Sumitomo (SHI) Demag is celebrating 15 years of German-Japanese partnership this year.
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golden foil balloon number fifteen. Birthday or anniversary card with the inscription 15. gray concrete background. Anniversary celebration. Banner. copy space
This occasion was acknowledged by Gerd Liebig, CEO, during the press conference at the beginning of Fakuma 2023. Over the past one and a half decades, synergies have been developed to enhance efficiency and increase market activities. "The integration of the development, quality, and customer service departments between Japan and Germany has now been successfully implemented," said Liebig.
Another milestone in the 15-year partnership is the significant increase in market share for all-electric machines. "It has more than doubled worldwide," stated the CEO, announcing further growth in this strategic focus in Europe: "With the introduction of the IntElect S and PAC-E, we expect an additional increase in market share in the next two to three years."
Liebig also elaborated on Sumitomo (SHI) Demag's product strategy, which is based on different platforms. For instance, a platform for all-electric injection moulding machines was established, enabling the production of the small IntElect in Germany, Japan, and from 2024 in China. The second platform concerns hydraulic injection moulding machines with high closing force classes. The Systec platform for machines with a clamping force between 800 t and 1500 t in Germany and China, is set to launch later this month.
During the press conference, Liebig also addressed the current challenging economic situation characterised by high inflation, high interest rates, and particularly in Germany compared to other European countries, very high energy prices.
"The demand for injection moulding machines in Europe is affected by the embargo on Russia, making exports from the EU to Russia impossible since September 2023," he explained. There is hope in the packaging industry: "Another defining factor will be the sharply rising demand for pharmaceutical packaging and closure caps, which will significantly boost the high-performance applications segment. Furthermore, the general demand for all-electric machines, which has seen significant growth in the packaging sector, will now also play an increasingly significant role in the consumer and automotive segments," predicted Liebig.
The current market situation is characterised by a very weak consumer sector. "Additionally, demand in the electronics industry has also dropped significantly due to its dependency on the automotive and construction industries," the CEO explained. Sumitomo (SHI) Demag expects a consistently high revenue level in the medical technology sector and significantly increased investments in the packaging industry. "Our market share for all-electric machines has more than doubled in the last ten years and is currently close to 30 percent for Europe."
Based on a market study conducted by Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, international customers' decision criteria were surveyed and recorded. Unchanged, the importance of machine parameters and the competence, speed, and availability of customer service are at the forefront. In recent years, the weighting of decision criteria has seen a significant increase in "Total Cost of Ownership" and "Energy Consumption," according to Liebig.
Efforts towards greater sustainability, summarised by Sumitomo (SHI) Demag under the slogan "Act! Sustainably," are being further strengthened and, according to Liebig, are showing results: In October 2023, after winning a bronze medal the previous year, the company was awarded the EcoVadis Silver Medal for sustainable business practices. The renowned platform software assesses the sustainability of companies, scrutinising the entire supply chain. Simultaneously, the sustainability report was published, presenting the corresponding strategy and the diverse activities of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag in terms of ecological footprint and resource conservation.