Göppingen, Germany: The press manufacturer Schuler has recorded growth in new orders of 2.6 percent to €1.19 billion (US$1.31 billion) in its fiscal year 2014. “We achieved significant growth in Asia, including one of the largest orders in our 175-year history. We also received major orders in new market segments, such as equipment for the production of large pipes,” stated the company’s CEO Stefan Klebert. The Asian market accounted for 34.1 percent of total new orders and was the second-largest sales market after Europe (45.9 percent).
As part of an investment program totalling over €90 million, the company is investing some €10 million to build a demonstration centre in Tianjin, some 150 km south-east of Beijing. The reason behind building this centre in China is simple.
“There is growing interest in China for presses with our modern ServoDirect Technology,” stated Mr Klebert. The company said that the centre will be one of eight customer centres around the world.
China plays a central role in the company’s strategy and is the source of one third of its revenues. The company aims to serve the mid-price segment in Asia better in future “as we see huge growth potential here,” said Mr Klebert.
