Kautex K-News August/2007 (PDF, 2.0 MB

-NEWS KAUTEX
From left to right: Dr.Olaf Weiland, Frank Röhrlein, Thilo Schmidt, Andras Schulz, Andreas Lichtenauer
Even more Kautex!
The management at Kautex is
working together with a new
investor to safeguard growth and
enhance the company’s customer
orientation still further.
On March 16, 2007, the foundation was
laid for the next stage in the successful
history of Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH.
This was the day on which five members
of the management team joined with
Steadfast Capital GmbH to acquire a 100
percent stake in Kautex. The objective
now is to continue on the successful
course originally set by the previous
Steadfast Capital GmbH
Frankfurt-based Steadfast Capital is
an equity investment company which
is specifically focused on SMEs in
Germany and adjacent regions.
Steadfast Capital invests exclusively
in unlisted companies, for example
with a view to financing further
growth. A creative equity participation
solution is developed for each
company individually. However one
thing these solutions all share in
common is the participation of the
management.
owner Adcuram and consistently develop
Kautex’s position as the growth-oriented
world market leader. As a result, customers
of Kautex can from now on expect
even more creative ideas, outstanding
products and innovative services.
On course for even greater success
“We have achieved the targets set by
Adcuram AG when it acquired Kautex
three years ago even faster than expected,”
declared Kautex Chairman Dr. Olaf
Weiland. “Among other objectives we
have recorded above-average growth,
developed new markets and extended
our service activities. Working together
with a new investor is now the next logical
step to continue the pace at which
our business is expanding.“ The Kautex
management team’s decision in favor of
Steadfast Capital is in large part due to
the strategic vision shared by this investment
company and its team-oriented,
SME-friendly attitude. Clemens Busch,
Managing Partner at Steadfast Capital,
emphasized: “Specifically in the packaging
machinery segment, we see huge potential
for growth which is best realized
by an independent and entrepreneurial
management.“
Newsletter –
compact & competent
August 2007 Issue
Latest
update:
New
Kautex
website
www.kautex-group.com
Focus on the customer
The company’s sustained effort in pursuing
its corporate objectives is assured not
least by the fact that the successful team
that have lead Kautex in recent years are
now also committed shareholders. Besides
Dr. Olaf Weiland, the team includes
Managing Director, Sales and Marketing,
Andreas Lichtenauer, Thilo Schmidt
(Service), Frank Röhrlein (Finance) and
Andreas Schulz (Purchasing & Logistics).
Kautex has also consolidated strategically
important aspects of the business with
the result that customers can in future
look forward to continuing enhancements
in both product and service
quality: “We owe our successes in recent
years not least to the confidence and appreciation
displayed by our customers,”
continued Dr. Olaf Weiland. “And so as
we continue to grow, we intend not just
to satisfy our customers‘ expectations but
to consistently exceed them.“
Describing the aspiration against which
Kautex in future intends to be judged
by its customers, Dr. Weiland concluded:
“Set us a challenge and expect even
more: more performance, more success,
more Kautex!“

EDITORIAL
-NEWS
Dear Friends and Business
Partners,
Some time has passed since the last Kautex
Newsletter. Not that we had nothing
to report - quite the contrary in fact.
There is movement in the markets, positive
momentum in many industries is
awakening a willingness to invest, and
demand is increasing accordingly. In
brief, the economic barometer has
swung towards growth and Kautex is
growing powerfully.
This is an exceptionally welcome development
which few would have anticipated
three years ago. But one thing is
clearly evident: The pace of economic
life has changed. And the speed with
which both markets and economic conditions
are able to change is matched
equally by changing customer requirements
and by emerging innovations and
product cycles. Speed and flexibility
have become essential in determining
success. Over the past three years we
have shown that Kautex cannot only
keep up regardless of the pace: in many
areas it is Kautex that sets the pace.
The change in the ownership of Kautex
has also been faster than anticipated.
The development in our business has
been so positive that Adcuram AG has
already achieved its declared objective
of setting Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH
back on course for continued growth.
The new shareholders who comprise the
management and a new financial investor
will pursue this course and increase
both the speed and flexibility of performance
here at Kautex.
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Just how flexibly we can even now
respond to customer requests is evident
from our report on Russian automotive
supplier DSK’s decision to
switch from steel to plastic tanks. We
have also accelerated the speed of
our development processes. Our new
Technikum manager Markus Holbach
introduces himself in this issue and
presents some of the Center’s current
projects.
But despite the pace of economic life,
let us not overlook the need for time:
Time to gather information and assimilate
valuable ideas – time, for
example, to read our Newsletter.
Yours sincerely
Andreas Lichtenauer,
Managing Director
Newsticker:
Machinery sales in 2007
Remember the saying? Nothing
succeeds like success.
Which is a good reason not to
keep our current sales successes to
ourselves. After all, satisfied
Kautex customers are still the best
recommendation.
2 CoEx Fuel Tank Machines KBS 241 and a
3D Machine KBS 61
for the production of CoEx plastic fuel
tanks and for low-waste production of
curved fuel filling pipes
Client: Yangzhou Automotive Plastic
Parts Co., Ltd. (YAPP)
Industry: Automotive supplier
Country: PR China
CoEx Double Station Extrusion Blow
Molding Machine KBS 120 D
for the production of six-layer automotive
fuel-tanks
Client: Avrand
Industry: Automotive supplier
Country: Iran
CoEx Fuel Tank Extrusion Blow Molding
Machine KBS 61 Smart
for the production of six-layer motorbike
fuel-tanks and ATV
Client: Suzuki Motor Corporation
Industry: Motorbike and automotive
manufacturer
Country: Japan
KEB 20 Extrusion Blow Molding Machine
for the production of 20-ltr. packaging
containers
Client: Con Plax NEW PAC S.p.A.
Industry: Packaging industry
Country: Italy
KEB 10 and KCC 10 Extrusion Blow
Molding Machines
for the production of 10-ltr. and 5-ltr. cans
Client: PLASTIVALLE s.r.l.
Industry: Packaging industry
Country: Italy
KPC Extrusion Blow Molding Machine
for the production of polycarbonate
water bottles
Client: Plasticos Iris Agua S.A. de C.V.
Industry: Packaging industry
Country: Mexico
CoEx Double Station Fuel Tank Extrusion
Blow Molding Machine KBS 120 D
for the production of six-layer automotive
fuel-tanks
Client: ER.SI POLAND S.A.
Industry: Automotive supplier
Country: Poland
The Russian automotive supplier
DSK has changed over to the
production of plastic fuel-tanks.
Kautex Maschinenbau was
involved in the process right from
the outset, i.e. the development
of the actual fuel system to the
installation of the final turn-key
production plant.
Plastic fuel systems offer many advantages
over steel tanks: They offer low-cost
production, are corrosion resistant and
account for considerable fuel savings due
to their lower weight. The large Russian
automotive supplier Detalstroikonstructsia
Ltd. (DSK) recognized this trend and
changed over to the future orientated
plastics technology with the backing of
Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH as a highly
competent partner in this area. Last April
Kautex not only installed a complete
turn-key plant, but also developed in
close cooperation with the client a plastic
fuel system for the Lada Kalina car
consisting of a six-layer Coex tank with a
special filling pipe.
Oleg Timonin, DSK Project Manager, is satisfied with
the result of the development work.
Lada plastic fuel-tanks
Complex development work
“The design of the first tank model
made of polyethylene proved to be
our first challenge because we
only had a specimen of the
steel tank used to
date,“ said Volker
Heim, Project
Manager at Kautex.
“At the same time we
wanted to make maximum
use of the benefits of plastics technology
by optimal utilization of the
available installation space within the
car’s body. Moreover, the client’s
requirements had to be taken into
account to ensure the continued use of
existing components such as the fuel
pump, activated carbon filter and gas
pump.” For instance Kautex developed a
special bayonet ring to mount the fuel
pump inside the tank. This bayonet ring
is placed in the tool during blow
molding. Furthermore, Kautex integrated
a special ventilating and venting
system to make the steel compensation
tank superfluous.
All tests successfully passed
In the post-development period Kautex
supported the client during the mandatory
process of fuel system certification
in conformity with ECE 34 and EU
Directives 70/221/EEC. Additional tests
were carried out at the request of the
client. Volker Heim continued: “For
instance, by meeting the drop test and
crash test specification, the tank had to
provide proof of its high measure of
crash safety.” Furthermore, exhaustive
studies as well as bursting pressure tests,
fire and rollover tests were conducted to
establish complete mechanical and
thermal stability.
The complete plastic fuel storage system
for the Lada Kalina including 6-layer
CoEx tank and special filling pipe.
From the machine right up to the
material cycle
The installation developed by Kautex
specifically for DSK is a fully automated
production and finishing line. The central
unit is formed by the KBS 120/100 D
double-station blow molding machine
with a closing pressure of 100 tons and a
six-layer parison head for a throughput
rate of 700 kg per hour. The delivery
also included the entire material
handling with silos, dryers, granulators,
conveyors, a complete compressed air
and cooling water supply system and an
underwater after-cooling station, a
finishing section and an assembly line.
The entire installation was supplemented
by Kautex with a fully equipped
laboratory and extensive training for
DSK machine operators, process technicians
and designers.
Oleg Timonin, Project Manager at DSK,
expressed his complete satisfaction and
praised the high standard of quality of
the products, but also the outstanding
cooperative relations with the Kautex staff.

4
-NEWS
Ask the experts in the industry and they
will tell you: the Open House events at
Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH are a must.
The reopening of our newly modernized
Technikum last September presented
another ideal opportunity. Some 250
visitors from 25 countries congregated
at our Bonn-Holzlar plant to discuss
technical matters and current industry
trends in convivial atmosphere. With a
total of 15 demonstration machines on
hand, our guests were able to familiarize
themselves with some outstanding
developments and innovations made by
Kautex. And to complete the program,
there were also a variety of technical
presentations and workshops to attend.
Kautex General Manager Dr. Olaf Weiland was on
hand to give a brief introduction to the program.
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Open House becomes a
regular feature
The team was quite satisfied with the Open House 2006 event (l to r): Andreas Lichtenauer, Markus Holbach and
Dr. Olaf Weiland
The presentation by Oleg Timonin of DSK (right) and Dimitri Trunin (Kautex Russia)
centered on the Russian automotive supplier’s successful introduction of the CoEx
fuel tank system.
Massimiliano Sabaini of the Italian company
ItiB S.pA. gave a report at the “Industrial Blow
Molding“ workshop about the benefits of
Kautex machines for the production of
3D components for the automotive industry.
Shall we dance? – Marlène Fontaine
of Kautex Marketing steps out with
Production Manager Ernst Meis.
Outstanding singer Sir Jesse set the tone for
a relaxed evening’s entertainment.
Already a fan of Kautex KCC machines: Patrick
Lee of the Sino-Asia Plastic Package Co. had
some useful insights into the packaging market
in China to report.
What a crowd! Some 250 visitors attended the various technical presentations and
workshops with eager enthusiasm.
Talking shop in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere: Kautex General Manager Andreas
Lichtenauer with Giorgio Giordano and son Gianluca of the Elmeg company.

Markus Holbach has headed the
Technikum at Kautex Maschinenbau
GmbH since October 2006.
He has had close links with the
blow molding industry over many
years as a researcher and project
developer.
Markus Holbach
Google the name Markus Holbach and
you’ll come up with 87 hits, the vast
majority of which lead to none other
than the new manager of Kautex
Maschinenbau GmbH’s new Technikum.
After all, this graduate engineer and
father of three children has made a
name for himself that reaches beyond
the blow molding industry. He likes to
spend his spare time sailing catamarans,
and his regatta wins have not gone
unnoticed either among his fellow
sailors or on the Internet.
Well researched expertise
Many of his publications date from his
years of employment with the Reinold
Hagen Foundation. Coincidentally, the
individual that lent his name to this
prestigious research institute was also
the founder of Kautex. Markus Holbach
held various positions at the Foundation
in Bonn, including head of the Research
and Development Department, and over
the years he authored numerous
presentations and scientific papers.
“Even though my degree was not in
plastics, through my scientific work and
after heading up a variety technical
conferences, I know my way around the
industry,” says Holbach.
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-NEWS
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Making the best even better
Ever since early childhood, Markus
Holbach felt an urge to research – to get
to the bottom of things. After first
training as a power systems electrician he
decided to study electrical engineering.
But even that was not enough to satisfy
his thirst for knowledge. After successfully
taking his degree, in 1995 he moved
on from university straight to the Hagen
Foundation where he worked on
numerous development projects for the
blow molding industry. The development
of prototypes and the design and
simulation of blow molding machines
were among his specialties, and so the
move to Kautex was a logical next step.
The challenge of progress
“Here at Kautex as manager of the
Technikum,” says Holbach, “I can make
full use of the experience I have gained
in eleven years of scientific work and
With due ceremony, new Technikum
Manager Markus Holbach (right)
accepts the keys to his future
domain from Production Manager
Ernst Meis.
help the company on its way towards
further growth.” His motto is that
“there’s nothing that can’t be made
better”. But he adds with a smile: “On
the other hand, making Kautex machines
even better is a major – and very exciting
– challenge, but it is one that I am
delighted to take up.”
No time for boredom
Just at the moment, Markus Holbach and
his wife have a challenge of a very
different kind to face at home. The
Holbach family has recently expanded
with the arrival of not just one but two
new members. Two year-old daughter
Katharina was joined in April by twins
Paulina and Yannick, and between the
three of them, they make quite sure that
when the working day ends, Markus and
his wife have no time to be bored.
News from
the
Technikum
by Markus Holbach,
Technikum Manager at Kautex
Maschinenbau GmbH
When I was symbolically handed the keys
to the Kautex Technikum at the Open
House event in the fall of last year, I
found the working conditions to be everything
one could wish for in a new job.
Over the preceding months the whole
Center had been completely modernized.
There was a testing laboratory equipped
with the latest technology, six state-ofthe-art
blow molding machines capable
of a wide variety of processes, and an
experienced team of highly specialized
and highly motivated staff. Perfect
conditions to get straight down to work.
Ambitious goals
We have some ambitious goals, and after
the first six months I can report that we
are well on our way. Our main objective
is of course to continue to develop and
optimize the technology that goes into
Kautex machines so that we can further
expand our leading position in the
market. We cooperate closely with
customers and raw material suppliers
with whom we are jointly developing
State-of-the-art testing capabilities and inquisitive minds are combined in the
spacious Technikum facility.
new innovations in process technology
that are then tested under real-life
production conditions. One current
challenge is to optimize the energy
consumption of our blow molding
machines. Given the rising cost of energy,
reduced consumption is becoming an
increasingly powerful sales argument.
Sights set on K 2007
An important deadline we are currently
working hard towards is the plastics fair
K 2007 that takes place in Düsseldorf in
October. We currently have some newly
developed extruder concepts undergoing
trials at the Technikum and we
intend to demonstrate these live to
visitors to the fair. A KLS 6-100 longstroke
machine to which we have made
various technical improvements will also
be on display at K 2007. And our new
Kautex Control Easy system will also be
ready for presentation by October after
extensive practical testing. The intuitive
user interface makes our machines even
simpler to operate and provides us with
another strong sales argument in our
negotiations with the customer.
Consultancy and sales
Our collaboration with customers in the
development of certain process technology
innovations is progressing particularly
well at present. We are increasingly
called upon to act as a development
partner at an early stage when projects
are being planned. It shows that Kautex
is appreciated not just as a hardware
supplier but also as a consultant with
extensive process expertise. The Technikum
is currently
working on joint
development projects
with two customers.
Consultancy and sales
are an ideal complement
to one another,
with projects of this
type generally culminating
in the purchase
of a Kautex machine.
The Kautex Technikum converts ideas into innovative
products.
Cooperation with suppliers
Our raw material suppliers, too, are
showing great interest in cooperating on
research. They are as aware as we are
that being part of a network is nowadays
the most important key to success. We
have already been involved with four
suppliers in the development of materials
and further trials are scheduled shortly.
We are also very successful in developing
the role of the Technikum as a provider
of tool and material sampling services.
Over the past six months several
customers have taken advantage of our
machine capacities for tool sampling
purposes. In the future, we will extend
this type of cooperation even further.
A great deal achieved already
If I told you that we have four machine
improvements in testing, support a new
product development for an entirely
new area of application, and have just
completed a small batch production run
over a total of 16 weeks, you might ask
how we manage all this with a staff of
only five at the Technikum. The answer
is simple: We enjoy what we do. And
customers notice the difference.

8
-NEWS
Learning the right way with Kautex
15 extrusion blow molding machines are awaiting shipment from Kautex’ Chinese plant to Riyadh.
Machinery and know-how made
in Bonn are providing the basis
for a future-oriented training
program at a new technical
institute in Riyadh.
The function of the new Higher Institute
for Plastics Fabrication (HIPF) which
opens in September 2007 in the Saudi-
Arabian capital of Riyadh is to provide
basic and advanced training in state-ofthe-art
plastics processing technologies.
An important role in the training
program will be played by a blow
molding center which has been developed
by the Institute entirely with the
aid of Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH. This
ambitious project has entailed delivery
of a total of 15 extrusion blow molding
machines, each equipped with three
different blow molds. Kautex will also be
providing extensive services as well as
training of the trainers.
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Training with the latest
technology
The machines supplied to the HIPF are
type KCC10 single-station blow molding
machines. They feature a maximum
die diameter of 50 millimeters and a
60 millimeter extruder. These machines
are ideally suited for training purposes,
not only because of the easy access to
the mold area, but also because they are
equipped with up-to-date control systems
similar to the Kautex Control Easy which
comprises a Windows-based ergonomic
user interface. Each machine has its own
PC that can be linked to a network,
enabling the Institute trainers to keep
a constant eye on every process at
each individual machine, which is just
one more way of optimizing the
training procedures.
Training the trainers
Kautex’s involvement in Riyadh is not
just limited to supplying equipment. In
an extensive training program run by
Kautex employees, the trainers are also
being prepared for their future tasks.
Besides familiarizing them with the
machines, the program also covers a
wide range of extrusion blow molding
techniques. And in the event that any
technical problems should arise, Kautex is
“ready for battle”: The Service Department
in Bonn offers remote support by
modem, while local representatives MPT
in Riyadh have a 24/7 hotline and a stock
of spare parts available.
200th tank blow
molding machine
goes to China
The demand for blow molding
machines to manufacture six-layer
fuel tanks has proven stronger in
recent months than has been the
case since a long time. Contracts
were signed in May for Kautex’s
200th tank blow molding machine.
The client is China‘s largest manufacturer
of vehicle fuel tanks,
Yangzhou Automotive Plastic Parts
Co. Ltd., or YAPP for short.
Presentation of the award certificate to Mr. Sun Yan,
President of YAPP.
Kautex Managing Director, Andreas Lichtenauer, and Mr. Xu Songjun, Vice General Manager of Yapp,
at the contract signing.
Growing with Kautex
Having purchased a total of 15 blow
molding machines, YAPP has in recent
years become one of Kautex’s most loyal
customers. To support the company’s
continuing growth, its eleven existing
machines are being joined by two newly
ordered Coex tank machines and a filling
pipe machine as well as the 200th
Kautex KKB blow molding machine.
YAPP already has a 50 percent share of
the market in China and supplies fuel
tank systems to both local producers as
well as almost all of the top-name
international automobile manufacturers.
The President of YAPP, Sun Yan, expects
the upward trend to continue in coming
years as the automotive market in China
records double-digit growth rates.
“Kautex has quite simply proven to be
the best partner with whom to achieve
our ambitious targets,” commented Sun
Yan. “The technical sophistication of the
machines, their performance, quality,
production stability and flexibility
provide us with a valuable competitive
advantage.”
Growing demand
Kautex produced its first tank blow
molding machines back in the seventies.
But it has only been in the past ten years
or so that international demand really
began to take off. Last year alone eight
machines were sold and Kautex expects
demand to rise further in 2007.

The quality of our KCC machines
is recognized the world over
There are few if any global players in the
mechanical engineering sector that have
not long since acknowledged the
importance of China as a growth market.
China is becoming steadily more attractive,
not just as a huge consumer market
but meanwhile also as a location for the
manufacture of complex technical
products. Very soon China will be
exporting substantially more high-tech
goods than it currently imports. But
those who are only beginning to elicit
the Far East market will generally find
that they are too late. In virtually every
sector, business with China is already
thriving. Kautex too is now reaping the
rewards of its early business commitment
in the People’s Republic.
Sales successes in Europe too
Recent sales of type KCC extrusion blow
molding machines produced in China
only serve to prove the point. Orders for
Kautex machines manufactured in China
are coming in not just from the Asian
market but also from customers in the
US, Mexico and Russia. And interest in
these KCC machines is also being aroused
in the European market. Two machines
have just recently been supplied to
Du Pont in Switzerland and AKG (Eder
Robust) in Austria. And a technical
college in the German town of Dinkelsbühl
has ordered a KCC machine for
its training workshop.
100 percent Kautex
Ever since 1994 our standard machines
for smaller technical components and
packaging applications up to 30 liters
have been produced at the Kautex plant
in Shunde, China. The original joint
venture between Chinese partner Chen
Sung and the then Krupp subsidiary
Kautex has meanwhile become a wholly
10
-NEWS
Success story
“Made in China“
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owned branch of Kautex Maschinenbau
GmbH. Only the abbreviation KCC
(Krupp-Kautex – Chen-China) remains as
a reminder of the origins of our involvement
in this burgeoning country.
Consistent quality management
Machines manufactured at the modern
plant situated between the metropolitan
centers of Guangzhou and Hong Kong
were initially destined predominantly for
the growing Asian market. Meantime,
The KCC machines from Shunde provide Kautex
quality at attractive prices.
however, orders for KCC machines are
coming in from all over the world.
Product manager Thomas Berghöfer
believes this is the result of consistent
attention to quality management: “The
KCC machines built in Shunde are subject
to the same high quality standards as
every other Kautex machine. They are
comparable with equipment produced in
Germany, not just in terms of their
design. They also use components that
have been developed in Germany and
are in some cases also made there. For
example, same as for the larger blow
molding machines, the hydraulic
components are supplied by Bosch
Rexroth.”
Top service at a low price
The ease of operation, output capacity
and long service life are every bit as good
as those of machines made in Europe.
“Only the price remains substantially
lower,” adds Thomas Berghöfer. The
price of a KCC machine is still around 40-
50 percent below our German price
levels. Service, too, is another success
factor. Every Kautex machine – whether
it is made in China or at our works in
Bonn – is looked after by the German
service team. Whatever the problem, KCC
customers too can call for the assistance
of a Kautex service engineer at any time.
In an emergency, an engineer can be
dispatched immediately.
The Shunde Kautex assembly operation is located between the metropolises of Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
Thilo Schmidt,
Business Manager Service at
Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH.
Kautex has taken a huge step
forward on its way to becoming
the best service provider in the
blow molding industry.
The days in which machine manufacturers
regarded service as nothing more
than the supply of spare parts are long
gone. Even in the field of capital goods,
the quality of service available for any
product has become a decisive factor in
comparing competitors. “Nowadays no
reputable manufacturer would even
attempt to sell a machine without
offering a convincing package of service
and consultancy,” believes Thilo
Schmidt, Business Manager Service at
Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH.
Local presence reinforced
But not all service packages are the
same. Kautex has set itself the target of
offering the best service in the blow
molding industry with the strongest
local service representation worldwide.
Now Thilo Schmidt and the Kautex
Service team have come a whole lot
closer to meeting this target. Local spare
parts depots have been set up in Japan,
China and Russia and the number of
service personnel has been still further
increased. India is a strategic target for
2008. Worldwide there are now 24
Kautex service engineers on deployment
with customers.
Service makes the
difference
Fit for the future with retrofit
The retrofit service offered by Kautex is
in great demand in all of the company’s
markets. More and more customers are
taking advantage of this modernization
facility, either to increase the performance
capabilities of their existing
machines or convert them to new
production processes. “Kautex machines
regularly have a service life of 25 years
or more. But customers buying machines
today cannot possibly know what
demands the market will be making on
them in 10 or 15 years time. With our
retrofit service, this is no longer a
problem, because in principle any
machine can be either converted or
upgraded to meet current requirements.
This means that investments in our
machines are now even more futureproof,“
says Thilo Schmidt.
Much more than maintenance and repair: the capabilities of the Kautex service team
Modernization is a growth market
The modernization and conversion of
blow molding machines has long since
ceased to be a niche market confined to
just a few countries. In recent years
Kautex has doubled its sales in this field.
Demand is now in evidence in every
market and in every country, with
retrofit orders coming in from Asia and
South America as well as Western
Europe and the US. In fact, the cost
advantages over a new installation are
not the only argument in favor of
modernizing or converting an existing
machine. Thilo Schmidt explains: “Often
these conversions are carried out for
development purposes. So new methods
and processes can be tested fast and
effectively, with the results then
reflected in the manufacture of new
equipment.”

-NEWS
“Iron Mark’s” longest day of the year
The Kautex fan team and the star of the day:
from left to right Heiko Woop, Melanie Höfgen,
Andreas Lichtenauer, Mark Lüddecke, Marlène
Fontaine and Dietmar Michels.
Kautex employee Mark Lüddecke
shows extraordinary stamina and
toughness at the “IRONMAN”-Germany
contest in Frankfurt.
For 12 hours and 50 minutes the torture
continued until at last Mark Lüddecke
prevailed. By the evening of July 1, he
had swum 3.8 km, cycled 180 km and
then run a 42.19 km marathon. And yet
the 34 year-old product manager at the
Kautex subsidiary in Shunde, China,
showed only few signs of the physical
toll exacted by this classic triathlon
event. On the other hand, he was clearly
proud of his achievement. It must be an
indescribable feeling to have successfully
completed the “IRONMAN” contest
for a second time in the company of top
international athletes.
The trade fair highlight of 2007
It won’t be long now
before the industry gets
together at K 2007
from October 24 to 31
this year in Düsseldorf.
There are more than a
few who already have
the date marked in red on their
calendars, and even have a priority list
of stands to stop off at on their tour of
the show.
Once again this year a visit to the
Kautex stand should prove particularly
worthwhile. Besides the opportunity to
talk and exchange professional points of
+ + + + N E W K A U T E X W E B S I T E • W W W . K A U T E X - G
Encouraged by his Kautex fans
Among the 450,000 spectators who
cheered Mark Lüddecke and his 2,200
fellow contestants along the way was
Kautex Managing Director Andreas
Lichtenauer. Together with four other
members of staff from Bonn, he was
there to urge on and ultimately
congratulate by far the toughest and
most tenacious employee that Kautex
can boast. “I have huge respect for this
achievement. Especially when you
consider that Mark Lüddecke is just an
amateur sportsman and that his job at
Kautex doesn‘t leave him a great deal of
time for training,” declared Andreas
Lichtenauer.
Just taking part is what matters
The fact is that the training conditions
for our Kautex product manager in the
Chinese town of Shunde are nowhere
near as good as those enjoyed by the
majority of his competitors. He cycles to
work every day, but for swimming
practice he has to travel to Hong Kong,
some 100 km away. “It’s not my ambition
to win. To do that, you have to be a
professional sportsman,” believes Mark
Lüddecke. But still: “As long as I can
keep up with the professionals and
finish with a good time, I feel like a
winner anyway.“
view, Kautex will be presenting plenty
of interesting product innovations on
Stand A 18 in Hall 14. One highlight will
surely be the proven but now technically
revised and improved KLS 6-100 longstroke
machine which is available once
again in response to popular demand.
The new user-friendly Kautex Control
Easy system will also be available to see
and above all put to the test. Visitors
will also be able to enjoy a range of
additional highlights at the Open House
event that takes place at the Kautex
plant in Bonn in parallel with the trade
fair. A convenient shuttle service will be
in operation to and from the fair.
Exhausted but happy: Mark Lüddecke short before
the finish.
Contact Information
Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH
Kautexstrasse 54
D-53229 Bonn
Phone +49 228 489-0
Fax +49 228 489-414
••• Contact
Marketing &
Sales Development
Marlène Fontaine
Phone Direct +49 228 489 360
Fax Direct +49 228 489 88 360
Mobile +49 172 217 99 15
mailto: marlene.fontaine@
kautex-group.com
www.kautex-group.com
Kautex Hotline
24/7 service hotline:
Kautex Maschinenbau
offers a truly
comprehensive
technical support
+49 (0)228 489-200