Haitian not satisfied with China alone

Ningbo Haitian Group (Ningbo, China), with 14,000 machines sold last year making it the world''s largest injection molding machinery manufacturer based on units, intends to increase its presence outside its domestic market, where it already claims a 25% share of China''s 50,000 injection molding machines/yr (in 2005) market. The firm has revamped its sales/service structure in Europe, and rebuilt it in North America, with announcements for both made last week. With that said, the firm''s primary goal is to increase its share of the Asian market, where most of the world''s injection molding machines are sold.

Haitian''s 3200 employees make machines with a clamp force range from 58-4000 tonnes. Sales for 2005 were $490 million. Jianming Zhang, CEO of Haitian and speaking through a translator at a press event in Frankfurt, Germany, said sales in 2006 are increasing, and he predicted would hit 17,000 machines this year. A chart shown of the firm''s growth is impressive: in 1998 sales were shy of $100 million. They hit about $180 million in 2002 and have more than doubled since. Units sold increased from about 2000 (1998) to about 4000 (2000) to 10,000 in 2003. The goal is to increase sales to $625 million by 2010.

"Our target is to be the market leader in the entire Asian region," said Helmar Franz, the firm''s executive VP responsible for strategic business development. He said Haitian estimates that about 71,300 of the 93,800 injection molding machines sold last year went to processing facilities in Asia.

Haitian intends to present two all-electric machines during the NPE trade show in Chicago in June. Helping sell those machines will be the firm''s new sales and service partner, Absolute Machinery Corp. (Worcester, MA), an established seller of used processing machinery. A new firm, Absolute Haitian Corp., has been formed and will operate out of Absolute''s facility. It will be completely focused on selling and supporting Haitian''s business. Haitian also intends to open new locations in the central U.S., on the West Coast, and in Canada.

The management team for the new organization includes Mike Ortolano and Nathan Smith, current co-owners of Absolute Machinery Corp., and Glenn Frohring, former North American sales manager for Demag Plastics Group (Strongsville, OH).

In Europe, where Haitian has about 1100 machines installed, according to Franz, Haitian has installed new leadership at its sales/service center in Brescia, Italy. Uwe Baer, formerly financial controller for the now-defunct Demag Plastics Group/Haitian joint venture, is CEO at Haitian Europe since January, and new this month is Eric Taveau, who joins as sales manager. Haitian''s technical leaders in Brescia came to the firm from a cross-town rival, Italian injection molding machine maker Mir. Haitian is expanding the Brescia site to include room for customer training, applications development, and an expanded spare-parts capacity so that processors can get parts within 24 hours.-Matt Defosse; [email protected]