Plastics News - Show Daily - October 22, 2022 - 30

30 * Plastics News, October 22, 2022
SHOW DAILY
Wittmann
Continued from Page 6
fi gure in
its corporate history,
while the order intake fi gure also
reached an all-time high.
" This year, we saw a very good
and really a consistent order
entry until July, August, which
started to slow in September and
continued to do so into October, "
Wittmann said.
He expected sales in 2022 of
between €360 million and €380
million, but this was directly dependent
on material and parts
availability - " the most pressing
issue we are facing. "
However, the current very
high number of orders in backlog
means that any impact of a slowdown
will not be felt until around
mid-2023, he added.
" There are so many uncertainties
that we are not able to give
you any kind of forecast for next
year, what with all the talk of recession
and stagfl ation in some countries.
I would say that, if we reach
the level of this year - because
of the huge backlog that we will
be carrying into the new year - it
would be a big success; but most
likely it will be a little bit less. "
New brand strategy
It is also the fi rst K at which the
group is exhibiting under the Wittmann
name alone, without the
Battenfeld brand - a deliberate
Weingraber
Continued from Page 6
measurements. It's where our
focus is. When we acquired the
Battenfeld brand more than 10
years ago, we started by renewing
and updating the technology
of the machines. We looked
at three specific points: energy
efficiency, a small physical footprint
and service availability.
These were, for us, the three
important aspects to be addressed.
We invested in new
choice aimed at presenting the
group as a single company and a
one-stop shop. The name change
has been gradually implemented
across the group since Jan. 1, and
it is now complete. The change
is one of branding only: the Battenfeld
name continues to fi gure
in the company names where it
is used. Previously, the Wittmann
name was used for auxiliary and
robotics products, while Wittmann
Battenfeld applied to injection
molding machines and injection
molding processes.
The new branding strategy
highlights the signifi cance of the
injection molding machine for the
future development of the company,
Wittmann said.
The strategy is reinforced by
the company's tagline at the
show: " It's all Wittmann. "
" I think the message towards
the customer is quite clear, " said
Michael Wittmann.
Continued investment
Since last year, the Wittmann
Group has embarked on several
new construction projects, both
with the aim of expanding existing
facilities as well as adding
new ones. In Kottingbrunn, the
construction of a new hall added
more than 3,000 square meters of
fl oor space. It houses a fully automatic
pallet shelf warehouse with
1,700 storage locations, an assembly
area for large and vertical machines,
as well as a new electrical
components and technology to
improve the machine's energy
efficiency, which for us may
have been expensive, but that
saved money for our customers.
Just a few weeks ago, we measured
the efficiency of one of
our new machines against an
old Battenfeld for a customer,
and the new one was 70 percent
more efficient. In fact, we tell
our customers that if, after they
buy a machine, they discover
it is less energy efficient than a
different brand, they can simply
return the machine.
There are so many uncertainties that
we are not able to give you any kind
of forecast for next year, what with all the
talk of recession and stagfl ation in some
countries. I would say that, if we reach the
level of this year - because of the huge
backlog that we will be carrying into the
new year - it would be it would be a big
success; but most likely it will be a little
bit less. "
Michael Wittmann
Wittmann Battenfeld
workshop. A 1,604-panel solar
power system is being installed
on the roof, with a total capacity
of 651.8 MWh per annum.
Wittmann Technology, the
group's research and development
facility in Vienna, was extended,
while investments were also made
in the technical labs at Meinerzhagen
and Nuremberg, Germany.
In the U.S., a major investment
project is underway at Plant 1 in
Torrington, Conn., which will see
the addition of 1,000 square meters
for automation systems and
complete injection molding cells.
A solar power system consisting
of 539 panels and a total annual
capacity of 322.9 MWh is also
planned, as are further expansions
at the neighboring Plant 2.
The group is also building an entirely
new facility in Poland, close to
Q: How do you view the progress
made toward a more circular
economy since K 2019?
Weingraber: The industry
is taking circular economy seriously
and understands it is
necessary. We see progress in
all sectors, but there is still a
way to go for governments and
companies. Also, it depends on
where you are in the world.
As machine builders, our role
is to support the circular economy
within the injection molding
process. And we do this in
different ways.
its existing site; a new robot plant
at Mosonmagyaróvár in Hungary,
which is scheduled for completed
by the end of 2022; and a new plant
in Törökbálint, also in Hungary, for
sales, service and training.
Highlights
The array of exhibits brought
extensive,
ranging
by Wittmann to the show is impressively
from
a new granulator series; a
new virtual device operation concept
dubbed Holoverse based
on Microsoft's Hololens; and a
thin-wall
injection compression
molding process that allows for
the production of extremely thin,
precisely reproducible wall thicknesses
and the accurate reproduction
of surface structures that
the company is demonstrating
For example, our Ingrinder machine,
as the name suggests, has
an integrated grinder for sprues,
ensuring that the sprues are automatically
caught, ground up
and fed back into the injection
molding process. Our machines
are also all capable of easily processing
recycled material - it is
not an issue at all. We have software
modules to handle the variation
in quality of the material
that keeps the process running
within the required parameters
- basically, an additional help,
support for the operator.
with a coffee cup application.
Truly innovative is the development
of technology allowing the
machine to run on solar power,
which the company is showing at
K 2022 on a new, all-electric EcoPower
DC 180/750+ molding machine.
The machine is equipped
with a Wittmann WX 142 robot,
which draws DC power directly
from the molding machine's intermediate
DC circuit.
Developed
in collaboration
with Wago, it allows the continuous
current generated by solar
cells to be used directly for
driving injection molding lines,
without loss by fi rst passing
through inverters, transformers
and high-voltage power lines. The
concept not only enables energy
costs to be kept down by direct
use of solar electricity, but direct
current is also easy to store in
conventional batteries, said Wittmann,
thus providing an excellent
way to handle current peaks.
Another advantage is that the
inherent synergies between energy
storage device, energy consumer
and energy generator, even
complete power failures, can be
bridged within a DC grid for a
certain length of time. This would
ensure, for example, that production
could be maintained even at
locations with an unstable power
supply, preventing unplanned
production standstills and reducing
energy losses caused by otherwise
unavoidable power conversions
and transfers.
Q: What about the other two
themes here at K: digitalization
and climate change?
Weingraber: We drive digitalization
through the products
like Wittmann 4.0, Temi+ MES
System or Imago energy monitoring
system. And a lot more
is made by our group member
Wittmann Digital.
Climate change is supported
by our energy-efficient machines
and equipment. Here, we
provide solutions that reduce
the emissions of our customers
significantly.
Stepping up the game
in stretch film production:
PowerCastXL with a brand
new triple turret winder
DAILY LIVE DEMONSTRATION
runs at 11.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m.
Extrusion lines -
engineered to perform
Hall 17
Booth C42 & C39
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Plastics News - Show Daily - October 22, 2022

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