UPDATED: KraussMaffei expands reaction footprint in China, Japan

Looking to build on what it calls a market-leading position in China, machinery supplier KraussMaffei (KM; Munich, Germany) has announced it will expand its polyurethane (PUR) reaction business there. KraussMaffei Machinery Co. Ltd. was founded in 2001 and is based in the Pudong New District of Shanghai. Since its entry, KM says it has become the market leader in PUR systems for the Chinese automotive industry. In addition to transportation business, KM is looking to expand its presence in China’s PUR insulation segment. The company will move to a larger building, with the extra space to be used for customer trials. The new site will also allow it to expand capacities for mold design and production. A KM spokesperson told MPW that the Chinese reaction lab shares space with KM's other process technologies and will install equipment for developing and prototyping interior automotive components made via reaction injection molding.

KM also announced that it would expand capacity at its KraussMaffei Japan business, founded in Okazaki in 2006. The expansion will boost production and laboratory capacity, allowing KM specialists to better serve what it characterizes  a “steadily growing customer base.” A KM spokesperson told MPW the Japanese site doubled in space from 400 to 800 sq m. 

Last October, KM announced the first sale of a Clear Coat Molding (CCM) system to a Japanese automotive supplier. KM sold a full cell—including metering machine, mixing heads, robot, molds, and tooling—that is used to coat wooden decor strips for high-end vehicle interiors. After launching the CCM technology globally in 2001 and watching it take hold in Europe, KM believes the inaugural sale of a CCM system in Japan, as well as inquiries from a number of Asian companies, indicates the technology will see wider use in the region. —[email protected]