(Exclusive) Shunde Kautex reorganized as Krupp Machinery after acquiring by Suzhou Tongda
Through court auction, China’s extrusion blow molding machine manufacturer Suzhou Tongda Machinery has gained the right to reorganize Shunde Kautex which is now officially operating as Krupp Machinery (Guangdong).
Adsale Plastics Network conducted an exclusive interview with Jinyu Gui, Deputy General Manager of Suzhou Tongda Machinery.
Shunde Kautex was reorganized as Krupp Machinery (Guangdong) Co., Ltd.
Wenliang Xu, Chairman of Suzhou Tongda, and Jinyu Gui are appointed as the General Manager and Deputy General Manager of Krupp Machinery (Guangdong), respectively. Currently, Krupp Machinery has about 120 employees.
“This reorganization was approved by our partners,” said Gui.
Jinyu Gui, Deputy General Manager of Suzhou Tongda Machinery and Deputy General Manager of Suzhou Tongda Machinery.
Background of Shunde Kautex
Kautex was founded in 1935 in Germany. The company developed the world’s first blow molding machine for commercial use.
Shunde Kautex was a wholly owned subsidiary of Kautex in China, its history can be traced back to 1994. The company was jointly established by industrial leaders, including Krupp from Germany and Chen Hsong from Hong Kong. At present, the company has been officially reorganized as Krupp Machinery (Guangdong).
Shunde Kautex operated in China with R&D, assembling, sales and after-sales services. The company manufactured KCC series of extrusion blow molding machine for the global market, as well as promoting localized production.
In 2016, Shunde Kautex achieved localized production for KBB series of all-electric machines; in 2019, the company achieved localized production for KSH series of blow molding machines for large containers; in 2021, the company introduced equipment for IBC tank production.
KBB all-electric machine. (Source: Krupp)
Background of Suzhou Tongda Machinery
Established in 1999, Suzhou Tongda Machinery is a leading machine manufacturer in China’s extrusion blow molding sector. In the top enterprises of the Chinese plastics machinery industry ranking in 2023, Suzhou Tongda ranked first in both main business income and net profit in the blow molding sector.
Office building and production facility of Suzhou Tongda. (Source: Suzhou Tongda)
“Suzhou Tongda has been leading the sales worldwide in the blow molding sector for many years. Yet, Germany remains to be the leader in terms of technological aspect. This reorganization will provide great support to the company’s technological innovation and market competitiveness,” added Gui.
Suzhou Tongda x Krupp Machinery: Future development
The two companies will continue to focus on their own markets and further develop.
“Krupp Machinery’s blow molding technology has outstanding performance in demanding industries. It is similar to the industry’s ‘lithography machine’, representing superior technological level in the industry,” stated Gui.
He also emphasized that in the future, Krupp Machinery will continue to focus on high-end blow molding equipment, promoting the development of high-speed and high-efficiency blow molding technology. The company will also participate in CHINAPLAS 2025 which will take place in April 2025 in Shenzhen, China.
Krupp’s KCC 20D extrusion blow molding machine and production facility. (Source: Krupp)
On the other hand, Suzhou Tongda will continue to focus on mid-range market. The annual sales of Suzhou Tongda and Krupp Machinery are RMB 500 million and RMB 200 million respectively.
Development of blow molding machine
The global blow molding machine market is expected to continue growing. According to Straits Research, a global market research organization, the global blow molding machine market amounted to US$5.52 billion in 2022, and it is expected to reach US$7.58 billion with a CAGR of 3.6% in 2031.
Asian Pacific region is the most active market in blow molding sector, and it is expected to grow with a CAGR of 3.9%, which is higher than European region (2.9%).
Apart from Krupp Machinery, world-leading blow molding machine manufactures include Magic, B&W, BEKUM and so on. China’s blow molding machine market is continuously growing, besides Suzhou Tongda, leading manufacturers include Fong Kee International Machinery, Kai Mei Plastic Machinery, Akei, Bestar Blow Molding Machinery, among others.
On technological aspect, blow molding machine is developing towards the direction of all-electric, energy-saving and automation. Automation is specifically important in turnkey solutions.
From the downstream market point of view, consumable and industrial packaging market shows steady growth, in particular, demands for 20L+ jerrycan and 200L double ring barrel in industrial packaging continuously grow.
“Market demand exists and now shifts to specific sectors. Therefore, we need to work harder to connect customers with markets,” Gui concluded.
Suzhou Tongda’s sales order now occupies the coming half year. The three production facilities in Zhangjiagang, China, operates simultaneously. The exports exceed local sales, with customers from more than 80 countries and regions, including Southeast Asia, Europe, US, etc.
