Arburg banking on Asia for growth: to launch China-made vertical press

German injection moulding machinery maker Arburg says China delivered better results for the company, against the backdrop of mixed results for the overall Asian market. These comments were made by Tobias Baur, Arburg's Managing Director Sales and After Sales, at the company’s Technology Days event held 13-14 March 2026 in Lossburg, Germany.

The situation in Asia, now the world’s largest market for injection moulding machines, is more complex and uneven, said Baur.

Meanwhile, in response to growing demand in China, Arburg is developing a vertical injection moulding machine for the Asian market in cooperation with Tayu Machinery. The Chinese partner will supply the base of the machine and mechanical systems, such as the clamping unit, and rotary table, while the plasticising unit and control system will manufactured at Arburg’s headquarters in Lossburg, Germany.

The machines are being developed for high-precision, ergonomic overmoulding of inserts and will be fully assembled at Arburg's Pinghu factory in China, and will be launched later this year.

This collaboration is part of Arburg's broader expansion strategy in China to produce localised solutions with German technology and Asian manufacturing efficiency, it adds.

At Pinghu, Arburg already assembles entry-level machines in the Golden Electric series for the regional market, and assembly of the Trend machines is also scheduled to start there by end 2026.

Slower demand; medical sector regales modest growth

Against the back of slower demand and a difficult year in 2025, Arburg had a consolidated turnover of EUR575 million in 2025, a decline of 4% compared with the previous year, with the company adding that machine orders remained weak across the industry.

Baur also furthered that the situation has yet to improve significantly. According to him, geopolitical developments and national policies continue to affect investment decisions. As part of efforts to cut costs and streamline the organisation, headcount in the company fell last year from 3,700 to 3,400 employees.

He explained that Germany’s innovation activity remains weak, while Europe shows slight improvement but with large regional differences, with Eastern Europe performing better than Western markets.

In the US, Baur said conditions were stronger in 2025 compared with the previous year, although customers remained cautious about new investments.

In terms of industry segment, Baur said the medical sector recorded modest growth in 2025. Packaging declined slightly but remained stable. The electronics sector recovered due to demand from artificial intelligence and electric mobility industries, while the automotive sector continues to face uncertainty and competitive pressure.

Technological advances

Speaking to the press, Managing Partner/Management Board spokesperson Michael Hehl said Technology Days has served as a meeting point for industry ideas since its launch in 1999.

Hehl explained that technologies, markets and industry requirements are changing at a rapid pace, which creates major challenges for manufacturers. He said the company intends to demonstrate how it responds to these changes through its solutions and engineering work.

More than 40 exhibits and applications from different sectors were presented during the event. Hehl said the displays included new products from the company’s portfolio and offer visitors a chance to learn about industry trends and gain new ideas.

One of the exhibits was the Allrounder Trend machine, which made its global debut at the K2025 trade fair held in October last year, developed for standard applications designed to offer lower costs and shorter delivery times thanks to component standardisation and a newly developed dedicated assembly line. The machines are intended to respond to increasingly intense competition from Asia.

As Guido Frohnhaus, Managing Director Technology & Engineering, explained, the first Trend machines ordered at K were delivered in February.

Frohnhaus also outlined the technical developments presented during the Technology Days, with processing of recycled materials such as old fishing nets, and the use of alternative materials including coffee grounds. The event also featured automated production of liquid silicone rubber components.

Meanwhile, Steffen Kroner, the company's Managing Director Finance, Controlling and IT and Global HR, discussed the role of digital systems in the company’s production solutions.

Kroner explained that digitalisation forms a major part of the company’s production concept. The firm’s manufacturing execution system ALS celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026.

According to Kroner, the system was first presented at the K1986 trade fair as part of an integrated injection moulding production setup. At that time, machine communication systems were not yet widely available in the industry.

The company’s digital platform arburgXworld is now used by more than 6,000 companies and over 20,000 users worldwide. Kroner said the platform and other digital tools help manufacturers manage project planning, production monitoring and maintenance tasks.

He added that artificial intelligence also plays a growing role in machine control systems and automated optimisation of production processes.

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