Results and new technologies at the German two days of Haitian
At a press conference held on June 26 at the headquarters of Zhafir Plastics Machinery in Ebermannsdorf (Germany), which was part of a two-day European open-house event, Haitian International presented the results it recorded in the 2013 financial year, which ended on the day of the press conference (26 June 2014). The first important results concerned turnover and net profits which increased, respectively, by 13.7% (reaching a value of 7.2 billion RMB, or 858 million euros) and 22.3% (1.2 billion RMB) compared with the figures recorded in 2012. Machinery exports were also up, by 3.6%, an effect of the strong sales performance recorded in South East Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North America.
The Mars presses continued to be the Chinese manufacturer's best-selling machines, thanks in particular to their efficient drive technology, which has been the reason for their market success and is now offered as a standard feature on the other series, too. The Jupiter dual-platen moulding machines also did well, with sales increasing by almost 40% compared with 2012. The second generation of this range is the result of an in-depth renovation project; as a result of this, these machines can now be supplied with clamping forces of up to 88 thousand kN.
Haitian International has created its new, high-performance Jupiter II series, currently available in 10-thousand, 12-thousand and 16-thousand kN versions, as a response, in particular, to the needs of the automotive industry. Primarily, what this means, from a technological point of view, is plenty of room for the moulds, reduced injection volume and low clamping forces. The distance between the columns has been increased by 20% and the entire clamping unit has been reviewed and modified. The other new features of these machines include: servodrives with power increased by 75 and 110 kW, to ensure optimal distribution of the energy from the motors; a clamping system that allows flexible mould height adjustment; parallel blocking of tiebars and platens, to ensure their rapid and accurate response, in such a way as to reduce mould changeover times; and special linear guides to obtain accurate and friction-free screw movements.
As regards the fully electric machines, in 2013 Zhafir sold more than 1000 Venus presses, recording a 22% increase in the relative turnover. The open-house event also provided the setting for the unveiling of the new hybrid series Zeres, whose official launch had been preceded by a European tour that kicked off in May in Italy at IMG, the official distributor, in Italy, of the machines produced by Haitian Internationale and Zhafir, and ended at the recent FIP fair (Lyon, 17-20 June), having included visits to Pieretti (Civitanova Marche, in the Italian province of Macerata), Mapro (during its participation at the International Engineering Fair 2014, held from 20 to 23 May in Nitra, Slovakia), Plastpol 2014 (Kielce, Poland, 27-30 May), and Anderstorp (Smaland, Sweden), before finally arriving at Ebermannsdorf.
The launch model of the Zeres range is available with clamping forces ranging from 400 to 2,300 kN, and the first machine of this range was delivered by IMG to Slamp, a processor located in Arcore near Milan. The Zeres presses feature integrated electric and hydraulic servodrive technology. They have the same basic characteristics as the Venus II and they feature high dynamic and accuracy levels as well as superior production efficiency by ensuring a two-digit percent reduction in consumption levels. This new range has been designed to meet the daily needs of processors, offering level of a high flexibility. From this point of view, the integrated hydraulics should allow users not only to make the most of the electric features (for instance through the use of moulds with incorporated ejectors), but also to cut the investment amortisation times thanks to the machines' vast range of applications.
For its part, Haitian Europe (based in Nuremberg, Germany) recently announced its market strategy, which obviously follows that of its parent company Haitian International: to focus on the development of standard machines. With a production programme covering a tonnage range from 400 a 66 thousand kN the company meets over 80% of all application needs in the European plastic processing industry.