During Fakuma Windsor showcased the expanded portfolio with JSW and FCS machines as well as Windsor’s own product. Managing director Peter Kochs shared his experience of successful partnership and discovered advantages of flexible approach.
Mr. Kochs, please tell some words about partnership with JSW and FCS. Why have you chosen these companies?
As you know, until 1994 we developed hydraulic injection machines and since 1994 our company has been concentrating mostly on after sales service and enhancements in the area of multi-component machines.
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About 10 years ago we decided to bring something new to the market. At that time our idea was that the future of injection molding is all-electric technology. So we did a market research and found out that regarding the know-how in all electric machines, the technologies are mostly concentrated in Japan. We held negotiations with several companies from Japan and finally decided to strike a partnership with JSW for marketing these machines to Germany. The main reason was that JSW were making machines from 30 tons clamping force to 3 000 tons. Due to the fact that Windsor portfolio includes mainly big-sized machines, it fits perfectly with JSW wide range. We launched sales in 2007 and it was quite successful. But we were expecting much more market share with all-electric machines as compared to hydraulic ones.
We discovered that in Japan the market share is 70-80% for all-electric machines, in the United States it is 50%. And in Europe it is between 20 and 30% depending on the country. So it means that we had no solution for 70% of European customers.
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About 4 years ago we decided we need another kind of product for those customers who still want to have hydraulic machines. That’s how we found a partner in Asia and entered cooperation with FCS from Taiwan. We had tested 2 Chinese manufacturers before that. But the quality was not what we expected. That’s it regarding the quality in China and Taiwan. As for FCS, we liked their approach to quality issue.
It should be mentioned that the cooperation terms presuppose that FCS must upgrade its hydraulic machinery up to European standards. So Windsor gets the European version of FCS machines compliant with all the specific regulations European customers used to. That is unique.
How long did it take you to bring upgraded FCS machines to the market?
Officially we started partnership in 2016 at K show. Since then FCS had been following our recommendations and step by step we had been modifying machines according to our needs. All in all, it took about a year to finalize the specifications. And now FCS machines are marketed by Windsor European-wide.
And what about Windsor’s own product presented here at Fakuma?
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I’d like to underline, that JSW and FCS machines sales make only 1/3 of the business of Windsor. The second third is the service to all the Windsor machines as there are a lot of them on the market. Once service had been our business core, but now it takes only 1/3 of Windsor activities.
And the third share is Windsor’s own product marketed world-wide. At Fakuma we showcased PxP 73 unit, a new version within the PlugXPress range. PxP 73 is a self-contained injection unit comparable to an IMM without clamping system. It works where standard solutions fail. PlugXPress injection unit for multi-component injection molding can be easily attached to any IMM. There is no need in modifying your machine if you are running a single-component IMM but start thinking about multi-component injection molding.
As for worldwide activities, what regions does Windsor pay more attention to?
Of course, Europe, and Germany, in particular. This is our home market. But our technologies are mostly used for automotive industry. And German automotive manufacturers have plants all over the world. So we have installations in the USA, Canada, Mexico and China.
How do you like Fakuma 2018? In the number of attendees to Windsor booth growing year after year?
We have got very good contacts for Windsor product, as well as for FCS and JSW machines. I think, the number of attendees depends on how the economics runs. And this year everything is booming and you can see it directly here. And I’m also glad to watch it booming about PxP unit this year. It means that thanks to our flexibility and customer focus we are providing the right solutions to meet the rising demand in the multi-component sector.
