint ventures in the foreseeable future.”

‘Green axle’ brings dual benefits Meritor HVS India recently organised a major fleet-owner event to showcase its latest two-speed axle, which is also known as the Meritor ‘Green axle’ due to its lightweight and energy-saving characteristics. Fleet owners from across the continent attended the two-day event to understand the benefits of the two-speed axle, which offers a 7–12 per cent improvement in fuel economy and a 14–28 per cent reduction in turnaround time. In addition to its two-speed axle, Meritor also showed off its latest broad range of trailer axles.

Underscoring its ability to set new industry benchmarks, Meritor also announced recently that its US facility is seeing strong demand 110 Industry Europe

for its Meritor 14X tandem-drive axles. As the lightest axles in its class, the 14X has the fastest axle ratio in the industry and the most fuel-efficient solution for vehicles with direct drive transmissions. The axle also embodies the all-new industry benchmark axle breather, which prevents water and other contaminants from entering the carrier while keeping essential lubrication in place.

Furthermore, Meritor’s 14X axle not only handles up to 2050 foot-pounds of torque, but also provides fleet owners with reduced maintenance and down-time. Drivers of vehicles with 14X axles are further rewarded with a smooth ride due to significantly reduced driveline vibration.

Since its introduction, the new Meritor 14X axle has exceeded all performance and reliability expectations to become the most widely n adopted axle in the commercial vehicle industry worldwide.

For further information about Meritor HVS’s latest ground-breaking products and after sale services visit: www.mhvsil.com

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QUALITY AND INNOVATION

AT ANY TEMPERATURE For over 50 years Cisaplast SpA has been a leading refrigeration brand on an international scale. “Our door frame systems for commercial refrigeration cabinets are installed in every continent, for a variety of operational uses, providing convenience and efficiency in thousands of retail outlets,” says company president Barbara Guiducci. Barbara Rossi reports.

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isaplast is specialised in the production of frames and glass doors for low temperature refrigerating cabinets and cold rooms, as well as in manufacturing glass doors with frames for normal temperature multi-deck wall cabinets.

Innovative products The range offered by the company is very wide and fulfills all market needs. “We offer various solutions tailored to what customers require. Our main strength lies in interpreting and implementing every single project in such a way as to fulfill our customers’ needs,” Ms Guiducci explains.

At Euroshop and Chilventa 2014 Cisaplast presented its new range, the result of a long and complex research process carried out by its

R&D department. “We are able to present innovative solutions for vertical wall cabinet closures for both above and below zero temperatures, hinged or sliding doors, and lids for horizontal low temperature islands. All of these were developed as customised products in order to respond to the needs of the major supermarket chains.”

The latest addition to the range is CISA 100, the crowning achievement of the low energy consumption and low temperature range.

Thanks to the completely new approach employed in the production of its system’s structural components, it is unique and offers improved performance, with a significant insulating capacity increase.

Another wholly innovative product recently launched is the ‘REACTIVE DOOR’. Specifically designed for normal temperature applications, it features a frame and sliding doors equipped with a highly customisable automatic opening. It has a series of technological specifications that make it unique, such as an adjustable opening speed button, a customisable timing closure, and a door block for product loading.

A modern and efficient company based in Suzzara (Mantua), just south of the Po river in northern Italy, Cisaplast has two production sites extending over a covered area of 8000m2. A plan for building a new 7000m2 facility in the near future is already in place.

“In addition to making us focus on technological innovation, the latest economic and financial events have spurred us into restructuring our industrial organisation. We have carried out improvements both in organisational and human resources terms, increasing the Industry Europe 113

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company’s focus on broadening our horizons towards new countries. At the same time we remain determined to hold on to our existing customers.”

As a continuously evolving company, Cisaplast carries out significant investments in its cutting and mechanical preparations department on a regular basis, purchasing CNC workstations. The company is currently in the finishing stages of a new layout to house a new and advanced glass door-frame gluing station.

Up to the challenge “I believe that a company needs challenges in order to grow and be at the cutting-edge. The absence of challenges translates into an absence of objectives and, without these two elements, a company is destined to slowly wither away,” says Ms Guiducci.

Cisaplast’s main customers are manufacturers of vertical refrigerating cabinets or horizontal islands, as well as large supermarket chains for retrofitting. The vending and medical segments are very significant and growing fast, as are display units for ice-cream and pastry.

Export sales generate 53 per cent of overall turnover and in 2015 the company has been able to strengthen its position in Spain and Turkey, as well as achieving good results all over Europe and the Far East. Particularly interesting growth prospects have been identified in Latin America, in different countries, such as Brazil, Colombia and Chile. “The former CIS is an area that is seeing strong growth, hence we have expanded our sales network in this region, particularly in Russia. Furthermore, Cisaplast France was established this summer.

Currently it is a commercial branch, but it has a very promising future.

“We rely on innovation as an engine for new business and the market regards us as being at the absolute cutting-edge. For these reasons we believe that the best way to develop our business is through organic expansion. Growth is a must for any company.

Cisaplast has already changed a lot over the past few years, but we are ‘on the way’ to continuing the strengthening and the development of our position in new businesses and in new markets. This is down to our internal skill base and the technological resources we have acquired over our long experience.

“An essential element in supporting growth is equipping the company with an organisational and management structure with perfect inner workings. Of course this must be accompanied by dimensional growth.”

As Cisaplast is a sector leader, its big future challenge is to achieve continuous growth and innovation in order to maintain its top ranking, despite the fact that there is very fierce competition. It is a private company, with a fast and lean design and decision-making process. Moreover, it is very flexible, allowing it to be highly dynamic in terms of customer service.

“We have also developed partnerships with some key suppliers to be more aggressive and competitive on the market. We have focused our research on innovative raw materials and new glass types. We research these materials to achieve even lower energy consumption.”

From its suppliers, the company requires the highest levels of quality and reliability, aesthetic perfection and continuous materials innovation. “All of the above is achieved whilst at the same time maintaining a high quality standard, because product quality is the n cornerstone that a company must always put first.”

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ADVANCED HEATING TECHNOLOGY Riello Urzadzenia Grzewcze SA of Torun, Poland, is one of the most important manufacturing plants in the Riello group. The group, of Italian origin, is a leading European producer of heating systems and technologies.

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iello Group is the worldwide leader in the production of burners and one of the major European players offering products and services in the heating and air-conditioning market. The company’s mission is to optimise comfort where people live and work, by proposing projects and solutions which enable it to create the perfect harmony of climate, thanks to the integrated systems and services which are always focused on the impact on the environment.

The group takes pride in its nine production sites, provides employment for 2200 people, owns four operations abroad, has a commercial network comprising 13 international companies and has customers in more than 60 countries. Riello owns two modern research and development centres, too.

The Riello Group’s average share in each European country is about 10 per cent. As the number one manufacturer in the global market, Riello produces around 500,000 burners, 450,000 wallhung boilers, 150,000 water heaters and 70,000 floor-standing boilers per year. Wall hung boilers and water heaters make up around

50 per cent of the whole production, burners and units 23 per cent, floor standing boilers 9 per cent, air conditioners 6 per cent, and other products 13 per cent.

Focus on boilers The vast range of products in the company’s world-renowned Beretta range includes: gas-fired boilers, condensing boilers, boiler auxiliary equipment, air conditioning systems, under floor-heating systems and solar systems. The factory in Torun is mainly focused on producing wall-hung boilers and water heaters.

Condensing boilers are by far the most efficient and economical boilers in the market. The term ‘condensing’ is derived from the creation of condensation within the boiler. The advantage of such boilers over non-condensing boilers is a reduction in fuel costs. It has an efficiency of around 100 per cent compared to about 91 per cent for a non-condensing boiler. This also reduces emissions of both carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide to extremely low levels.

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However, offering a good condensing boiler is not enough in the modern world, because there is a growing demand to develop other kinds of energy, such as solar or wind. Today the company offers state-of-the-art technologies for the most sophisticated heating and air-conditioning systems, where it is working to set new standards in terms of efficiency, reduction of energy consumption and protection of the environment.

Beretta intends to remain one of the most important players in the market. This involves further development. The key idea is to adapt to changing conditions, and to anticipate future trends such as a development of the different kinds of energy production systems.

The company’s objective is to be a leader in innovative integrated systems and applications for intelligent climate control.

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20 years in Poland Both Riello Urzadzenia Grzewcze SA and the Beretta brand have been well known in Poland for years. RUG was founded in 2001 while Beretta entered the Polish market nine years earlier.

At the beginning, it was a presence only in terms of sales. In those days inefficient central heating systems and old power stations made Polish customers keen to look for modern heating solutions. After some years Riello faced production problems in Italy as the costs of production appeared to be too high. The company started to look for the possibility of opening a factory abroad. It decided to build a plant in Poland because this was a reliable country, especially compared with other eastern European countries. At the end of the 1990s Riello was looking for the best

Turas The Turas Factory founded in 1967.

We provide stamping on mechanical and hydraulic presses, with pressure from 10 to 800 tonnes and a maximum working surface of 1500 x 2500 mm.

Our presses are equipped with feed lines. Annually, we use approximately 5,000 tonnes of steel sheets and strips. We also make products from nonferrous metals.

In addition to the stamping we perform machining, arc welding, spot welding and other types of assembly, as well as cleaning and degreasing of details.

We have the production and storage halls with an area of 4,000m2. We also own a tool-room capable to produce new stamping tools and make repairs, refurbishing and modification of the moulds delivered. Our team of employed professionals and engineers supervising the process of production adapt quickly to the needs of our customers. Our accumulated experience, developed production potential and market position provide a solid and stable cooperation.

Since 1967, when the Turas Factory was established, we have been committed to the development of quality production that guarantees reliability, pursuing excellence through experienced and dedicated employees, with the goal to provide highest value to our partners in business.

Belma AS (BAS) is Polish company founded in 2001. It is a leader in designing and production of complex metal structures as well as metal housings and cabinets that meet the B2B customers’ individual expectations.

BAS is an innovative contract manufacturer that has: • modern machinery, in large part robotic • 700 skilled employees • know-how in sheet metal designing and processing • 25 000 m2 of production area • many years of experience in cooperation with clients from Western European markets.

PUNCHING ARC WELDING MOUNTING SPOT WELDING STAMPING

Production of tools Surface treatment

Fabryka Turas Sp. z o.o. | ul. Portowa 5, 76-200 Słupsk tel./fax +48 59 842 83 71 | www.turas.pl

Belma AS Sp. z o.o. | ul. Łochowska 69, 86-005 Białe Błota, Poland Phone: +48 52 36 36 300 | Fax: +48 52 36 36 301 | www.bas.pol.pl

place for investment in the north part of Poland. Finally, such a place was founded in Torun. Twelve years later the company is still very satisfied with the decision to establish the Beretta plant there.

The boilers from Torun have gained a significant position in Poland’s market for heating devices.

Burners from Wroclaw At the same time as Beretta was entering the Polish market, the company Boren Jan Borkowski started to operate as the official importer of Riello burners. Two years later, the Office of Technical Inspection performed the factory certification. This way Riello obtained approval for production in Poland and Riello Burners in Wroclaw was created.

The company is fully owned by the Italian company Riello SA and is the number one producer of burners sold in Poland.

Knowledge, skills and experience allowed it to offer burners for boiler solutions, as well as for many specialised devices where the technological process is based on the heat generated by the combustion of gas or oil. Every year, the Riello Burners training centre in Wroclaw conducts more than 30 training sessions for about 300 technicians. Moreover, Riello Burners also manages the distribution of burners to Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, n Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

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INNOVATORS, NOT IMITATORS Focused on supplying commercial refrigeration solutions for food and beverage to multinationals, IARP is also increasingly providing its refrigeration products to the retail sector. Emanuela Di Costa, Marketing Manager, and Stefania Bernardini, Unilever Key Account Manager, talk to Barbara Rossi about the keys to the company’s success.

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ARP was established 1983 in Casale Monferrato, north-western Italy.

At the time the company, which is still based in the same location, specialised in the production of customised plug-in refrigerated cabinets for the ice-cream sector. Over the years its activity has evolved and grown. In 1998 IARP France – a new commercial, logistics and service facility – was created. This was followed by Thailand-based IARP Asia, which was set up in 2009 and includes a production facility. Finally, in 2013, IARP became part of the EPTA Group.

Today IARP serves a range of large clients, including many multinationals, providing refrigeration solutions for a range of food and beverage products including, but no longer restricted to, the ice-cream sector. Amongst its many prestigious clients are Unilever and Red Bull. The current range on offer features chest and upright freezers for ice-cream and frozen food (including display cabinets), upright coolers for drinks, cold rooms, vending machines, food service equipment, scooping and supermarket refrigeration solutions.

Alongside this, the company offers installation, maintenance and other services. A niche activity is IARPElectro, which commercialises freezers and coolers for domestic use.

“Customisation is a very important factor in our success. There are two ways in which we can achieve this: We can either tailor one of our standard models or we can customise from scratch, manufacturing the refrigeration solution according to customer’s specifications,” Ms Bernardini and Ms Di Costa explain.

A special relationship Having acquired Unilever as a customer has been a major factor in the company’s growth and expansion. Today IARP has a true partnership with Unilever, which it mainly supplies with products for the ice-cream segment. In fact, an important development of recent years has been its inclusion in Unilever’s Partner to Win programme. Ms Bernardini adds, “Unilever, which we have been supplying for a number of years, especially for ice-cream refrigeration solutions, decided to include us in their Partner to Win programme in 2011. This means that, instead of having a traditional supplier-customer relationship, we now have a peer-to-peer relationship, discussing together strategic objectives for the Refreshment sector. A barrier has come down and we now work as a team, being able to put forward suggestions and providing an

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MOVIN means to address every handling and automation problem towards the right solution.

MOVIN can provide plants, in the turnkey formula, for material handling and the storage of goods inside a productive process, looking at the efficiency and the reduction of costs.

Features considered fundamental by Movin are modularity and flexibility, as well as the ability to give the most qualified solution to every type of problem and however, the versatility assuring a future reconfiguration of the plant following always the evolution of the products.

From the first design plans to the feasibility studies, up to testing of the systems on site, MOVIN is committed to establish partnership relations with the customer characterized by a kind and efficient co-operation.

MOVIN produces customized handling systems, laser driven carts, assembly and service lines, robot cells.

Movin projects are implemented with our handling system provided of our standard components like roller, chain, slat and belt conveyors, depending on the features of the product to deliver.

Overhead conveyors (e.g. P&F conveyors and monorail conveyors) enslave to finishing plants and perform connecting buffers.

Inside our assembly lines, special machines are developed, where is needed, to perform particular processes or automatic operations in continuous cycle, in absence of operators.

The final result is a corporate philosophy aiming at the concept of total quality, which becomes the constant in our customer service and the essential condition for high technological content industrial systems.

MOVIN S.p.A. • Via Maniago, 43/a, 33080 S.Quirino (PN) Italia • Tel. +39.0434.91550 • Fax. +39.0434.917782 • E-mail: movin@movin.it

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added value. Obviously we still need to be competitive on price and fulfil all the other requirements that Unilever has.”

In 2013 IARP received the Unilever Partner to Win Special Contribution Award. This category recognises overall contribution to Unilever, demonstrating a long-term commitment to Unilever’s overall business and significant results in three or more of the five core areas (Capacity, Innovation, Sustainability, World Class Service, Value).

“We respond to their demand for significant growth whilst reducing the environmental impact of our solutions and we intend to continue doing so.”

As a group EPTA achieved a €680 million turnover and in the past five years more than €50 million was invested in R&D. “We invest in R&D on a continuous basis. Our R&D work is carried out at product and process level. Our focus is continuously improving our environ-

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mental sustainability and always being at the cutting edge in terms of production machinery, in order to maintain a competitive advantage.

Unlike some other market players we are true innovators, rather than imitators,” Ms Bernardini says.

In particular, the company has recently implemented digital printing, which it can now employ alongside screen printing for product customisation. “Recent significant investments have also been carried out in terms of human resources and marketing,” says Ms Di Costa.

The keys to success Professionalism, innovation, design and quality are central to IARP’s success. This is one of the reasons why the ISO:9001-certified company, which is also equipped with an Intertek listed laboratory, has been implementing vertical production for a number of years, carrying out

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many in-house operations that competitors tend to outsource. “This allows us to have control over the majority of our processes.” This trend has further increased since IARP has become part of the EPTA Group.

With regard to market segments, IARP traditionally supplies food and beverage manufacturers, mainly multinationals. Since joining the EPTA Group the company has also developed the retail segment, supplying supermarket chains. “Our mission is to continue serving our traditional multinational clients, but alongside this we are also going to continue growing in the retail channel, thanks to the experience and contacts that the EPTA Group has in this sector.”

Geographically speaking, today Europe (including Italy) is the main market for IARP, followed by Asia (partly thanks to its Thai

facility). Australasia is another significant market served by the company. While IARP already supplies the American market (North and South) it aims to further expand there, by setting up a production facility (possibly thanks to an acquisition in Latin America).

Emanuela Di Costa further explains, “Producing here would allow us to avoid the hefty custom duties which are in place in these markets. The American continent offers very interesting growth potential. Africa is another interesting market, which we intend to explore soon.

“Our strategy for future development will also focus on product and organisational innovation, as well as on all those aspects which n can differentiate us from the competition.”

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BELIEVE IN STEEL Global leading stainless steel producer Outokumpu knows that its products ‘hold tremendous potential for the automotive industry’. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to communications and marketing manager Saara Tahvanainen to learn more.

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utokumpu is a group of companies headquartered in Espoo, Finland, producing stainless steel. With more than 12,000 employees based in facilities and sales offices in over 30 countries, global leader Outokumpu is listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. As the global leader in stainless steel with a cold-rolling capacity of 2.6 million tonnes, Outokumpu is dedicated to developing and manufacturing advanced materials that are efficient, longlasting and recyclable.

In 2014, Outokumpu’s sales reached €6.844 billion thanks to stainless steel deliveries of over two million tonnes. Communications and marketing manager Saara Tahvanainen told Industry Europe, “Stainless steel is an ideal material to create lasting solutions in demanding applications from cutlery to bridges, energy to medical equipment. As a material, stainless steel is 100 per cent recyclable, corrosion-resistant, maintenance-free, durable and hygienic.

Outokumpu has been instrumental in developing the stainless steel industry into what it is today; indeed, our history is as old as that of

stainless steel itself, with our sites in the UK and Germany dating back over a century to when stainless steel was invented.”

Ms Tahvanainen went on to explain how the development of stainless steel has played a crucial role in Outokumpu’s ongoing success: “It often comes as a surprise to people to know how ubiquitous stainless steel is. From the stainless steel sinks, spoons and pans in our kitchens to washing machines, buildings and power plants, stainless steel is everywhere. There are over 20 applications for stainless steel in one car! There are endless possibilities and benefits of stainless steel and, having already been active in the automotive market for nearly two decades, we are particularly excited about the opportunities here.”

Meeting new demands Outokumpu knows that stainless steel ‘holds tremendous opportunities for the automotive industry’ and it is here that the company is currently focused in terms of growth. Ms Tahvanainen

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added, “To meet new customer demands, comply with evolving legislation and requirements and to contribute to a more sustainable world, car manufacturers are constantly pursuing lower emissions and further safety improvements. Stainless steel enables weight reduction, better crash resistance, greater engine efficiency to mention just a few benefits.”

Outokumpu operates production facilities worldwide, including China, Finland, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, the UK and the USA, with sales offices including the Middle East and Asia Pacific. It also operates a global service centre network that ensures all customers can quickly and effectively receive the support they require. Ms Tahvanainen said, “As the global leader in stainless steel advanced materials with the strongest technical expertise and the widest range of products across all our customer segments, we are well known for providing reliable support worldwide. Our customers know they can find local support that is relevant to their industry and product application.”

With Outokumpu active worldwide in sectors including architecture, building and infrastructure, automotive and transportation, catering, food and beverages, home appliances and energy and heavy industries, its wide range of applications has to be carefully structured to ensure relevant development, support and innovation.

Ms Tahvanainen explained how this is achieved: “Research and development is at our core. Even though stainless steel as a material is over 100 years old, there are still new grades being developed and further characterisations to be made in order to fully utilise the excellent properties of this material. We have worked in close cooperation with our customers for many years now, as well as making great use of our state-of-the-art R&D facilities, in order to build up our experience on the performance of our grades in service and during fabri132 Industry Europe

cation. We have highly skilled technical experts on hand to assist in material selection, fabrication and so on and we also regularly give customer training seminars covering issues such as stainless steel properties and suitability for various uses.”

All about steel Outokumpu’s product portfolio includes a vast range of stainless steel items such as coils and sheets, cast semis, welded pipes and wire rods. Its products are divided into two groups – Outokumpu Classic Family and Outokumpu Pro Family – both of which have been carefully designed to meet the specific demands of its target customer. Ms Tahvanainen noted, “Classic Family features three basic all-purpose grade ranges: Outokumpu MODA for mildly corrosive environments, such as commodity goods and indoor structures; Outokumpu CORE for corrosive environments, such as architectural panels and restaurant equipment; and Outokumpu for highly corrosive environments, such as industrial storage and cooling tanks and heat exchangers.”

The Outokumpu Pro Family features six special grade ranges for demanding applications, with Outokumpu FORTA ideal for duplex and higher strength applications, Outokumpu ULTRA for extremely corrosive environments like those found in the oil and gas industry, and Outokumpu DURA, the ‘high hardness’ range, which offers a competitive alternative to carbon steel in applications where corrosion-resistance and wear-resistance are key.

With a constantly-evolving and developing product range and a dedication to meeting its customers’ and future customers’ most demanding applications, Outokumpu is positive about its ongoing success. The company has ‘bright ideas for the future’ thanks to its range of stainless steel grades that can be utilised across domestic n and industrial applications.

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LEADERS IN PRECISION

METALWORKING Poland Tokai Okaya is one of the leaders in the Polish metalworking industry, supplying high quality pressed products for the automotive, household appliance and electrical goods sectors. Victoria Hattersley talks to Hideki Nakasone, company president, about its history, current market position and plans for future growth.

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oland Tokai Okaya Manufacturing Sp.z.o.o. (PTO) is a renowned Polish supplier of high quality pressed products. It is a part of the Japanese Okaya Group, a sprawling global corporation with operations that encompass the metalworking, chemical, food, machinery and many other sectors besides. Dating back 346 years, Okaya is one of the oldest corporations in the world and, as such, PTO can draw on a wealth of strength, experience and state-ofthe-art technology from its parent company – whilst at the same time, as Mr Nakasone tells us, maintaining the freedom to operate completely independently.

PTO itself was established in 2006 in Łysomice, Poland, where its operations are still based today. Mr Nakasone begins: “Our factory

began production in 2007 where we initially focused on the production of metal parts for LCD TVs. But in 2008 we began the move into other areas such as domestic appliances and renewable energy.

We made our first deliveries of products for the automotive sector in 2012 and today this is a particularly important and growing area of business for us. Our automotive clients in Poland include such globally renowned names as Gedia and Toyota.”

Production profile The company’s comprehensive range of products and services covers design, stamping, welding, pressure welding, tapping, washing, assembly, laboratory services and tooling.

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PTO’s machine park currently includes two factories: the first focusing on stamping and the other on welding, pressing and assembly. Its stock of modern presses means the company is able to produce an extremely broad range of precision parts in many different dimensions, thicknesses and shapes.

Its state-of-the-art facilities include the most hi-tech machine tools (including specialised production lines for large and complicated metal elements), hydraulic presses up to 500 tonnes, progressive presses and spot projection welders. It also has modern design stations equipped with the latest CAD programmes, integrated with CAM modules based on 3D modeling.

According to Mr Nakasone: “In fact we have 600-, 500-, 300-, and 200-tonne presses at our production sites. We can produce

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over one million parts from each machine every year. Our key products are metal parts which can be shaped, bended and welded. In the future we would like to develop more complex processes in our factories and tooling workshop to increase our range still further.”

Alongside this, PTO also runs its own in-house tool shop. Here, its services include tool production, the processing of components for production instruments, stamping dies and blanking dies for sheet plastic forming. Its offer also includes machining, plastic working and electromachining. The tool workshop includes its own design and technological office facilities equipped with CAD programmes integrated with CAM modules.

All the company’s production processes are manufacturing according to the strictest quality standards and assessments. In 2010 it

achieved ISO 9001:2008, with the ISO 14000 environmental management certification following in 2011. Finally, in February 2013 it achieved ISO TS 16949 certification.

Moving forward The company’s sales have risen steadily in recent years and this positive trend is set to continue. In 2013 it achieved a turnover of around €9 million and the following year this rose to €14.5 million.

The projected figure for 2015 is around €19 million.

According to Mr Nakasone, around 10 per cent of PTO’s sales currently come from exports, mainly to Poland’s neighbouring countries. “In the coming years we would like to see this figure increase to 25 per cent,” he adds.

It is expected that PTO will achieve these impressive projected growth figures solely through organic expansion. Mr Nakasone concludes: “We are not planning any acquisitions for the future. Instead, we will be investing both in new technology and in developing our n human resources through training and hiring new staff.”

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READY TO SERVE

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS Gruppo Piantoni supplies a wide range of services to the iron and steelwork sector and is in the process of expanding in foreign markets, as Barbara Rossi found out from MD Eligio Piantoni.

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ruppo Piatoni, which employs 240 people, comprises GAP, GAP Service s and GAP 2. GAP is the operational company of the group and offers a wide range of services to the iron and steelwork sector. GAP Services owns the operational and earthmoving vehicle fleet used by the group for its activities. It manages and maintains this fleet as well as hiring it to external companies, not only belonging to the steelwork sector, but also including foundries, harbour-operating firms, etc. Romania-based GAP 2 offers services to Tenaris, an important Gruppo Piantoni client, in Romania. The group implemented its current structure last year, in order to be better placed for expansion in foreign markets.

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The range of services offered extends from services connected to raw materials (scrap) to management of industrial waste, and also includes all the other main and ancillary services required for the rest of the iron and steel production process, such as warehouse management, transport and industrial cleaning.

“In 2011 we created our R&D facility. It has already enabled us to develop and patent our mobile suction system. We tested the first prototype in 2012 and have currently entered the commercialisation phase. We presented it at Ecomondo Rimini 2014 last November and will show it at Metec Dusseldorf 2015 in June,” Mr Piantoni explained.

“I am particularly proud of the fact that since 2014 we have experienced our best record in terms of health and safety. We have achieved this thanks to the fact that we have invested a lot in staff training, not only implementing it at the level demanded by current legislation, but exceeding the required standards. This is at the base of our outstanding results.”

The group operates from two facilities, as well as a series of sites located at clients’ premises. The Sovere (Bergamo area of northern Italy) facility houses administrative offices, personnel and purchasing; whilst the operational side of the business is taken care of by the Brescia site (including R&D and vehicle fleet).

Piantoni can boast of many important clients, including Acciaieria Arvedi, Acciaieria di Rubiera, Acciaierie Venete, Alfa Acciai, Cogne Acciai Speciali, DMV, Duferdofin, Feralpi, Grigoli, Gruppo Sanpellegrino, Italcementi, Lucchini Sidermeccanica, Nestlè Acqua Vera, San Zeno Acciai, Tenaris Dalmine, Tenaris Costa Volpino and Tubificio Arvedi, among others.

A horizon of growth The present facilities, and in particular the Brescia site, are fully capable of coping with the expected volume expansion. “Whilst so far we have been mainly focused on the northern Italian market, plus our operation in Romania, we have already set up foreign contacts ad expect to grow

abroad, particularly in Macedonia, Ukraine and Germany, areas that we already serve thanks to our relationship with Tenaris. Another geographical market which we intend to enter is Iran.”

“With regard to investments we have developed an energy saving project for the iron and steel sector together with the Politecnico di Milano (Milan Polytechnic University).”

Services for the steel and iron sector currently generate 90 per cent of the Gruppo Piantoni turnover. “I think that even in the future the turnover share of our iron and steel sector services will remain the same. The reason for this is that I expect volume growth in both this segment and in vehicle hiring, hence the balance between the two will remain unchanged.”

“In terms of our operating and earth moving vehicle hiring business, I think that what distinguishes our offer from the competition, and it’s much appreciated by customers, is the fact that we charge by the hour rather than working on the basis of a fixed monthly fee.”

Geographically Italy is still generating 95 per cent of turnover, with most of the remainder deriving from the Romanian operation.

“Our long-term target is that of growing in foreign markets, so as to have a 50/50 balance between the domestic and international markets. I would say that this is hopefully achievable within five years. However, I would like to stress that this will not translate into a diminished interest in the domestic market, or indeed a

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lowering of our work volumes here. For us Italy is a consolidated market, where we serve all the major steel plants. We do not need to have a strong commercial campaign in our home market, as we have well-established customer relationships. Our commercial focus will be on foreign markets, where we intend to gain many new clients and grow significantly. Pinpointing where our future growth will be is very tricky, as we offer services rather than products. Foreign growth will be based on our iron and steel sector services, while the hiring business will continue to focus on the domestic market only.”

Gruppo Piantoni – which is ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 certified, as well as being in the process of obtaining ISO 14001 – is going to be at Metec Dusseldorf 2015 where, as well as showing its mobile suction system, it will present the rest of its range of services. n

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ETHICAL PHARMA

PRODUCER

For over 30 years Takeda Italy has been one of the most important European operations of the Japanese giant, Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Operating under the group principle of ‘Takeda-ism’, the company is dedicated not only to ethical production but also to sustainability and employee welfare, as Industry Europe discovers.

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akeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd is the biggest pharmaceutical company in Japan. Since its establishment in Osaka in 1781, the company’s strategy has been focused on quality and in particular on a perfect integration between advanced research and the development of human resources.

Takeda’s website outlines the key philosophy behind the group’s approach: “Takeda is committed to striving towards better health for patients worldwide through leading innovation in medicine, in accordance with the principles of our corporate strategy of ‘Takedaism’ – Integrity, Fairness, Honesty and Perseverance.”

In 1982 Takeda Italy was set up. Today the company, which has almost 500 employees and annual net sales of around €400 million, is one of the most important enterprises in Italy in the pharmaceutical sector and provides Takeda’s drugs and service to Italian medical professionals and patients.

Takeda Italy’s production unit is in Cerano, a town in the north of Italy in the province of Novara. This site is highly developed from both a technological and environmental point of view. 130 employees work on the manufacture, control and packaging of some of the most specialised drugs, mainly oral-solid drugs, that are sold by Takeda throughout Europe. Today, the factory manufactures some of the most important products marketed by Takeda affiliates in Europe and some Asian countries as well.

The state-of-the-art production site in Cerano covers 53,000m2 (of which 10,000m2 is covered) and it is equipped with a complex photovoltaic system to reduce its CO2 emissions by many thousands of tonnes each year. It also boasts several highly automated production and packaging lines capable of producing 15,000 units per hour.

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Areas of operation Takeda Pharmaceutical Company concentrates most of its resources on the development of new drugs in those areas where the demand is the highest among patients: diabetes, gastroenterology, gynaecology, oncology and cardiology.

In oncology, Takeda has studied the influence of sexual hormones on some cancer pathologies. With the exploitation of an innovative, cutting-edge technology, it succeeded in improving the quality of life of patients affected by prostatic carcinoma, breast cancer and endometriosis.

In gastroenterology, Takeda has developed the most widely used drug in the world for the cure of peptic ulcer and esophagitis. This drug was the solution to a problem that affects 30 per cent of the adult western population.

It is also worth mentioning the discovery of the most advanced class of drugs against hypertension that help reduced blood pressure gradually with the result of decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

R&D All the company’s great achievements would not have been possible without an extremely innovative R&D department. Research activities are carried out in compliance with international developmental plans in order to share the knowledge and monitor the use of drugs.

Research focuses on the setting up and the management of clinical studies in collaboration with the European Research Centre and with a global coordination that involves Takeda in Japan and the USA. In particular, the Italian research team works in synergy with national institutions, such as universities and hospitals, and it is mainly formed by specialised doctors who are highly trained researchers.

Committed to responsible growth Takeda’s commitment to social campaigns and charitable initiatives is witnessed by an impressively long list. For example, its ‘Open Factories’ initiative promoted by Federchimica has given schools, universities, councils and employees’ families the chance to visit companies’ production units and take part in workshops and seminars.

Takeda also funds voluntary associations that are involved in the battle against different pathologies and diseases, such as AISA Onlus (Italian Association against Ataxia), AISW (Williams Syndrome Italian Association).

Finally, sustainability continues to be a major cornerstone of the group’s development. As its website states: “Since 2003, the Takeda Italia plant has established a multi-annual programme wih the objective of reducing CO2 emissions and the consumption of non-renewable energy. Through continuous training, education and investments we have created a culture whereby all our employees n pay great attention to environmental preservation.”

Since 1969 Carlucci has been a leading company in the production of self-adhesive labels, its core business, made using the most advanced technologies.

Its factory covers an area of approx. 10,000 square metres, of which 4000 are covered.

All labels are made using various printing technologies, combined in-line to increase process efficiency and make control systems more effective.

Printing technologies such as flexo, letterpress, screen printing, thermal transfer, ink-jet and laser can be combined to ensure end products of the highest quality.

The production process is complemented by 100% inspection and finishing operations with variable numbering and control, as well as certification of the numbering.

Carlucci regularly invests in its production processes in order to keep up with technological developments in this market.

The implementation of quality processes is continuously monitored and certified by audits to ensure that the business system effectively complies with ISO standards.

CARLUCCI S.r.l. Unipersonale • Via dei Castelli Romani 44, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy Tel: +39 06 9160021 • Fax: +39 06 9120765 • E-mail: info@carluccietichette.it • www.carluccietichette.it

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ON A ROLL Optimising Europe’s rolling stock is the sole focus of Astra Rail Industries, which is a leading developer and producer of modern freight wagons, bogies and rail cars. Philip Yorke spoke to John Brown, the company’s sales and marketing director, about its continuing investment in new technology and move into new markets.

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stra Rail Industries was founded in Romania in 1882 and has since produced over one million freight wagons. The company operates three modern manufacturing facilities in Romania, in Arad, Turnu-Severin and Caracal. Operated and driven by a German management team with unrivalled experience since 2012, the company subscribes to the highest standards of European freight wagon engineering. Astra Rail Industries SRL has the largest freight wagon manufacturing capacity in Europe, with covered working areas exceeding 350,000 square metres. This enables Astra Rail to produce more than 5000 freight wagons per year in a wide variety of designs and with many innovative tailor-made features.

In addition to freight wagon production, Astra also provides servicing, maintenance and repair facilities, as well as offering special services for the development and inspection of railcars. Today the company is able to draw upon the expertise of two of its subsidiaries for special projects: ICPV, with its prestigious engineering offices

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in Arad; and Astra Project, a company based in Proprad in Slovakia.

Today the management of Astra is clearly focused on promoting the sustainable and long-term development of the Astra Rail Group, in its evolution into a strong financial entity and a clear market leader in its sector. At Astra Rail, therefore, long-term thinking takes precedence over short-term, profit-driven considerations.

Innovation and service driving sales Today Astra’s key sales markets are mainly the countries of the European Union. However, since 2012 the company has been extending its geographic reach and now exports its products to Russia and the Middle East. Brown said, “As a privately owned company based in the Netherlands, we are well placed to offer the highest quality, reliability and flexibility. In addition to our three modern factories we also manage a network of maintenance shops throughout Europe and are able to conduct all our testing programmes in-house. Our customer base is comprised of leading rail operating companies and we have more than 60 highly qualified and dedicated design engineers serving them, as well as our own state-of-the-art testing facility located in-house.

“We are a very lean, efficient and reliable company and pride ourselves on the service we offer our customers, as well as in the high standards of our products. We are getting more and more involved in the design and manufacture of highly complex special projects and introducing new technologies in the development of multi-functional freight wagons. Our main European markets are Germany, France, England, Switzerland and France. However, we’re seeing consistent growth in new markets such as the United Arab Emirates, Russia and the USA. “We continue to invest heavily in new technology and now have the latest laser-cutting machines and employ robotics for many stages of 148 Industry Europe

AIL NNOVATION Compact Brake IBB10 Lightest brake application on the railway market designed for UIC freight wagon Allows easy assembly and disassembly of the Compact Brake and all single components Maintenance and overhauling by ECM workshops

Wabtec Europe GmbH Austria Tel: +43 1 890 49 87-0 wabteceurope@wabtec.com www.wabtec.com

Wabtec Corporation (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies) is a global provider of value-added, technology-based products and services for railways, transit, freight and other industrial markets. The company has facilities located throughout the world.

Reliable. Sustainable. Secure.

our manufacturing processes. We always like to look at things in the long-term and develop mutually beneficial relations with our clients. In fact, many of our rail operator customers have been with us for many, many years.”

Increasing demand for special freight wagons The demand for individual high-spec rail cars and freight wagons has kept the company’s two specialist subsidiaries very busy. ICPV and Astra Rail Project operate as Astra’s construction and development teams as well as operating its in-house, independent testing laboratories. These two engineering offices develop railcars and bogies for in-house production and are commissioned by external companies to carry out advanced development contracts. The whole value chain is encompassed by their services, from technical analysis, consultancy and execution, through to technical acceptance that includes final testing and approval.

A good example of recent developments in special contracts can be seen in the company’s latest ‘Super Self Discharging Train’. This vehicle is 600 metres long and consists of permanently coupled rakes, each with either six or four wagons, with an incorporated conveyer discharging system. This train is suitable for the effective transportation of gravel, ballast, sand and mixed materials. In addition, each rake consists of a power unit fitted with a diesel engine, which powers the hydraulic, electric and pneumatic systems.

the world’s foremost manufacturers of advanced rail cars and wagons. To this end, more than 50 employees are dedicated exclusively to providing quality assurance services at all levels.

The Astra Rail management system has been certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2008, EN 14025, EN ISO 3834-2 and EN15085. This is a field where Astra Rail works together with TUV (German Technical Inspectorate) and Astra Rail has also been certified under the Deutsche Bahn’s HPQ and VPI. n For further details of Astra Rail’s latest innovative rolling stock products and services visit: www.astrarail.com

Continuously enhancing quality One of Astra Rail’s most important strategic goals is to continuously enhance the quality of its products and services. The company aims to satisfy and exceed the high expectations of its international customers on a long-term basis and to maintain its position as one of Industry Europe 149

PURE LOGIC

Broekman Logistics is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands and is a fast growing specialist logistics provider in three key areas: Forwarding & Shipping, Warehousing & Distribution and Breakbulk Terminals. Philip Yorke spoke to Albert Hoek, the company’s managing director for Shipping and Logistics, about its increasing global reach and unique range of logistics services.

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he Broekman Logistics success story began in 1960 when Aad Broekman established Broekman Motorships in Rotterdam with an initial contract to handle the shipping of a conventional cargo of 18 cars. With the increasing demand for consumer goods, Broekman was well placed to take advantage of this new growth market and its established relationship with shipbrokers and shipping lines operating out of Rotterdam. However, a major turning point for the company came in the 1990s when it focused on supply chain management and breakbulk logistics services.

Following an on-going programme of strategic acquisitions, the company is now positioned to match the remarkable growth it has achieved over the last 15 years. Today Broekman Logistics employs more than 800 people throughout the world at its facilities in India, Singapore, Holland, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Poland.

Flexible freight forwarding & shipping Whether the business concerned is food, chemicals, industrial hardware, electronics or any other product in demand, importing or exporting these products can involve multiple carriers, special requirements and legalities. Complicated customs and tax issues and communications with foreign ports can add up to a complex administrative burden.

As an experienced partner, Broekman can provide flexible and reliable transportation at competitive rates, as well as the support of a full range of freight forwarding services on a global scale, with the benefit of local expertise and communications.

Broekman can also control and optimise its clients’ shipping needs by selecting the most suitable international shipping lines

and airlines, as well as negotiating the best rates and the preparation of the numerous documents associated with shipping items overseas. The company is strategically headquartered in Rotterdam from where it is possible to reach key locations throughout the EU and further afield. These hubs include Amsterdam Airport, Bruxels Airport, Antwerp, Eemshaven and Rotterdam, Holland’s largest port with a strong connection to the Rhur area in Germany.

When it comes to shipping, clients can rely on a highly qualified team of experts with over 55 years’ experience in the maritime logistics industry. The company offers a full range of marine services at all major ports and specialises in dry bulk, liquid bulk and breakbulk containers, roll-on, roll-off and special project management services.

Flexible chemical warehousing Producers and distributors of speciality chemicals recognise the importance of flexible, innovative and individually tailored technical logistics solutions. Broekman understands the market’s complexi-

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ties and the need for targeted customer services where safety is paramount, especially when it comes to the storage and handling of dangerous goods.

The company is also able to react quickly to sudden market and legal changes using the latest logistics technology and best-practice protocols. Broekman Logistics offers maximum flexibility and accurate information whenever it is needed for a clear overview of the entire supply chain for its customers.

Hoek said, “We are continuing to invest heavily in our range of customer services and in particular in our state-of-the-art warehousing facilities, which currently extend to more than 350,000 square metres at our three key sites in the Netherlands. We have a rolling programme of investment that takes us right up to 2020.

“We always go that extra mile for our customers and our reputation for reliability and commitment is second to none. We are more than just a local hero, and this, combined with our unrivalled logistics expertise is the main differentiator between us and our big logistics competitors. We provide unlimited innovative technical services for our clients with new operations focused on the growing 3D printing market among other emerging commodities. Our diversity and product mix is our strength combined with our flexible can-do attitude.

We are a true global operator, but with a local, personal touch.

“We will continue to see strong organic growth, however we keep the door open for any acquisitions that will provide us with the right synergy and will compliment our wide range of quality logistics services.”

Cryoport provides cutting-edge logistics solutions for biologic materials such as immunotherapies, stem cells, and reproductive cells for its clients worldwide. With the support of Broekman Logistics, Ctyoports’ Asian clients will benefit from its unrivalled professional services and excellent track record.

Jacques Kleinkramer, managing director of Broekman Logistics for warehousing and distribution, said, “We are delighted to be partnered with Cryoport and to help support its growing client base and business in Asia, with its validated cryogenic logistics solutions for the life sciences industry. The spike in the need for safe and controlled shipments of temperature-sensitive commodities, within a framework of strict regulations and procedures, is being addressed by Cryoport in a comprehensive manner. We look forward to helping Cryoport build n on its foothold in the cryogenic logistics market.”

For further details of Broekman Logistics’ innovative logistics services visit: www.broekmanlogistics.com

Cryoport expansion Following the successful cooperation between Broekman and Cryport in Rotterdam, it was recently announced that Broekman Logistics will provide secure and full-service warehousing facilities for Cryoport Inc., the world’s premier provider of advanced cryogenic logistics services, throughout the entire Asian region.

Cryoport Inc. is the leading provider of cryogenic solutions to the life sciences industry through its purpose-built proprietary packaging, information technology and specialised cold chain logistics expertise.

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ENERGISED INTELLIGENCE

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BMZ is a leading battery systems provider that specialises in developing intelligent solutions for industry.

It is a global technology leader in the rapidly growing lithium-ion battery market. Philip Yorke spoke to Sven Bauer, the company’s founder and CEO, about the strategy behind its remarkable success and its latest lithium-ion products.

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ince its foundation in 1994 in Karlstein, Germany, BMZ has emerged as one of the world’s leading system providers of intelligent battery solutions in the fast-growing lithium-ion accumulator (rechargeable battery) market. Custom designed batteries developed and manufactured by BMZ are used worldwide for many different products including electric garden tools, power tools, electric vehicles, electric bicycles and portable medical devices, as well as for storage units for renewable energies.

With its primary manufacturing plants in Germany and its stateof-the-art production facilities in China, the US and Poland, BMZ has the flexibility to react quickly to changing global market forces.

As the acknowledged leader in custom-designed battery packs, its highly qualified engineers and technicians generate new technologies in close partnership with its customers.

BMZ provides complete custom-made solutions based upon proven designs and technologies to meet its customers’ needs for energy storage systems. Today’s market is increasingly focused on Lithium-ion, High Current Lithium-ion Manganese, Lithium-ion Phosphate and Lithium Polymer, however, High Current Nickel Metal Hydride is still used in a variety of applications. BMZ offers complete concepts on demand, which are constructed to meet its customers’ highest technical requirements. Today BMZ employs over 1400 people and in 2014 recorded sales of more than €230 million.

The future is electric In the quest for cleaner, renewable energy, manufacturing companies are turning to electrically driven products. The most high-profile of these is the electric car which is quiet, reliable and offers virtually

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LG Chem We, LG Chem, believe that the decision to be a strategic partner with BMZ was the right decision.

We have been growing together with BMZ in European market based on a firm cooperative partnership since 2012.

LG Chem will continue to cooperate with BMZ to offer higher value and competitive battery solution to the European market.

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LG Chem is a world-renowned company in the lithiumion battery industry that supplies competitive energy solutions for all industries including mobile devices, energy storage and electric vehicles. In particular, according to the electric vehicle industry, LG Chem is ranked as a No.1 battery supplier when it comes to the project award of next-generation electric vehicle battery.

LG Chem has built up a full line-up of cylindrical cell from 1.3Ah to 4.2Ah capacity with long cycle life and high power in order to meet various needs from wider range of applications such as power tool, garden tool, vacuum cleaner, medical device, robot and also personal e-mobility, etc.

With its expertise in material and profound experience in supporting global industry customers, LG Chem continues to lead the lithium-ion battery industry by delivering innovation on battery solutions.

Peter Chung Assistant Manager / New Application Team Office: 82-(0)10-3773-7657 Mobile: 82-(0)10-7287-9987 Email: peterchung@lgchem.com

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HIPO Systems has developed with their partner Jonhon, a leading Chinese connector company, charging and dis-charging connectors for various applications using Lithium Ion batteries supplied by BMZ. The connectors are an integral part of the harnesses which HIPO Systems has developed and supplied for motor and battery connection applications in E bikes.

The range also includes the harnesses for front and rear light, MMI control display, brake and speed control. Such harnesses are customized products.

The current range can be < 1 A up to 50 A .

The connectors fulfil the IP 67 requirements which mean the harness systems function in wet conditions allowing the bike to be ridden in the rain. The use of connectors to IP 67 requirements also allows cleaning of the Bike by manual high pressure cleaning equipment.

HIPO Systems GmbH | Auf dem Molzberg 2, 57548 Kirchen, Deutschland www.hipo-systems.com

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mastering complexity – together with our customers From construc on support over 3D- design up to complete cable harnesses or assemblies and switching cabinets – we cover all process steps.

Processed wire for cabinet building or fully assembled energy chains, extended work bench or design assistance, the entry is up to you, the result: 100% final checked quality, customized to your needs.

Our policy: • exper se • reliability • flexibility • responsibility

Tel.: +49 (0) 6068 / 9314 30 – Fax: +49 (0) 6068 9314 59 E-Mail: info@hi-kabel.de – www.hi-kabel.de

zero emissions. They use the best current infrastructure for recharging, making the driving experience not only a pleasure but a truly environmentally-friendly option.

With consumers worldwide relying more and more on mobile battery solutions for power tools and electric vehicles, BMZ has invested in the world’s most advanced production facility and one that is capable of producing more than 200,000 rechargeable battery packs per year. At this revolutionary new plant it will be possible to automatically assemble, weld and test BMZ’s range of advanced rechargeable battery packs.

“A German company which wants to attain a long-term internationally top ranking position in such an important future market as mobile energy supplies should not only rely on its innovative product ideas and systems expertise. With our highly efficient and fully automated rechargeable battery pack production facility we want to prove that BMZ in Germany is internationally competitive in all respects from a manufacturing point of view,” explained Bauer.

At BMZ, the recording of all pack-related data by individual production stations and its unique assignment to the respective product, guarantees the seamless traceability of every single battery produced.

Innovation and efficiency driving sales From the outset innovation and service have been at the heart of BMZ’s business culture. Its on-going investment in new product development and ground-breaking energy storage systems is unparalleled. Whether it is the new modular power storage system that can feed surplus energy into a housing network, a new pivoting battery, or the highly efficient BMZ Lithium Powerbloc you can be certain that they represent the latest, cutting-edge technology and the most reliable products available on the market.

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Bauer said, “Our big OEM customers rely on us to provide them with the technology they need to maintain their competitive edge in today’s global marketplace. We not only have our own extensive research laboratories but also have our own lab in a leading German University, which benefits our customers and compliments our own research operations, thus our search for greater efficiency is always on-going. We are also efficient when it comes to our after sales offering with a 24 hour service hotline available in five languages.

“Automotive applications are a fast growing sector, especially for items such as fork-lift trucks, buses and taxis, and last year there were over 90,000 electric cars sold in Europe. An interesting development has been the introduction of a new electric vehicle by the German postal service, which has designed and produced its own purpose-built electric van for postal deliveries. This small 4-wheel truck is produced in Germany and will be adopted by other European postal services, with the UK being one of the first.”

He added, “Our latest energy storage system (ESS) for the domestic market provide us with the biggest opportunities for

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growth and is likely to be ten times bigger than all automotive activities combined. The new ESS batteries will make it possible to optimise the use of solar panels and return a large proportion of the electricity that is generated, back to the national grid. However, right now it is e-bikes and power tools that dominate our sales profiles especially in the European market.

“We have also extended our manufacturing capacity to accommodate the global demand for our products, which is consistently increasing by over 20 per cent a year. We are now the biggest manufacturer of our kind in Europe with over 55,000 square metres of manufacturing space in Germany and a further 46,000 square metres at our site in Poland, which is strategically located next door to the main Opel automotive plant there. We are typical tier one OEM suppliers for companies such as Stihl and Huskvana, and follow our customers when they establish new n manufacturing facilities around the world.”

For further details of BMZ’s innovative products and services visit: www.bmz-gmbh.de

WIRE AND ROPE SOLUTIONS FOR THE WORLD Bridon’s high performance wire and ropes are meeting the most demanding challenges in construction, mining and oil and gas extraction around the world.

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ridon International is the world’s leading specialist in the manufacture of steel wire and ropes for technically demanding applications in mining, construction, offshore oil and gas and in many other specialised areas of engineering. Its steel and wire rope has been used in high-profile projects across the world, from Wembley Stadium and the Newport City Bridge in Wales to the Inchon Munhak Stadium in Korea and the Kiev Olympic Stadium.

“There are many rope manufacturers across the world but I think it’s fair to say that Bridon has no real direct competitor,” says

managing Director Jonathon Templeman. “We produce technically advanced, very high performance ropes and wires that are almost like a machine – they are highly engineered, with moving parts that often require lubrication and they can cost as much as £1 million for a single rope. The core of our business is very heavy lifting – ropes for deep shaft mines, for example, can go down to more than 3 km in a single fall and deepwater offshore lifting can also require 3 km ropes that have to be able to withstand extreme pressures, low temperatures and corrosion from the sea.

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“Modern rope design is essentially the art of an intelligent compromise between strength and flexibility. Static and structural ropes prioritise strength because they don’t need to bend much but ropes for mining or offshore mooring must be able to cope with movement.”

Bridon was formed as a company in 1924 from an amalgamation of wire rope producers, the oldest of which dates back to the late 18th century. In 2008 it was acquired by the specialist manufacturing investor Melrose PLC and the company is now, since October 2014, owned by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Headquartered in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, Bridon currently operates eleven manufacturing units worldwide, four in the UK, three in North America and one each in Germany, China, Indonesia and New Zealand.

Neptune Quay In November 2012 Bridon opened its newest manufacturing facility, a state-of-the-art factory at Neptune Quay on the banks of the River Tyne that is capable of producing the largest and most complex ropes in the world, with pieceweights of up to 600 tonnes, for the offshore oil and gas industry. Neptune Quay is home to the world’s largest rope-closing machine (the stages of rope production include drawing the wire, stranding it and then closing it around a core). This machine, which was constructed to Bridon’s own unique specification, is enabling the company to produce far more complex ropes than has ever been possible before in such large weights. These highly engineered ropes feature enhanced breaking loads, optimised bend fatigue performance, effective lubrication and minimal rotation under load.

The Neptune facility ships to the company’s customers across the world and is a key element in its strategy of expanding into a

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range of developing markets where its ropes are used in the most challenging environments where they have to withstand the ravages of salt water and temperatures down to minus forty degrees centigrade. It has a central role in Bridon’s vision for the future and will act as a base for technological innovation in rope manufacturing across the world.

“Neptune Quay is now our most important site for serving the offshore industry – its waterside location means we can load directly on to supply vessels and we have an innovative transport stander that can move units of more than 600 tonnes,” explains Mr Templeman. “But our nearby Willington Quay factory continues to produce many of our core products for construction, mining and industrial applications. Crane ropes, for example, for ports, steel mills and construction projects are made there. And at our headquarters, the Doncaster Wire Mill and Ropery, we have a 60,000 tonne wire mill that supports all the UK plants and the plant in Germany.”

Technology innovation Doncaster is also home to Bridon’s new Technology Centre which was opened in February 2013 specifically to lead the development of the world’s most advanced offshore ropes. However this major investment in personnel, unique test equipment and forensic laboratories will also advance the development of rope technology across Bridon’s core markets of mining, construction and fishing as well as in oil and gas.

“As well as playing a key role in new product development the BTC also offers our customers an extensive range of unique facilities for testing, analysing and verifying new and used ropes. If a rope fails – and it

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won’t often be one of ours – we can carry out a detailed inquest,” says Jon Templeman. “The Centre also expands our ability to do more joint technological development with our customers. In the lifting world the demand is for longer, stronger and lighter ropes – offshore work is much deeper than in the past and mining is going to similar depths so customers want ropes that put the lightest possible load on their winches or cranes but still have massive lifting capabilities.”

Recent technological innovations from Bridon include the Big T Bristar dragline rope that has been engineered to withstand the most challenging dragline applications in open-pit mining and the Tiger 24 LS

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hoist rope that delivers the lowest possible cost per tonne hoisted. The Endurance Dyform DSC8 crane rope is another significant advance with its very high breaking force and crush-resistant characteristics.

“In the DSC8 we achieve the superior crush resistance by compacting the metal and it also benefits from the expertise we have developed in the technology of synthetic cores,” explains Mr Templeman. “Rather than injecting the plastic to form the core we extrude it at the same time as drawing the rope. The next generation of ropes will be hybrid products that blend steel and synthetic strands in the same rope. We are currently doing a lot of research in this field.”

HD Wire Rope and Cable Lube The Preferred Technology for Protecting High-Performance Wire Rope and Cable • Performs at high and low temperature extremes • Performs under high pressure at extreme ocean depths • Unmatched lubrication and corrosion protection • Recommended for dynamic heave compensation systems The choice of offshore heavy lift, oil, and gas operators worldwide to protect their wire rope investment since 1975.

Esgard Inc. | 515 Debonnaire Rd., Scott, Louisiana 70583, USA T: 01 337.234.6327 | E: robert@esgard.com | www.esgard.com

Global opportunities For the last few years the global oil and gas production industry has been Bridon’s fastest growing customer sector, expanding rapidly in regions such as the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa and Brazil.

Of course, the current global downturn in the industry has meant reduced orders and sales for the company in these sectors but it is responding with technologically innovative products that are helping customers to reduce costs.

“Mining formerly made up around 20 per cent of our business but has fallen away following the problems in the global industry,” says Jon Templeman. “Fishing is a fairly small sector but it is solid and growing as fishing quotas are increased across the world while the construction and industrial demand tends to follow the overall growth in the UK economy.”

Of course, Bridon also serves customers in the construction industry across the world. A major project was for the new Doha International Airport for which Bridon supplied a total of 1400 stainless steel ropes, mostly to support a car park canopy. The 150 tonnes of Dyform strand was manufactured at Gelsenkirchen and delivered in time for the grand opening of the airport on Qatar National day in December 2012.

At the beginning of 2015 Bridon acquired the moorings business of Norwegian based ScanRope. ScanRope manufactures both steel and fibre deep water mooring systems and has strengthened Bridon’s position in steel systems, making it a market leader in this area.

Looking to future growth prospects, Mr Templeman sees opportunities across the world, in Asia, Africa and South America. “In China there is continuing rapid growth in the construction of ports and of other infrastructure projects and that means many more cranes that need our hoist ropes. The offshore oil and gas industry in China is also growing so that’s another valuable market for a company with our unmatched expertise.

There is obviously huge potential for the offshore industry in Brazil, where we opened a warehouse and a service centre in 2013, and mining remains a strong market there as well as in Chile and Peru. Indeed, as our business grows in the region we may well find we need to set up a manufacturing operation in Brazil. In south-east Asia we already have facilities in Singapore and Indonesia and we have recently expanded our sales office in Russia and set up another in Poland. Africa too has huge potential for growth in oil and gas, mining and infrastructure projects. In fact, wherever in the world there is a need for really heavy lifting, Bridon n will be providing the answers.”

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A CURE ALL RadTech is the European industry association focused on promoting the development, use and benefits of UV/EB curing. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to secretary general Mark Macaré to gain an insight into its aims and its latest influential conference.

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ounded in Switzerland in 1988 and with its headquarters in The Hague, RadTech Europe (RTE) is the European UV/EB curing industry association. With members across the markets of graphic arts, electronics, industrial coatings, automotive, medical, dental and cosmetics, as well as a vast array of emerging applications in other industries, it is clear that the wide reaching capabilities and potential of UV/EB curing are not to be underestimated.

RTE’s membership ‘provides access to a collaborative platform for knowledge transfer at educational and networking events and offers effective representation as a body in public affairs initiatives’. RTE’s members include raw materials manufacturers, equipment suppliers, formulators, universities, consultants and end-users.

Strategic changes Packaging Europe spoke to RTE’s secretary general Mark Macaré to learn more about the association and its latest activities. Mr Macaré explained, “We have implemented a number of strategic changes to our association in recent months, for the benefit of our members and potential members. Our upcoming conference and exhibition is a great example of how we are becoming more focused on the end-user element of our industry. Essentially, we’ve expanded attention from our membership to the greater sphere of industries in which UV and EB technology is used or could be used, establishing closer links with relevant associations.

RadTech is dedicated to promoting radiation curing technology, with its members representing a variety of related products and applications.

Mr Macaré continued, “UV/EB technology has many applications such as wood furniture, packaging, parquet flooring, fibre optics, architecture, automotive components, communications and so on. New trends we’re seeing include 3D printing and printed electronics as well as sterilisation.

Another key development we’ve identified is the growth of UV-LED technology, with a growing market share in a number of existing applications as well as new applications opening up owing to its ‘instant on’ and low temperature characteristics.”

This clear understanding of industry trends and the impact they have on its members will be demonstrated at RTE’s upcoming ‘new look’ conference and exhibition. Due to be held at the Clarion Hotel Prague from 13–15 October 2015, the RadTech Europe Conference and Exhibition is the latest of the association’s long-running and well-respected industry events.

Combined exhibition and conference RadTech has made a number of changes to its signature event, with the theme of the 2015 conference and exhibition ‘UV/EB NOW: New place, new format, new applications’. Mr Macaré explained, “Our conference and exhibition have now been integrated into one comprehensive industry under one roof, allowing for better networking than ever before: this new format reflects that a lot has changed since our last event in Industry Europe 167

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2013. One aspect of this is that we have brought the organisation of the conference in-house; it was previously handled by an outside organisation. As such, rather than a stand-alone event it is now an integral part of RTE’s on-going programme.”

The aims of consolidating the conference and exhibition into one event are centred on ‘streamlining’ the experience for its participants. Mr Macaré noted, “We will certainly continue to provide leading technological content but what was originally a three parallel session has been condensed into a two-track set up – albeit with two extra sessions to accommodate the large response to our call for papers.”

Increased involvement The event will also offer a great opportunity for increased end-user and student involvement through the application-focused sessions, as well as the dedicated stage for student presentations. Mr Macaré added, “This is the first time we’ve offered a platform for students at our event.

We’ve got a great exhibition floor session planned specially for them: it’s

so important to bring fresh blood into the industry. It’s imperative that we strike the right balance between the invaluable experience of our established members with the ideas and potential of new people and students joining our industry. I think our combined exhibition and conference is the perfect illustration of this aim and we’re certainly looking forward to it coming to life.”

With RTE offering an on-going programme of events and industry development, the combined conference and exhibition will be immediately followed by a debriefing and communication session to report on key findings and take up leads. Mr Macaré concluded, “It’s been pretty intense leading up to this event and we’re pleased to carry on like this! We’ve already got a seminar event scheduled for 30th September 2016 entitled ‘Safe use of UV and EB for food packaging’, which will be focused on the changing legislation and what new technological possibilities are emerging. Education is one of our main tasks, with regulatory developments of key concern to our members. It’s up to us to present n the latest information in a clear, relevant and engaging manner.”

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EXPLOSIVE FUTURE

Explosia, based in Semtin, Czech Republic, is a major producer of explosives and propellants with a tradition of nearly 100 years in this market. The state-owned company, globally known for its Semtex, is in better shape today than ever before. Romana Moares reports.

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he predecessor of Explosia was established in 1920, in the wake of the newly-born Czechoslovakia’s need to create its own army and defence industry. Until then, production of explosives had been scattered within numerous small businesses over the whole territory of the new state and a decision was made to concentrate the capabilities in a single location.

Since then, the company’s form, scope and ownership have changed considerably – from an independent joint-stock company during the inter-war period, to a production plant within a large stateowned group and finally to its current independent status. Explosia holds an important position in the Czech explosives and propellants sectors and exports a significant amount of its production output abroad, primarily to the EU countries.

“The company, with the original name ‘Czechoslovak Joint-Stock Factory for Explosive Materials’, was established in 1920, so this year we celebrate its 95th anniversary,” says Pavel Bulant, member of the board of directors.

He further explains that the past three years have been particularly successful, following a change of management and a new direction for the company. “We have re-focused the company on export markets, tried hard to cut down costs and analysed customer feedback in the greatest of detail so that our products and services exactly match the market demands. Today’s results demonstrate that this has been the right approach.” The company today employs around 600 people.

The main product group is propellants. The company makes two basic types of powders: single base (nitrocellulose) powders and double base (nitroglycerine) powders with varying nitroglycerine content.

For special applications nitroguanidine based triple base powders are also produced, used mainly for 125mm and 155mm tank ammunition.

Explosives are another major category and they are divided into further subgroupings – explosives for opencast mining, explosives for underground mining, permissible explosives and explosives for special use.

The company also offers a comprehensive range of pyrotechnic components for ejector seats designed for AERO L-39, L-59 and L-159 aircraft, especially URM rocket motors which serve to accelerate the ejector seat on catapulting, ROP rocket motors designed to release the aircraft canopy and other types of pyrotechnic products.

“All our product groups are very important for the company’s further development,” says Mr Bulant. He admits, though, that the largest group, in terms of turnover, is the explosives, with high demand existing particularly in the export markets. “The situation in the world is as it is – more and more ammunition is being produced. Therefore, the propellant group is also growing. As a result of high demand, we will soon increase production capacity for this particular product group.” The company’s plant in Semtin has extensive capacity and there is therefore no lack of space for further expansion here.

Comprehensive portfolio

Explosia sells explosives and propellants to many countries in the European Union as well as the rest of the world. “Our products know no borders: they are being used on all continents. At the moment, demand is growing particularly in the Middle East, Far East, Russia and China,” says Mr Bulant.

In the past, Explosia has focused on providing comprehensive drilling and blasting services, primarily during the surface mining of aggregates. Several years ago these activities were divested into a

Explosia produces a wide range of certified commercial explosives for open pit blasting, explosives designed for underground blasting, special plastic explosives for military use and smokeless powders for both commercial and military use. This is in addition to a number of other products, of which we may mention modular charges for 155mm calibre weapons, 125mm sub-calibre ammunition, pyrotechnic components for ejector seats and plastic explosives.

Strategic role

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100 per cent owned subsidiary, FOSPOL a.s., which is now the largest provider of blasting work in the Czech Republic. After incorporating the Centre of Drilling and Blasting Works, Explosia breaks loose more than 8 million tonnes of mined rock per year – at approximately 30 locations altogether throughout the Czech Republic.

Mr Bulant concludes: “After the last three years, during which we managed to turn the business around, it is now our task to make sure that we continue to develop in the right direction. We want to demonstrate that even a 100 per cent state-owned company can be a successful, unique and dynamic business, contributing significantly to the growth of the Czech economy. In other words, a company of n strategic importance for the Czech Republic.”

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BUILDING A GLOBAL BRAND FOOTPRINT 60mm busbar system

ETI is an international group specialising in products and services for the protection of electrical installations, as well as manufacturing technical ceramic products. Mrs Sabina Pešec, marketing and PR specialist at ETI Elektroelement d.d., talks to Vanja Švačko about what it takes to be a highly recognised manufacturer of fuses, innovative switches and circuit breakers.

Solutions for reactive power compensation

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he ETI Group’s product portfolio falls under four main categories: electrotechnical products, technical ceramic products, tools and equipment and specific plastic products. Its core products are fuses, MCBs, MCCBs and ACBs covering the full range from 0,5A to 6300A. But aside from offering individual product lines and integral solutions for the protection of residential, commercial and industrial installations, great attention is also paid to the protection of photovoltaic systems and renewable energy sources.

Development-oriented strategy ETI’s business strategy is centred on the constant expansion of its product portfolio, be it innovative new products or those that enable electricians and panel builders to finish their job faster. Mrs Pešec explains, “In the past year we have developed a completely new RCBO KZS 2M 2p EDI, which enables the user to see exactly what type of fault caused the tripping (i.e. has there been a short-circuit or overload somewhere in the installation, or was there current leaking somewhere or somebody turned the switch off manually). We have also expanded our range of RCCBs (AC, A, B and B+ type) with instantaneous, short-time-delayed and selective versions – the latter being the most useful in applications where there must not be any power-outs (such as life support machines in hospitals), as its use prevents unwanted tripping.”

In the field of fuses, the company has developed an entirely new line especially for the protection of battery storage systems and UPS systems, with low power dissipation and an extremely fast characteristic in time range of five seconds (in order to prevent over-heating and therefore damage to the battery storage units).

“We have also developed special railway fuses, designed particularly for the special needs of DC links and semiconductor devices (diodes, thyristors and GTO) in railway inverters, with improved resistance to current cyclic loading and a completely new ceramic body which allows for much more efficient cooling of the fuse. In addition to this, we have developed special fuses for the protection

Fuses, especially designed for protection of battery storage systems

Phone: +386 (0) 1 256 23 88 E-mail: info@maticembalaza.si Web: www.maticembalaza.si

Company MATIC embalaza, is a company with long tradition and with personnel working in this sector for more than 20 years. Our goal is to develop, process, and produce various high-quality products of plastics, more specifically by thermoforming. We follow and adapt to our customers’ requirements and we build long-term relations with our business partners.

Beside all that, we strive to be environmentally friendly, as evidenced by our obtained ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates.

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Fuses for protection of railway applications

of surge arresters, fuel cells and capacitors. And last but not least, we have expanded our product range with intelligent power switch controllers and network analysers, reactive power compensation components and 60mm bus bar system components.”

Apart from developing new products and investing in ecological projects, the company has been proactive in optimising and automating production processes and improving its supply chain. “Our sales growth remained above that of the industry average, although we still have to reach the ‘magic’ hundred million,” says Mrs Pešec.

Balancing subsidiary network Over the past 65 years ETI Group has been operating globally through a carefully tailored network of subsidiaries all over Europe.

The year 1997 marked the beginning of a process of internationalisation with the establishment of the first two subsidiaries: ETI Proplast in Slovenia and ETI Polam in Poland. Today the company has 14 daughter companies.

The group was recently joined by a new subsidiary, ETI Prostik, which offers turnkey projects in the field of PV system protection, battery storage protection and reactive power compensation. “Through this company we provide drawings, layout and ready-made distribution panels, distribution cabinets according to

customer demand and solutions for reactive power compensation in industrial environments. And last but not least, we offer solutions for overcurrent and overvoltage motor protection.”

Investment impact As a pioneer in the protection of photovoltaic systems and cocreator of international standards for fuse and switchgear production, ETI invests heavily in innovation. Reflecting on the company’s investment policy, Mrs Pešec adds, “In the past three years ETI has made record investments into our production and R&D – close to 10 per cent of our annual sales revenues each year – and the results are already showing. Besides new products, we have improved our gross added value per employee, deliverability and quality of our products. Yet these are harsh times as we are competing with global players, who increasingly produce in third world countries at a much lower cost, so our work is never finished.”

The value of the company’s own ETI brand is built upon consistent and effective improvements in line with the constantly evolving market demands. According to Mrs Pešec, European users have become more demanding when it comes to additional protection and the need to reduce unwanted power-outs. “Another increasing demand is to provide switches with as many functions as possible, but in the smallest possible dimensions. And of course we must not forget the need for ever more programmable and intelligent devices for control and measurement.”

ETI is continuing to gain importance in eastern Europe (particularly in Poland) and the Balkans where the brand has been well-known for many years. “We are currently expanding to the countries of the former Soviet Union and Asia. We also gained a new partner in India last year, who will be producing and selling our products on the home market.” n Visit: www.etigroup.eu

The new RCBO KZS 2M 2p EDI with exact information on cause of tripping

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Helvar Henkel Her-Bud Hi-Kabelkonfektionierungs GmbH HIPO Systems GmbH Hoelling-DMA HotSwap Deutschland GmbH Huayi Compressor Barcelona

IFF GmbH Ind Carb

Karnataka Automats Pvt 44 Karnataka Turned Components Pvt Ltd 41 Klinger 60 Koller Maschinenbau 60 Kovis d.o.o.

148 KRISAM Automation 40 K+S KALI GmbH 22 KZA Katowice 82 KZA SA 80

L

M

ECO-BAZA Company Stanisław Łukasiewicz 79 Edel Tamp 57 EFG Elektronikfertigung 156 Electro Terminal GmbH & Co. KG 72 ELG Haniel Group 133 Elpar 83 ERSA GmbH 158 Esgard Inc. 165

Magnesia Maini Precision Products MATIC embalaza MEC Energietechnik GmbH Metalfirma Srl Millfield Enterprises (Manufacturing) Limited Mollificio Mantovano MOL Petrochemicals MOVIN SpA

Fabryka Przewodów Energetycznych SA 82 Fabryka Urządzeń Kolejowych 81 Famü Kft 52 Fémszerkezet Építő és Szerelő Kft 69 Fitwel Tools and Forgings PVT LTD 40 Frigomec 126

G Giorgio Novara Srl Gnosjö Automatsvarvning AB Godrej Tooling Graco GTM

140 36 41 33 128

91 45

K

LAFARGE Lampre LGB LG Chem Lindal Group

79 127 44 157 90

64 38 174 160 56 164 114 23 122

N Nabtesco Nash India

98 66 78 96 98 86 80

RAHN RBB Stal Recalcati RPC Bramlage GmbH

168 137 124 92

S Sanmina SAS Beaumont SCAI SpA Schweisstechnik Lambach Sereva SE Tylose GmbH & Co. KG Shipex Sika Sunstar Precision Forge Ltd. Synthesis Chimica

157 52 140 61 123 90 98 78 111 123

T TCI srl Teksae Telzam Sp. z o.o.

ThyssenKrupp Total Lubricants Tubacex Turas Sp. z o.o.

73 114 72 67 52 60 119

V Vaber Industriale Vazzani VERCA VERCO Srl Vezzani

126 Back cover 103 140 141

W 49 44

O Officine Rami Optima Packaging Orcaplast Oryx Green Osterrath OT INDUSTRIES

PASACO Pentstar P.I.R.K. TOR-KRAK Sp. z o.o.

Plastik Poligof SpA Prangl Pražská Strojirna a.s.

R

I

E

F

P 72 52 77 159 158 106 158 126

123 97 107 89 156 68

Wabtec Europe GmbH Wamtechnik Sp. z o.o.

Workpress Aviation Wug Heater Equipment Factory

149 73 29 52

X X-label

92

Industry Europe 177

178 Industry Europe