Managing Director Sales, Gerhard Böhm inaugurated the Arburg Technology Center (ATC) in Marinha Grande, Portugal on 15 May 2019. With this facility, Arburg now provides its Portuguese customers with sufficient space for the latest machine technology. The ATC also functions as a point of contact for machine presentation and training courses. Around 100 guests, among them the District Administrator of the Marinha Grande region, Cidália Ferreira, were delighted by the opportunity to tour the new premises and to inform themselves about the subjects of Industry 4.0 and ''smart'' plastics processing during an open house event.
''The new Arburg Technology Center in Portugal is a key milestone for our presence on the Iberian Peninsula,'' emphasised Managing Director Sales Gerhard Böhm in his welcome speech in the name of the Arburg parent company. He thanked the customers for the successful cooperation and congratulated Martín Cayre, Managing Director of Arburg S.A., and his team on the successful development of the company and the new location in Marinha Grande. Martín Cayre added: '' We are very proud on the fact that Arburg is the sole manufacturer of injection moulding machines with its own subsidiary in Portugal. For this we have selected the location right in the middle of Portugal because this is the centre for the mould manufacturers. And we are very pleased to be moving into the new building together with our partner Gura.''
Open house in the new ATC
During the opening event with an open house on 15 May, the customers were able to get an impression of the extensive possibilities to be offered by Arburg in the future at the new location with regard to high-end machine technology, pre- and after-sales service as well as expert knowledge. Arburg provided an outlook on the topic of digitalisation. During the presentation on augmented reality (AR) the guests gained insights about the opportunities AR technology can offer for service. Two Allrounder exhibits of the proven hydraulic Golden Edition series were automated and equipped with four digital assistance packages each to demonstrate moulded part production with ''smart machines''. Moreover, Arburg presented a Freeformer 200-3X for the industrial additive manufacturing of functional parts.
Showroom for up to five high-end machines
The heart of the ATC Portugal is an approximately 340-square-metre showroom with space for up to four Allrounders and a Freeformer for additive manufacturing. The showroom is not only a presentation forum for Arburg's current machine technology but also the central point of contact for consulting as well as training courses.
Successful presence on the Iberian Peninsula
Arburg is one of the market leaders in Spain and Portugal. Activities began back in 1960 with the delivery of the first machines to Portugal and the cooperation with the trading partner ''Sociedade Comercial Romar Lda.''. In 1997, the Spanish Arburg S.A. took over the support for customers in Portugal. In addition to the headquarters in Arganda del Rey/Madrid, the Spanish subsidiary is represented by a second location in Montcada i Reixac (Barcelona). The new ATC in Marinha Grande is now the next milestone. The Arburg team in Portugal consists of a salesperson and three experienced service technicians. Furthermore, the experts of the Spanish Arburg team are ready to serve the customers, for example with application technology consulting and turnkey solutions.
