Mechanical engineers who produce injection molds for medium-size plastics processing industry belong to the endangered sectors of economy in North Rhine-Westphalia. To get to the bottom of this subject for the economic zone East Westphalia Prof. Dr. Elmar Moritzer, head of the department of polymer processing, and Matthias Poschmann, board of kunststoffland NRW, started a discussion among experts. Staff members from Böllhoff, Phoenix Contact, groku Kunststoffe GmbH, as well as colleagues from the Hella Werkzeug Technologiezentrum, from Wenker Werkzeugbau and Werkzeugbau Berger from Salzkotten met at the University of Paderborn.

In the focus of the discussion was the question how far a centre for mechanical engineers can be an advantage for the companies involved. Moritzer: "Among colleagues we speak about an extended work bench, this means a centre in which dies are provided." This has the following service foci: provision of high-tech machines (services e.g. milling, turning etc. in the high precision area), support with the design of the die line, support with the business economical and technical boundary conditions, process relating, mechanical, rheological and thermodynamical interpretation of die lines, provision of the newest high-end metrology (without contact, tactile etc.), education and advanced training of the mold makers.Especially the managers of smaller firms agreed about the following: Many middle-class persons have not enough capital to keep the stautus quo of the die innovations, especially in economically difficult times. "We have to be fast and quick because we cannot be cheaper than China", said Dieter Kästingschäfer from the G-12 FreiForm GmbH in Bad Salzuflen. Andreas Wenker from the Wenker-Werkzeugbau KG added: "Only those who are small and flexible have advantages." Wenker replaced the whole machine park between 1990 and 2000. "Only those who change kann stay at the market."This is why in a die centre the order history must be quickly handled and structural problems must be resolved. Matthias Poschmann is a middle-class person in the Märkischer Kreis and chairman of kunststoffland NRW: "The mechanical engineers of North Rhine-Westphalia need an advocacy group, we need to strengthen and stabilize mechanical engineering in NRW." Annette Förster, manageress of the Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft in Paderborn spoke also in favour of this: "If the structures are gone they cannot easily be restored. We have to make sure that we retain them efficiently. I thoroughly support this mechanical engineering-centre in East Westpahlia-Lippe, location Paderborn." For further information about this topic, please click on the following link:http://www.kunststoffland-nrw.de/index.php?id=34&oid=1362