SHIBAURA MACHINE acquires 80% of LWB Steinl’s shares

SHIBAURA MACHINE acquires 80% of the shares in LWB Steinl GmbH. Combining their expertise in injection moulding machines and automation, the move is set to strengthen both partners' technology and system competencies for fully automated production cells. The mechanical engineering and automation divisions will be separated from the Steinl Group and integrated into the partnership. Additionally, the sales networks will complement each other: SHIBAURA MACHINE can access LWB’s European customer base, while LWB will benefit from SHIBAURA MACHINE’s established network in Asia and the United States.

All LWB Steinl employees will be retained, and the Altdorf site will be the European headquarters and production hub. The Japanese machine manufacturer has secured the option to acquire the remaining 20% shares from the Steinl family in three years.

“Our strong footprint in America and the Asia-Pacific region forms the foundation for our strategic expansion,” said Dr Georg Holzinger, Managing Executive Officer of SHIBAURA MACHINE. “Europe, especially Germany, plays a key role in our growth. To fulfil our strategy, we specifically sought out a German partner who shares our standards of precision and quality. We identified this partner in LWB Steinl. As a family-owned company, LWB Steinl embodies the values that also shape our Japanese corporate culture: trust, appreciation, and loyalty.”

Through this acquisition, the company hopes to expand its product portfolio of all-electric and hydraulic injection moulding machines to include vertical injection moulding machines and automation solutions. This will allow the company to offer new applications in the future.

Holzinger continued, “Our global production footprint allows us to meet the diverse needs of customers worldwide. We now plan to expand it to include the Altdorf site in Germany as our European headquarters and production hub. We will leverage LWB Steinl’s State-of-the-Art technology, proven employee expertise, and well-structured delivery processes. This will strengthen our technology and system competence for fully automated production cells and enable us to offer customers in Europe market-compliant delivery times and competitive production costs, and compliance with European standards such as OPC UA and Euromap 77 and 82.”

Peter Steinl, Managing Director of LWB Steinl GmbH, added, “The plastics and rubber industry is currently undergoing profound change: machines are increasingly becoming commodity products. To remain competitive, companies must now position themselves strategically, maintaining high product quality while achieving cost efficiency. With SHIBAURA MACHINE, we have found a strong partner who will help us to build a strong foundation - through more efficient manufacturing and expanded global sales presence.”

In the future, LWB-Steinl’s machines and systems will benefit from cost advantages in purchasing and production through SHIBAURA MACHINE’s global manufacturing network in Japan, China, and India. Additionally, SHIBAURA MACHINE’s global sales network provides better access to important markets like Asia and the United States.

“Japanese companies enjoy a strong reputation in Germany – above all because of their technological know-how, their innovative strength, their sophisticated production and supply chain processes, and their progressive approach to digitalisation,” continued Steinl. “I am convinced that we can successfully leverage SHIBAURA MACHINE’s platform competence and expertise in the areas of IIoT, smart machines, and data science for our products.”

“The new company SHIBAURA MACHINE LWB GmbH will operate from a position of strength, focus on workforce stability, and aim for long-term growth. We will be able to offer plastics processors and injection moulders sustainable added value: first-class technology and system expertise for fully automated production cells, comprehensive knowledge of processes, applications, and procedures, and a strong, loyal customer and service orientation. The SHIBAURA MACHINE and LWB brand names will remain unchanged,” concluded Holzinger. “Employment contracts will remain in place, and there are no plans for job cuts or relocation. On the contrary, we are deliberately relying on the high level of expertise and experience of our employees in Altdorf to continue to serve our customers with the quality and precision that we, as a Japanese machine manufacturer, take for granted.”