Leistritz Extrusiontechnik GmbH (Stand 16F22; Nuremberg, Germany) announced the sale of seven lines to German masterbatch supplier Grafe Group. Two of the lines will be delivered this year, with the remainder to be shipped in 2011. The line running at its stand, the new ZSE 18 Maxx, has also been sold and is destined for compounder and distributor A. Schulman in Europe.

Leistritz also will open a sales and service office outside Shanghai in January 2011, targeting the high end of the booming local market. Peter Theobald, a 10-years-plus veteran of the plastics industry, who has spent the last 15 years in Asia, including 11 years in Singapore and the last 4 years in China, will head up the office as general manager.

The operation will start with three employees, with plans to hire more in the short term. The company is currently seeking space, with initial plans for a smaller sales/service operation, including a showroom, and down the line, it will seek out more space and add local assembly of machinery. The company is looking for space in Taichung, an industrial district 40 km from Shanghai that is already home to numerous European firms.

Leistritz currently has four offices globally in addition to its Nuremberg headquarters, with operations in the U.S. (New Jersey), Singapore, France (Ceyzeriat), and Italy (Castellanza).

Michael Thummert, head of marketing at Leistritz, told the KSD that after a “rough” 2009, business has greatly improved in 2010. “Right now, our order income is almost the best we’ve ever had,” Thummert said, “so it has picked up dramatically. The K show has had a very promising beginning, and I think you can say that the crisis is definitely over.” Thus far in 2010, sales are 30%-40% than 2009, and the company is once again looking to add staff, although Thummert said that at this time, finding people can be difficult.