ENGEL GmbH: With intelligent machines to a smart factory
Description of institution - short history and main activities
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH was established in 1945 and their headquarter is located in Schwertberg, Austria. Since their establishment, ENGEL has become one of the most successful companies for resource-saving and energy-efficient injection moulding solutions. They have nine production plants in Europe, North America and Asia and are represented all over the world. ENGEL is a representative company in the plastics industry. It is important to highlight that they focus on sustainability and circular economy, as both are deeply rooted in their philosophy. They are ranked among the top 1% of the world’s most sustainable companies according to EcoVadis Rating in 2023.
Their products operate in several industries: automotive & mobility, packaging, electronics, medical technology and technical injection moulding. Additionally, they offer training programmes digitally and on site for their customers. They have more than 20 training centers worldwide. To them it is important that the customers get a know-how about the machines and are able to apply the solutions efficiently.
What was the challenge or the problem?
The challenges for ENGEL are reducing carbon footprint and prolonging the life cycle of plastics. These challenges do not only affect them, but also their customers and partners. Thus, their focus is on improving the circular economy within their company as well as the one of their customers’ and partners’.
What solutions have been implemented?
ENGEL has been continuously looking for solutions for their injection moulding machines. In order to reduce the carbon footprint and foster the circular economy they have found digital solutions and technologies for efficient plastics production and recycling.
Their digital solutions react immediately when an error occurs during moulding processes, as there should not be any delays during the production process. Furthermore, with their digital solutions for their injection moulding machines, they reduce the carbon footprint, energy, and water consumption as well as production waste. Moreover, the strategy supports the life cycle and fosters the circular economy. And certainly, the injection moulding machines should run at their full potential.
ENGEL’s technology and digital assistant system are able to analyse the whole production process from various locations. By collecting the data, it is possible to detect opportunities to reach the highest efficiency and achieve better utilisation of the machines.
Who were the collaborating actors?
On their website ENGEL offers an online customer support portal. Through this portal they are able to collect feedback from their customers. Moreover, they offer training for their customers online as well as on-site.
ENGEL is also working with research institutes, universities, and other companies in the plastics industry. One of the research institutes is LIT Factory, which focuses on Smart Polymer Processing and digitalisation and is located at Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria. Through cooperation within the plastics industry, new networks are being established, which can encourage to discover new sustainable opportunities and solutions.
What is the evidence of success?
ENGEL was voted as one of the top 1% most sustainable companies by EcoVadis in 2023. EcoVadis is the world’s largest provider of sustainability rankings. They evaluated more than 90.000 companies worldwide based on their environmental, social and ethical performance.
ENGEL is internationally acknowledged and recognized as a successful company in the plastics industry with several production plants, training and customer support centers. Although there has been a little decline in their turnover, ENGEL reinforced their international presence by developing customized automation solutions.
Furthermore, ENGEL has an export quota of about 95%.
Potential for learning or transfer:
As ENGEL has become such a successful company, others can certainly learn a lot from them. The company offers a wide range of products, services and solutions. Their digital solutions and well-developed injection moulding machines help to optimize production processes. Additionally, by offering consultations and customized solutions, machines produce efficiently and sustainably to reach their potential. Furthermore, their solutions also support the circular economy and follow the sustainable goals.