“Turnover and number of orders rising steadily”
For decades Kiefel has been constructing machines and installations for processing plastic materials for the automotive, medical and packaging industries. In 2012 this long-established Bavarian company, which is member of the Brückner Group, turned over 78 million Euros. Since 1955 Kiefel GmbH has been designing and producing machines for processing plastic film materials.
The Bavarian company with its headquarters in Freilassing is member of the Brückner Group and is an internationally well-established specialist in the automotive, medical, refrigerator and packaging industries. Its core competences are joining and forming of plastics films.
Well-known customers as Volkswagen, BMW, Magna, Johnson Controls, BSH, Electrolux, Baxter and Fresenius opt for the high-quality installations produced by this long-established company. Kiefel is one of the world market leaders and operates a sales and service network globaly. Its subsidiaries and offices in the USA, France, the Netherlands, Russia, China, Brazil, Indonesia and India and its distributors in more than 60 countries turn Kiefel into a global global operating company.
Kiefel’s most important markets are the USA, Europe and the Far East. Growth of ten per cent in the first quarter of 2013 In 2012 Kiefel recorded a turnover of 78 million Euros with an export rate of 84 per cent. The order income has been 83 million Euros. In the first quarter of 2013, the company recorded a growth of ten per cent. Managing director Thomas J. Halletz is pleased to state, “This means that we exactly reached our goals. We are very glad that our company’s turnover and the number of orders are steadily rising again.”
The medical, packaging and automotive/refrigerator branches each generated as an average one third of the turnover. „Our success is based on our committed employees. They develop perfect solutions for our customers and ensure the optimum project realization,” emphasizes Mr Halletz. At its headquarters in Freilassing (Germany), Kiefel is one of the region’s most important employers. It employs 435 people, 45 of them apprentices.
These are trained in the fields: industrial business administration, industrial mechanics, technical product design and electronics for industrial engineering. The training rate of Kiefel, which amounts to ten per cent, is much higher than the average across Germany. “Our goal is to keep the major part of the apprentices in the company after they have finished their training or returned after attending further education“, states Mr Halletz.
Kiefel Campus increases efficiency
In 2012 Kiefel inaugurated its Campus – a new customer, industrial and technology center, which, due to its open, friendly architecture and its green areas, creates a special inspiring atmosphere. The customers and staff benefit from modern workrooms. A well-equipped Technology Center is also available to the Kiefel specialists, which allows a successful realization of projects. This is the facility where basic tests with new materials and quality tests under laboratory conditions are carried out, where customer-specific solutions are developed and technical processes are optimised.
Due to newly organised manufacturing and storage areas an increase in the company’s efficiency by 20 per cent in the assembly and 30 per cent in storage has been achieved. In order to be able to grow further, Kiefel bought further 17,000 square meters neighbouring the campus. Mr Halletz declares, “This has been an important step to create new possibilities for further development in Freilassing. This investment is essential to secure Kiefel’s future“. Dr. Axel von Wiedersperg, managing director of the Brückner Group, adds, “The whole project ‘Campus’ and the acquisition of the plot perfectly fit into the Brückner Group’s growth strategy. We aim at advancing Kiefel as a technological leader on a long-term basis“
