Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery (SDUK) - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, is making a number of investments to further advance its sales activities in the UK and Ireland.
This includes growing the SDUK management team with the appointment of David Raine to the Board of Directors. Assuming overall responsibility for sales, Raine, who has worked within the British and Irish plastics industry for 28 years, among others for Sumitomo (SHI) Demag and then a Japanese machine manufacturer, returns to the company on December 1, 2022.
By the end of 2023, David Raine will assume overall responsibility for Sumitomo (SHI) Demag in the UK and Ireland, succeeding Nigel Flowers. After 20 years leading SDUK, Flowers will move into new roles within the Group before retiring. Under Flower’s leadership, SDUK has maintained its position as one of the Group’s best-positioned subsidiaries. "We would like to thank Nigel Flowers for his 20 years of commitment, loyalty and successful leadership," says Group CEO Gerd Liebig.
"The services and training delivered by SDUK are among the most widely used on the market. Based on strong technical expertise and advice, we now want to expand our automation offering and specifically strengthen our organisation’s presence in the Irish market," explains Liebig. “Additionally, we are keen to continue increasing and sharing our industry-led expertise in both markets. Given the current high energy prices, this includes showcasing our world leadership in all-electric injection moulding machinery. As an experienced and recognised expert in the plastics industry, David Raine is the ideal candidate with a strong and stable outlook for growth."
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has been present in the UK since 1974. Now regarded as one of the leading importers of injection moulding machines, the SDUK subsidiary holds an approximate 15% market share and specialises in supplying complete turnkey solutions. Currently servicing more than 1,800 injection moulding machines in the UK and Ireland, around 400 customers depend on the SDUK team to deliver quality guidance, service support and technical expertise.