Looking at the spring industry: Wafios, Scherdel, Kern-Liebers

The present issue of "Looking at the markets" is focusing on the springs industry, because in a few weeks an important event regarding this branch will involve many worldwide professionals.

The 9th edition of the International Congress of the Spring Industry, organized by ESF (European Spring Federation) and ANCCEM (National Association of Italian Springmakers), will be held in Taormina, Sicily, on September 28th - October 1st 2017. This will be a great opportunity to attend brilliant presentations about innovative and interesting topics and to exchange thoughts and ideas with springmakers from the whole world.

The current article analyses the performances of three stock companies which are particularly prominent in the spring manufacturing market with current information on their business activities. 

The three companies are:
Wafios, spring industry supplier
Scherdel, spring manufacturer
Kern-Liebers, spring manufacturer

We invite you also to read the final paragraph "Latest trends" which considers newly published market surveys and other studies concerning directly or indirectly the mentioned industry, constituting an additional source of information.

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Wafios

WAFIOS AG, Reutlingen/Germany (29/07/2017): The manufacturer of machinery for spring manufacturing and other sectors of the wire and tube processing industry with more than 780 employees including 70 apprentices in 2016, achieved sales of €120.4 million in 2016, compared with €117 million in the previous year. Net earnings amounted to €4.8 million. The export share was 66.4%. The company’s most important customer group is the automotive industry accounting for 60% of the sales.
The WAFIOS group reported sales of €168.7 million, 10% more than in 2015 (€153.5 million). The group comprises WAFIOS AG and the companies Witels-Albert (Berlin), WAFIOS Umformtechnik GmbH (Wuppertal), WAFIOS Machinery Corporation (Branford/USA), WAFIOS do Brasil (São Paulo) and WAFIOS Shanghai Machinery founded in 2013.

Projects
One of the central themes of the company is the acceleration of digitization. In 2016 WAFIOS has invested about €3.2 million in the IT infrastructure and new manufacturing technologies. The Americas and Asia are emerging markets for the company which opened a production site in China in 2015 and another one in Mexico in 2017.
Outlook
WAFIOS sees new markets in the fields of electromobility and hybrid technology. Such vehicles need a lot of particular parts made from wires and tubes such as conductor rails and copper wire conductors, spools and contact springs which can be manufactured on WAFIOS machines.
Company presentation/annual report
http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/revenue-financial.wafios_ag.8e2593e2c6350596.html
Sources
http://www.swp.de/reutlingen/lokales/reutlingen/e-mobilitaet-bietet-chancen-15506592.html
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Scherdel

Scherdel GmbH, Marktredwitz/Germany (25/06/2017): The manufacturer of technical springs, stamping and bending parts with more than 5,000 employees reported a sales growth in Q1 of 14.3% compared with the previous-year period. Sales in 2016 amounted to €680 million. 9.5% of the turnover is put into investment projects and 6% into the research and development area where 350 person are employed. The company has 285 apprentices and occupies position 30 among the top-250 of the 10,000 most important medium-sized companies in Germany.
Projects
Recently, Scherdel received for the 15th time the prestigious Bosch Global Supplier Award.
Scherdel founded a joint venture company with its Indian partner company Perfect Springs and is establishing a new factory in Jaipur, India, which should start production in October 2017. The factory will deliver the Indian market and the automotive industry in other Asian markets. 

Outlook
For 2017, a turnover in the order of more than €710 million is targeted. The company will continue its growth strategy above all in Asia and focus on the further development of the mobility sector.

Company presentation/annual report
http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/revenue-financial.scherdel_gmbh.febe0e1262c11709.html
Sources
https://www.onetz.de/marktredwitz/wirtschaft/wachstum-desfedernherstellers-haelt-ungemindert-an-scherdel-freut-sich-ueber-sattes-umsatzplus-d1761466.html
http://www.scherdel.de/de/unternehmen/zahlen-und-fakten/index.php
http://spectrum.de/ebook/scherdel/117e/#p=11
http://www.manager-magazin.de/unternehmen/industrie/die-entrepreneure-des-jahres-2016-siegwerk-sieger-industrie-a-1122735-4.html
http://die-deutsche-wirtschaft.de/das-ranking-der-groessten-mittelstaendler-deutschlands/
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Kern-Liebers

Hugi Kern und Liebers GmbH & Co. KG, Schramberg/Germany (10/07/2017): The manufacturer of technical springs and other components with more than 7,400 employees reached an overall revenue in the financial year 2016/17 of €727 million, about 10% more than in the year before (€661 million). The biggest regional growth was generated in Asia with a plus of 25%. Within Germany, revenue rose by 6% in comparison to the past financial year, while in Europe outside of Germany the development reached a plus of 8%. In North America, a growth of +4% was realized. Currently more than 100 young people pursue a professional training at the company’s headquarter in Schramberg.
Projects
The company carried out investments in new production facilities at its locations in the Czech Republic and Mexico. The foundation stone of a new plant at the subsidiary in Tianjin near Beijing/China with a production space of initially 15,000m² was laid in June 2017.
In the last months, Kern Liebers companies received several quality awards, for example by the Japanese automotive supplier Tokai Rika (TRAM) and Ashimori Technology Wuxi (ATW), the Chinese-based member of the Japanese Ashimori Group. (http://www.kern-liebers.com/en/news/).
Outlook
For the new financial year 2017/18, Kern-Liebers plans to continue its growth trend. Numerous restarts and projects in all regions and all business sectors will back up this development. Despite of political uncertainties, the global economic condition finally stabilized and even accelerated towards the beginning of this year.

Company presentation/annual report
http://www.kern-liebers.com/en/company/

Sources
http://www.kern-liebers-textile.com/en/news/article/kern-liebers-group-continues-growth-trend/
https://www.nrwz.de/schramberg/kern-liebers-gruppe-weiter-auf-wachstumskurs/174950
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Latest trends – Market Research Reports Spring manufacturing
Metal Springs Market Is Expected To Grow At A CAGR Of 5.1 % During The Forecast Period From 2017 To 2025
http://technorati.com/metal-springs-market-is-expected-to-grow-at-a-cagr-of-5-1-during-the-forecast-period-from-2017-to-2025/

Analysis and Assessment on Automotive Coil Spring Market by FMI 2017-2027
Aug 2017
http://www.lanews.org/analysis-and-assessment-on-automotive-coil-spring-market-by-fmi-2017-2027/
Metal Springs Market By Type (Helical Springs, Leaf Springs), By End-Use Industry (Automotive And Transportation, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Construction) - Growth, Share, Opportunities & Competitive Analysis, 2017 – 2025
Aug 2017
http://www.credenceresearch.com/report/metal-springs-market
Global Compression Spring Market Research Report 2017
July 2017
https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-compression-spring-market-research-report-2017-78565.html
U.S. Spring Market Report Share, Size, Trends, Growth and Forecast 2017-2025
Posted: Jul 24, 2017 5:02 PM
http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/us-spring-market-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/
Global Automotive Leaf Spring Suspension Market 2017-2021 - Key vendors are Rassini, Hendrickson, EMCO & Jamna Auto Industries - Research and Markets
July 2017
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170705005665/en/Global-Automotive-Leaf-Spring-Suspension-Market-2017-2021
Chain, Spring & Wire Product Manufacturing
May 2017
https://www.ibisworld.co.uk/industry-trends/market-research-reports/manufacturing/manufacture-of-fabricated-metal-products-except-machinery-equipment/chain-spring-wire-product-manufacturing.html
Global Automotive Coil Spring Market 2017 : By Size and Share, Technology, Drivers & Strains - Trends & Forecast to 2022
Apr 2017
https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/35823/request-sample
Global Suspension Spring Market Research Report 2017
Apr 2017
http://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/8239-suspension-spring-industry-market-report
Wire & Spring Manufacturing in the US: Market Research Report
March 2017
https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-trends/market-research-reports/manufacturing/fabricated-metal-product/wire-spring-manufacturing.html
  Previous issues of the column:
Looking at the automotive market: Bosch, Delphi, Faurecia >>
Looking at the markets: Borealis, DuPont, PolyOne >>
Looking at the markets: Benteler, Vallourec, Webco Industries >>
Looking at the markets: Bossard, Norma Group, SFS >>
Looking at the markets: Bekaert, Salzgitter, Voestalpine >>
Looking at the markets: Aurubis, Huber+Suhner, Leoni >> The information has been compiled by Dipl.-Ing. Konrad Dengler, a technical journalist specialised in industrial activities.
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