Page 40 - Plastics News Issue March 2024

COMPANY NEWS

Krones expands Injection moulding portfolio with €170 million
acquisition of NETSTAL

echanical engineering special- NETSTAL customer that manufac- long-term plan to realign KraussMaf-
Mist Krones AG has finalised the tures machines for filling and pack- fei strategically, organisationally and
acquisition of NETSTAL Maschinen aging beverages and liquid foods. on the global market. In future, we
AG, Swiss-based provider of injection Additionally, Krones is also acquiring want to concentrate fully on our core
moulding solutions, from KraussMaf- Netstal Deutschland GmbH, a sales business and new growth markets,
fei for €170 million. and service subsidiary based in Stutt- strengthen the KraussMaffei core
gart, along with eleven other sales and brand and focus the Group according-
The purchase deal was first announced service units across US, South Ameri- ly. At the same time, the sale of NET-
on 29 January 2024 and signed on ca, Europe and Asia. STAL gives us the leeway to make
February 6, strengthening Krones' further investments, for example in
position in the beverage, medical, and Although NETSTAL's current revenue digitisation and the development of
thin-wall packaging markets. sits below Krones' group level at just new machines."
over €200m in the 2023 fiscal year,
As part of the agreement, around 530 the company projects to close this gap “This transaction is a milestone in the
NETSTAL employees will join Krones in the coming years. Notably, NET- long history of Netstal. Krones opens
from KraussMaffei, ensuring both con- STAL contributed nearly 20% to the up strategic perspectives that were
tinuity and valuable expertise. All ex- KraussMaffei Group's 2023 total sales. previously not possible. The poten-
isting NETSTAL jobs will be retained. tial for more customer benefits and
NETSTAL will operate as a separate, Krones sees significant potential in in- growth in the beverage sector is obvi-
independent entity within the Krones tegrating NETSTAL's technology and ous. The opportunities in the medical
Group, led by CEO Renzo Davatz. market reach, allowing them to offer and thin-wall packaging applications
more specific solutions to customers
Headquartered in Näfels, Switzer- across the entire beverage and liquid are equally exciting. It is a pleasure for
land, NETSTAL provides injection food value chain. me to continue the strategic direction
moulding machines in the beverage we have taken together with Krones
(PET preforms and caps), medical, Opportunities for Growth to an even greater extent," added
and thin-wall packaging markets. Renzo Davatz, CEO Netstal.
KraussMaffei CEO Chi Zhang said:
Krones AG has been a long-standing "The sale of NETSTAL is part of our

Haitian UK Launches 5th Generation Of Injection Moulding Machinery

his new series of machines from processes and giving its machines the and closing as standard. Self-
THaitian and Zhafir, combines nu- ability to self-recognise, self-adapt, learning algorithm for precise
merous high quality software and self-decide, and self-reconstruct. mould movements.
hardware innovations, paving the Smart features are included as stand- • HT Lubricate: Intelligent lubrica-
way for an age of intelligent, con- ard options, with no additional charg- tion as standard. Multi-data algo-
nected manufacturing. The inclusion es or subscriptions. rithm for intelligent lubrication
of electric charging, on all machines, • HT Inject: Enables improved control and intelligent setting of
as standard, raises the bar still higher. product weight variance lubrication parameters.
Smart Machine Technology • HT Energy: Intelligent Energy • HT Analysis: Intelligent diagnos-
Generation 5 intelligence, marks a Management. Display and man- tics and support. 2D code alarm
new level of excellence. Using AI al- agement refinement of energy and online help.
gorithms and the latest sensor tech- consumption. Establishment of The Generation 5 range is also
nology, the company is achieving in- an energy-saving ecosystem. equipped with a wide range of flex-
telligent optimisation of production ible integration functions as standard.
• HT Clamp: Intelligent opening

42 PLASTICS NEWS March 2024