2014-2016 Exhibitions
A Chinese pipe maker has ordered 25 extruders from German-Austrian machine manufacturer battenfeld-cincinnati Extrusion Systems's subsidiary in China. Set up 18 years ago to produce high-quality extrusion components and complete extrusion lines for the Chinese market in Foshan, the subsidiary today has seen continuous growth ever since, currently employs 180 workers at a 17,800 sq facility and contributes about 25 % to the group's total sales.
A special highlight in connection with this large-scale order are the helix VSI-T pipe dies from battenfeld-cincinnati. The efficient EAC (Efficient Air Cooling) internal pipe cooling system ensures high product quality with a simultaneous reduction in the line's overall length, and enables the pipes to be produced within a narrow dimensional tolerance window, says the machine maker.
Of the 25 pipe extrusion lines ordered, 14 are be equipped with the efficient dies to manufacture HDPE pipes with diameters ranging from 125 to 1,600 mm. These lines have already been installed. The remaining 11 lines ordered with this major contract have also been produced and shipped to the customer, and will be installed and commissioned within the next few weeks. They are PVC pipe extrusion lines to manufacture pipes with dimensions between 500 and 1,200 mm in diameter.
Even though the battenfeld-cincinnati sister companies in Germany, Austria, America and China have all worked together to fill this large-scale order, the Foshan subsidiary acts completely independently in all other aspects. It specialises in customised extrusion solutions for the Chinese market. This includes, for example, the floor heating pipe sector, where battenfeld-cincinnati China covers the high-end segment with its multi-layer pipe extrusion lines. 18 co-extrusion pipe production lines to produce PB pipes with EVOH oxygen barriers have already been sold while PE-RT pipe extrusion lines for the lower price segment and PEXa pipe extrusion lines for the medium price segment are also a part of the Chinese company's product portfolio.
The main contributors to the success of battenfeld-cincinnati China, the firm says, are the three extruder models solEX-C, conEX-C and twinEX-C. These extruders are equipped with the same core components as their proven European counterpart models. They are, however, produced locally in China and adapted to the local demands and price level.
The main advantage of the "Chinese" extruders compared to competitors' extruders also made in China is the machine quality standard with the benefit of a long service life, adds the machine maker. For example, the energy consumption for producing 1 ton of PE pipe is about 200 kWh less, compared to the average local extruder. The reasons are the extruders' high output and the energy-efficient AC motor built in as standard. In combination with a gravimetric dosing system, it is also possible to realise material savings of about 3% in pipe production, says battenfeld-cincinnati. This is of special interest, since the material costs make up a substantial part of the overall costs.
(PRA)
