Engel also announced a major drive into the packaging market

Engel also announced a major drive into the packaging market

Engel is planning to build a plant in China to manufacture its larger machine range, the company announced yesterday. According to Peter Neumann, chairman of the privately-owned Austrian company, the company is already in negotiations over a site.

The go-ahead reflects strong Chinese demand for machines, notably from the automotive sector and the success of Engel’s factory in Korea, now operating close to its 550 machine annual capacity. Now that Korea is posting positive results, the group has the confidence to move to a Chinese investment, Neumann said.

The Chinese market accounts for around 35,000 injection moulding machines a year. News of the plan, for which the company has yet to provide details, came at a K fair preview event at Engel on Wednesday. In addition to showing the remarkable transformation of its Schwertberg site following 2002’s disastrous flooding, Engel also announced a major drive into the packaging market with its Macpac range.