Largest Plastics-Networking Europe Plastics Cluster Largest Plastics-Networking Europe

Largest Plastics-Network in Europe Cooperation between Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Salzburg We initiate and co-ordinate inter-company teamwork. Top objective is to concentrate competencies to increase the innovative capacity and competitiveness of the partners. Special attention is paid to the needs of SME.

Innovation Co-operation Objectives of the Plastics Cluster Sustainable Increase of the competitiveness and the profitability of the cluster partners Innovation Co-operation

Plastics Cluster Raw materials/ Recycling Traders Polymer Processing Total: 407 partners Technology Transfer Bodies Machinery Tooling/Mould Construction Suppliers of plastics- related services

Facts & Figures of partners Total turnover: EUR 15.07 Bill Exportrate of total turnover: ~ 63.28 % F&E expenses of total turnover: ~ 2.81 % Number of employees: 57.800 Partners: 407 1-9 employees 32 % 10-250 employees 50 % > 250 employees 18 % 182 Companies in Upper Austria 45 % 85 Companies in Lower Austria 21 % 28 Companies in Salzburg 7 %

Incorporating the whole value-chain (Partner ranking acc. turnover ) Raw materials/ Recycling traders Polymer Processing Machinery Tooling/Mould Construction Suppliers of plastics- related services Technology Transfer Bodies

The Plastics Cluster – not profit but performance orientated Legal body: Clusterland Oberösterreich GmbH ecoplus. The Business Agency of Lower Austria Ltd. ITG Salzburg Founded: 01.04.1999 Funding:  financial means of the States of Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Salzburg  contributions of cluster-partners Governance & evaluation: KC-advisory board (company members)

The Advisory board sets the strategies and assesses the activities of the Plastics Cluster Karl Rametsteiner KE KELIT Kunststoffwerk GmbH, Area: Extrusion Sprecher des Beirats Ing. Karl Bohaty AGRU Kunststofftechnik GmbH Area: Extrusion Dr. Norbert Almhofer Trodat Produktions GmbH, Area: Injection Moulding Stv. Sprecher des Beirats Univ.Prof. Dr. Oliver Brüggemann Johannes Kepler Universität Linz - Institut für Chemie der Polymere Area: R&D/Institutes, service companies DI Dr. Friedrich Kastner ifw Manfred Otte GmbH Area: Tooling production Ing. Josef Arbeiter KUAG Kunststoff-Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH Area: Mechanical engineering

Main areas of activities of the Plastics Cluster Information and Communication Qualifications Co-operation Marketing and PR Internationalisation

Information und Communication KC-Supplier and service catalogue KC-aktuell Plastics Cluster Website  Detailed Facts  Updating Plastics News The Plastics Information Portal http://www.kunststoff-cluster.at  monthly info-mails (~ 1.000 people in 700 companies)  about 20 personal company contacts per month

KC-annual conference: 22. September 2010 in Salzburg Qualification 187 Events Symposiums Workshops Business inspections Study trips Contact meetings 10.204 Participants 876 Speakers since April 1999: KC-annual conference: 22. September 2010 in Salzburg

project-implementation Co-operation and Project-development Promotional measures: Events Company conversations Market observation Direct contacts by companies KC Support in: Proposal wording Submission for the funding Working out of: Press text Mails Secrecy on the whole (required) proposal idea dissemination project-implementation find partners project kick-off KC support Preparation of interim reports Preparation of final reports Support through: KC monthly info mails KC contacts KC database

98 Co-operative projects Co-operation … Technology - RTM-bracket development Technology and product development of bodywork external members … Organisation - Reengineering injection moulding, tooling, design Benchmarking in injection molding and tool engineering benchmarking in tool and form making for SMEs … Qualification - Training co-operation ‘Innviertel‘ - Kaizen co-operation 98 Co-operative projects 85 completed 13 in process … 419 Partners in co-operative projects (210 different companies) … € 18.40 mio total project amount

Marketing & PR Promotion of the Plastics Cluster both nationally and internationally Preparation of KC information material Attend trade fairs 3 campaigns „Plastics open house“ www.kunststofftag.at Youth folder about training in the plastics industry Career within the plastics industry: www.kunststoffkarriere.at

Internationalisation Invitation of international experts to Austria Support of international co-operation and representation Pro4Plast with 28 co-operation partners Clusterplast with 15 co-operation partners PLASTICourse with 5 co-operation partners Pep Therm with 9 co-operation partners Pro K with 10 co-operation partners Assistance for internationalisation fo Upper Austrian companies Inquiries from abroad concerning co-operation partners and export grants

Results from 10 years cluster work 98 Co-operative projects with over 419 involved partners, € 18 mio. total project amount 10.204 participants at events 77 % of companies are working together to further cooperation projects (from customer-supplier relationship to joint-venture start-ups) 89 % of projects haven’t been undertaken without the cluster or not in this form. In cooperation with other companies might have been mostly abandoned. The cluster management is of central importance for the initiation of collaborative activities. The sales growth in the plastics industry was in the last three years (2004 – 2007) in Upper Austria with 7-8 percent annually well above the other branches. In the last three years (2004 - 2007) in Upper Austria have been created each year 750-800 new jobs in the plastics industry. Quelle: Ohler, Fritz: Evaluierung der oberösterreichischen Clusterinitiativen, 2001 (Quelle: Schneider, Holzberg: Volkswirtschaftliche Analyse ausgewählter Maßnahmen der oö Standort- und Technologiepolitik, 2003)