More than 30 Portuguese companies are exhibiting at Fakuma, being held from 16-20 October 2018, in Friedrichafen, Germany. The main purpose of this strong participation is to meet business partners, to seek for new customers and to promote their global innovative offers as well as the collective brand “Engineering & Tooling from Portugal”, representing a cluster highly internationalized.
The Portuguese Engineering & Tooling cluster is coordinated by Pool-Net : Portuguese Tooling & Plastics Network, association created in October 2008, being responsible for bringing together the engineering and tooling industry in Portugal, promoting the integration of this industrial, technological and scientific community, whose stakeholders are mainly based in Marinha Grande and Oliveira de Azemeis, two towns located just 130 km and 270 km north of Lisbon respectively.
By participating at Fakuma 2018 the Portuguese cluster also aims to diversify the markets and the destination sectors of its exports, currently mostly directed to the automotive sector. Providing global solutions for important customers, acting on a global scale, namely OEMs such as Renault, Volvo, VW, Audi, Nissan, Toyota, Porsche, Honda, Mercedes, GM, Mitsubishi, FIAT, BMW, the Portuguese cluster intends to attract customers from other strategic markets such as aeronautics, medical devices, electronic and packaging.
We can affirm that Portugal has clearly taken on a role as a “One-Stop-Shop”, offering renowned expertise across a broad value chain, ranging from Design, Product Engineering, and Prototyping to Mould Making and Product Manufacturing, all supported by the Cooperation, Innovation and Internationalization of its stakeholders, adopting a philosophy of solutions providers for its global customers.
Thus, “Engineering & Tooling from Portugal” brand sets its strengths on accumulated know-how, innovation and technology, quality and reliability, networking, competitiveness and social sustainability, all of them are the core competencies of Portuguese engineering and tooling industry.
Portugal is the world's eighth-largest mouldmaking country and currently exports over 85 percent of production to 86 countries. In 2017, tooling exports reached a value of 675 million Euros. Exports as well as employment have doubled since 2010. Europe is the main export zone, as well as North America including Mexico.
During the recent years this industry members have made significant investments in innovative technologies and processes, namely in new five-axis machines, software, paperless production, lean management and automation equipment. Some companies have also heavily invested in new modern buildings and workspace to attract the best talents.
In addition to the recent efforts and investments, the cluster companies are working to accomplish challenges in the other fields such as the Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things and the Zero-defects manufacturing.
The accumulated know-how of the Portuguese industry in several moulding technologies and in plastic injection solutions, as well as the quality of products provided, has contributed to its leadership in the European mould making and plastic injection industry.
We are at your disposal! Come to meet us at Fakuma 2018! It will be a pleasure to welcome you and give you to know more about “Engineering & Tooling from Portugal”.
