A database of injection moulders in Central European countries of Poland, Hungary and the Czech and Slovak Republics has been released by AMI, leading consultants to the plastics processing industry. Addition of nearly 300 new companies to the database since 2005, reflects the rapid pace of change and growth in injection moulding in Central Europe.AMI estimates that the industry there now processes nearly 1 million tonnes of polymer resin.

Injection moulding is always a dynamic sector of the plastics industry and, given economic growth and membership of the EU, there have been many changes in these countries. Private investors continue to be attracted to this sector and many international processors and OEMs have established moulding operations in the region. Many West European firms have relocated injection moulding production eastwards in a bid to improve profit and follow their customers. Production particularly has moved from the UK, Benelux and Scandinavia, where labour costs are high. The main advantages are a large, skilled workforce prepared to work for lower wages, allied to lower land costs, rising living standards and investments in automotive and appliance manufacturing. Starting up business in these countries has also been made easier since their accession to the EU as there are far less bureaucratic obstacles to overcome and their central locations make them ideally placed to serve both markets in the West and the growing markets to the East. The injection moulding market in Central Europe has also been driven by high levels of investment in domestic appliance manufacturing, automotive production and packaging.
Poland is the largest market and the AMI database lists around 640 moulders. The market is characterised by a strong domestic appliance sector as well as significant output of automotive components and packaging. The largest companies tend to be those supplying the domestic appliance sector. They include Zelmer which is the leading Polish producer of vacuum cleaners. Amica and Whirlpool are the leading producers of white goods with in house moulding capabilities. Other leading custom suppliers to the electrical consumer goods sector detailed by AMI include Bianor and the Fabryka Plasticow subsidiaries of the French moulding group Plastivaloire. Household goods production is dominated by Curver.
Leading injection moulders of automotive component operating in Poland include Faurecia, Ersi (owned by Ergom), Automotive Lighting Polska (jv between Bosch and Magneti Marelli) and Plastal.
The packaging industry is supplied with injection moulded containers primarily by Plast Service Pack, the Danish company Superfos and German Jokey-Plast which also produces materials handling items along with Schoeller Arca and Plast-Box. Bericap dominates the closures market. PET Preforms are also injection moulded in vast quantities in Poland by Alpla and GTH Hanex.

In Hungary injection moulders supply predominantly the telectronics, electrical, and packaging industries. The leading telelectronic housing moulders are Jasz Plasztik, Flextronics and Phoenix Mecano Kecskemet. Electrical components are moulded by Videoton, PVS Hungary and Legrand among many otehrs. Several of Europe’s leading automotive moulding groups are active in Hungary supplying this sector, including Nief Plastic, Nypro and Nolato. Other important injection moulders include Curver for household goods and Star Plus for garden furniture. In packaging leading companies include closure manufacturers Bericap, Greiner for thin wall packaging, while Alpla is the leading supplier of PET preforms. A total of 214 Hungarian injection moulders are listed by AMI.
The second largest number of moulders are to be found in the Czech Republic and AMI’s database lists 378. The industry is characterised by high levels of investment in supplying the auto industry and include subsidiaries of leading groups such as Faurecia, Key Plastics, Hella, Mecaplast, Cadence Innovation, Valeo, and Wexler. In 2005 the Czech Republic’s largest greenfield investment came on stream, the new Toyota-PSA/Peugeot-Citroen joint venture car plant which led to a spate of new investments in car component production. Important moulders serving other markets include Alfa Plastik, which is the largest manufacturer of boxes and crates in the country; Jokey Plastik manufacturing lidded containers; Portola and Seaquist Löffler both major international suppliers of plastic closures; and Retal and Alpla supplying preforms.
Automotive investment is also driving moulding activity in Slovakia, which has 70 companies listed. Following Hyundai’s decision to locate its new KIA assembly plant in Slovakia several investments have been made by automotive component suppliers including Visteon, Key Plastics, Möllertech and Faurecia. Currently the largest custom moulder in Slovakia is Fremach Trnava s.r.o., processing for the automotive and telectronic industries.