German/Japanese injection moulding machine manufacturer Sumitomo Demag (SHID) reports a very encouraging response to its offering at K 2010. Six machines were demonstrated at the company’s own stand, and a further three with partner companies.Christian Renners, the company’s general manager for sales and after-sales, said: "More than 40% of the orders we received at the show were for all-electric machines, demonstrating a clear trend.
"Even though we expect that European customers would still buy fewer electric machines as opposed to hydraulic or hybrid machines as compared with American or Asian customers, we are confident in the all-electric trend.
"More than 40% the visitors to our stand were not as yet SHID customers. This is very unusual for an international trade show."
Renners noted as much interest in SHID’s new IntElect Smart electric machines and in the hybrid high-speed El-Exis SP series as in the long-established Systec hydraulic all-purpose machines, including models with clamping forces greater than 1020 tonnes.
SHID’s process engineering innovations also attracted interest, notes Renners. Here, the focus was on systems such as activeLock (a patented lockable non-return valve), designed to significantly enhance the precision and repeatability of positioning when manufacturing engineering components.
Renners also reports a rise in demand for systems to address energy efficiency, particularly for retrofitting.
With new orders more than doubling compared with 2009, SHID’s CEO Dr Tetsuya Okamura feels vindicated as regards SHID’s current strategy: "After the signals received at the K Show, we look ahead very confidently. We are well prepared and all set up for the [trading] years 2011 and 2012."
