Italy-based auxiliary equipment maker Plastic Systems has expanded to the Indian market its systems for the injection, blow moulding and extrusion machinery markets. The company set up its operations in January this year, leasing a 1,000 sq m facility near Thane in Mumbai.

“We have operated an office in India for six years, mainly focusing on sales, service and installations. Now, we have started producing feeding and dosing machines and will soon offer the full range,” said President Gianfranco Cattapan speaking to PRA at the Plastindia show in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in February.

“India is a good market and now we can provide a complete and efficient local service for solutions in the given time and at a competitive price,” noted Cattapan.

According to Cattapan, the company’s best solution to affirm its leadership in the market is to open factories outside Europe. “By manufacturing locally, we are able to offer products at more competitive prices.”

Its first facility in Asia was set up in 2006 in Shanghai, China, and employs 70 people to date. The Borgoricco-headquartered Plastics Systems followed this up by setting up a facility in Brazil in 2012 to cater to the American market needs. “We have 90 people working at the Brazilian factory. The facility fabricates mainly large systems for the market,” added Cattapan.

With more than 5,000 installations around the world, 250 employees and a turnover of EUR50 million, the 20-year old Plastic Systems considers itself as one of the top suppliers of auxiliary equipment. It was set up in 1994 by Cattapan and two other founding partners to cater to what he says was “pressing demand from the European markets for PET dehumidification systems.”

“We manufactured the first series of high-tech PET dehumidifiers based on the experience we had jointly built up. This marked the start for a business adventure and we opened our first factory in the heart of Northeast Italy in 1996.”

Today, the company’s product range includes storage systems, conveyors, dryers and blenders, suitable for the automotive, electronics, medical, housewares, packaging, construction, recycling and textile sectors. It also makes systems for PET processing.