Jul 26 2008
KRAIBURG TPE opens a new production plant in Selangor, Malaysia. From there the TPE manufacturer with international operations will supply the Asian market with a broad range of standard formulations for a diverse scope of applications (THERMOLAST®) as well as with individual customer-specific solutions.
The new plant has around 50 employees and is designed for an annual capacity of 2,000 tons. Production is carried out in Malaysia under identical conditions as in Waldkraiburg in Bavaria, Germany or in Duluth, Georgia in the US to ensure compliance with worldwide quality standards. By the same token the company internally sets international standards for measuring and testing methods. “We have focused on organic growth, and not acquisitions, right from the beginning. This puts us in a position to set up identical processes and supply our customers with products at the same high level of quality all over the world,” explains CEO Franz Hinterecker. The production sites in Germany and the US already meet the DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 international quality management standard. The necessary measures for corresponding certification have been initiated at the new Malaysian plant.
On the road to success: KRAIBURG TPE grows continuously under its own steam
In the last three years the company increased sales by 25 percent to around 100 million euros. “Through our Asian plant the course has been set for further worldwide growth,” states Franz Hinterecker. Back in 2007 capacity at the US plant was boosted by around 30 percent. Organizationally, too, KRAIBURG TPE has created the basis for further growth: The market is served worldwide by teams specialized in the varying demands of customers in the automotive, consumer goods and medical technology sectors as well as in industry. To ensure that the same conditions prevail at all locations and production meets the same qualitative requirements everywhere, the employees receive support from the corporate headquarters – geared in each case to the different needs. “In this way we achieve continuous know-how transfer that provides everyone with precisely the knowledge that he or she requires,” says Michael Pollmann, Director Sales & Marketing at KRAIBURG TPE. “Our professed goal is to further strengthen experienced teams as in Malaysia and extend their responsibility so that they can act even more independently in the future.”
Topnotch worldwide: products from KRAIBURG TPE
KRAIBURG TPE already sets standards on the Asian market as far as product quality is concerned. In TPE’s production process for consumer applications, such as toothbrushes, toys and food packaging, the company only uses medical instead of technical white oil – although this is not required in Asia, in contrast to Europe and America. Medical white oils meet the highest demands in terms of purity and compatibility, are colorless, odorless, tasteless and safe for all foods. In spite of the elaborate storage methods and higher costs, the internationally standard level of quality has top priority for KRAIBURG TPE. “The decision for medical white oil is a logical consequence of our philosophy,” underlines Franz Hinterecker. “Namely applying the same qualitative yardstick on all continents – with a cost-optimized portfolio, individual solutions and a constant array of new product innovations.” The next one is already ready and waiting: jointly with its development partner LANXESS the company has announced a new generation of thermoplastic elastomers for autumn 2008. They will offer material properties, like resistance to high temperatures and media at the same time, which have only been achieved by high-performance rubber compounds up to now.
For more information on thermoplastics, click here.