Polytec (Hörsching / Austria; www.polytec-group.com) is in the process of installing nine new injection moulding machines and the accompanying automation engineering for a total of 14 production lines at its Austrian plant in Ebensee. It will invest over EUR 10 m in the project. The focus this time is not on supplying the automotive industry, which represents the company's core business. Instead, when the new plant is running at full capacity, it will turn out one plastic fruit and vegetable box every two seconds. The boxes will be manufactured for the logistics services provider and supplier of returnable containers, Ifco (Pullach / Germany; www.ifcosystems.de). Production with single moulds is scheduled to begin before the end of September this year.

"The proximity to our Bavarian customers, the large logistic areas and, last but not least, the existing production infrastructure make the Ebensee plant ideal for a production volume such as this", explained Polytec COO Markus Huemer. The non-automotive business, he said, had always played a key role at the Ebensee plant.

The companies supplying the machines and equipment are the world market leader in injection moulding machines, Engel (Schwertberg / Austria; www.engelglobal.com), and the Austrian tooling and automation specialist, Haidlmair (Nußbach; www.haidlmair.at).