1. Largest Plastics-Networking Europe
Plastics Cluster
Largest Plastics-Networking Europe

2. 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.

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

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

5. Facts & Figures of partners
Total turnover: EUR Bill
Exportrate of total turnover: ~ %
F&E expenses of total turnover: ~ %
Number of employees:
Partners: employees %
employees %
> 250 employees %
182 Companies in Upper Austria %
85 Companies in Lower Austria %
28 Companies in Salzburg %

6. 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

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

8. 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

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

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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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)
… € mio total project amount

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

15. 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

16. Results from 10 years cluster work
98 Co-operative projects with over 419 involved partners, € 18 mio. total project amount
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 ( ) in Upper Austria have been created each year 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)