AST Kunststoffverarbeitung emerged from the company Albrecht Strohmann in 1977. With approximately 160 employees, the family-run company based in Erndtebrück near Cologne records revenue in excess of 100 million euro. As Europe’s leading producer of industrial packaging, AST specializes in the manufacture of plastic jerrycans and drums. The company’s primary focus is on the production of containers with UN hazardous materials accreditation. The main customers for the company’s products are in the chemicals and oil industries, while the pharmaceuticals and food and beverage industries are also important markets.
State-of-the-art production facilities
AST manufactures plastic packaging, stackable jerrycans and drums with volumes ranging from 2 to 220 liters at its locations in Germany, the UK and Belgium. The company relies on high-performance, state-of-the-art machines. “Kautex approached us in 2016 when they were working on the new all-electric KBB400 machines in Bonn,” relates Martin Schack Staffeldt, Managing Director of the AST facility in Wales. “As one of Europe’s most high-tech jerrycan manufacturing machines, the KBB400 meets our high expectations in every technical detail. We also collaborated closely with Kautex to bring our own ideas and requirements to reality.”
In August 2016, the first KBB400 machine, equipped with a Kautex three-layer head for a cost-efficient ReCo process, left the plant in Bonn for delivery to the AST facility in Hoogstraten, Belgium. After a brief stopover on the Kautex stand at the K Trade Fair in Düsseldorf, another KBB400 reached its destination in Wrexham, Wales, to commence production in January 2017.
Smooth commissioning process
“New technologies always bring new challenges,” comments Martin Schack Staffeldt. “But we have to commend Kautex Maschinenbau for the support they provided. The company dealt with the challenges we faced during installation with the utmost efficiency, great expertise, and no fuss.” Since then, the machine has been running in continuous operation with no problems reported. “This confirms that our trust was well-placed and that we made the right decision to go with Kautex as our supplier,” according to the plastics specialist.
“We have also been receiving very positive feedback from our customers when we show them around our plant and point out the new KBB machine. We have already put in orders for additional Kautex machines to meet the ever-growing quality requirements of the industrial packaging market.”
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