Plastics processing equipment manufacturer Wittmann Group this year in K.
The company has been able to acquire additional tools and various locations for its automation exhibits, which are now on display at the technology booth (F23) in hall 12, at the Wittmann Battenfeld booth (C06) in hall 15, at the VDMA Circular Economy Forum. Not to mention two machines exhibited at the booth of co-exhibitors.
Wittmann exhibited seven production cells in Hall 15, two more at the VDMA Circular Economy Forum and more than 60 exhibits at the expanded Technology Booth in Hall 12, including five robots.
Michael Wittmann, president of the Wittmann Group, said at a press conference before the show that the company has also clearly aligned the focus of its exhibits with the show’s themes of sustainability, the circular economy and digitalisation.
“For us, these three topics are very important, and many developments over the past few years have gone in this direction,” said Wittmann.
“Firstly, visitors and exhibitors from certain parts of the world were unable to attend, which meant far fewer visitors from Asia. In fact, I anticipated in advance that overall attendance would drop by about 30%, so the final numbers are How Much is Left to See,” Wittmann said.
“However, K continues to be an excellent venue for meetings and discussions with key clients, and we are pleased to present our exhibits here.”
While the main geopolitical unrest in Europe in 2019 was related to the protracted Brexit process and the resulting uncertainty, the war in Ukraine in 2022 and the subsequent rise in material and energy prices hurt order volumes. In fiscal year 2021, the group generated sales of 376 million euros, the third-highest figure in the company’s history, with bookings also reaching a record high.
“This year, during July and August, we have seen a very good, really stable order entry that starts to slow down in September and continues until October,” Wittmann said.
He expects 2022 sales to be between 360 million and 380 million euros, but this is directly dependent on the availability of materials and parts – “the most pressing issue we face.”
However, he added that the current order book is very large, meaning that the impact of the economic downturn will not be felt until around mid-2023.
“There is so much uncertainty that we cannot give you any forecast for next year, some countries are talking about recession and stagflation. New Year Huge backlog – it will be a huge success, but probably a little less.”
It was also the first time the group had exhibited under the Wittmann name, without the Battenfeld brand – a conscious choice to present the group as a single company and one-stop-shop. The work on changing the name was carried out gradually throughout the group from January 1 and is now completed. The change only concerns branding: the Battenfeld name continues to appear in the names of companies that use it. Previously, the Wittmann name was used for ancillary and robotic products, and the Wittmann Battenfeld name was used for injection molding machines and injection molding processes.
According to Wittmann, the new brand strategy highlights the importance of injection molding machines for the future development of the company.
Since last year, the Wittmann Group has launched several new construction projects aimed at expanding existing facilities and adding new ones. In Kottingbrunn, the construction of a new hall has increased the floor space by more than 3,000 square metres. It includes a fully automated pallet rack warehouse with 1,700 storage spaces, an assembly area for large vertical machines and a new electrical workshop. A solar energy system of 1,604 panels has been installed on the roof with a total capacity of 651.8 MWh per year.
The R&D center of the Wittmann Technology Group in Vienna has been expanded and investments have been made in technology laboratories in Meinerzhagen and Nuremberg, Germany.
In the US, Plant 1 in Torrington, Connecticut is undergoing a major investment project that will add 1,000 square meters for automation systems and a complete injection molding plant. There are also plans for a solar energy system consisting of 539 panels with a total annual electricity generation capacity of 322.9 MWh, as well as further expansion of the nearby power plant 2.
The group is also building a new plant in Poland close to the existing site, a new robotics plant in Mosonmagyarovar, Hungary, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2022, and is opening a new plant in Törökbalint, also in Hungary, for sales. , maintenance and training.
The impressive range of exhibits displayed by Wittmann at the show included a new range of granulators, a new virtual plant control concept based on Microsoft Hololens called Holoverse, and a thin-wall injection molding process that can produce extremely thin, precisely reproducible wall thicknesses and accurately reproduces the surface structure that the company demonstrated in its coffee cup.
The real innovation is the development of technology that allows the machines to run on solar energy, and the company is introducing the new EcoPower DC 180/750+ all-electric moulder at K 2022. The machine is equipped with a Wittmann WX 142 robot that receives its DC power directly from the forming machine’s intermediate DC circuit.
Developed in collaboration with Wago, it allows continuous current generated by solar cells to be used directly to power an injection molding line without first passing through inverters, transformers and high-voltage power lines to eliminate losses. Not only can this concept reduce energy costs by using solar energy directly, Wittmann says, but DC can be easily stored in conventional batteries, providing a great way to deal with current surges.
Another advantage is the inherent synergy between energy storage devices, energy consumers and energy generators, allowing connection to the DC grid for a certain period of time even during a complete blackout. For example, it ensures that production can be maintained even with an unstable power supply, prevents unplanned production shutdowns, and reduces energy wastage due to inevitable energy conversion and transmission.
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Post time: May-04-2023