Ceepackaging

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ELAU - leading automation supplier for electronic packaging machines

After securing market leadership in the German target market of packaging automation years, since 2006 ELAU has been focusing its resources on expanding its market share internationally. With a higher-than-average sales growth, ELAU has been able to develop into the market leader in Italy, which alongside Germany is one of the major producing countries worldwide for packaging technology. The synergies with ELAU’s parent company Schneider Electric have also exceeded expectations – on both sides.

Packaging machinery manufactured in Italy and Germany combined constitute just under 40 % of the global market for packaging machinery. Hence, holding market leadership in both these countries is tantamount to European market leadership. “Europe represents an important milestone on the way to establishing our PacDrive automation system as the leading technology for packaging automation worldwide,” which ELAU CEO Dr. Thomas Cord describes as the next goal.

The situation in Europe as a whole is positive as well. In France and in Switzerland, the relatively new operations gained important key customers last year. After cooperating with solution partners and system integrators in the Benelux countries, the UK and Scandinavia, ELAU recently established its own subsidiaries there to achieve higher market shares.

Activities outside of Europe have been expanding, too. Sales have increased in North America and a number of new customers are being added. Operations in China are providing a base to support ELAU customers producing in China or exporting to China.

ELAU has consistently been developing the PacDrive system’s capabilities for packaging machinery-specific requirements. The successful introduction of the robotic solution will this year be followed by PacDrive iSH Intelligent Servo Modules, a system hat according to Dr. Cord will be setting the trend for the industry. “iSH servo modules will revolutionize the world of packaging machinery. They are the key to increasing the modularity of packaging machinery; which in turn will fulfill users’ top priorities for their packaging operations”.

As early as during last year’s PACK EXPO International show in the US, the iSH servo modules contributed to ELAU’s overwhelming success. Introduced publicly for the first time along with the robotic solution, the intelligent servo modules were the buzz of the show. At the Goodman Packaging booth, the first commercially available machine equipped with the new iSH servo modules was introduced. And at the IFFA in Frankfurt, Weber Maschinenbau introduced its first iSH application to the German market.