Wire & Cable Asia September 2017

41 / 124

39
Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2017
Industrynews
Successful through difficult times
Before the First World War broke out,
Troester had established itself as a
manufacturer of special machines for the
rubber-processing industry. The
company was economically well
positioned; however, it was faced with
new challenges during the war and
post-war turmoil. The good times
returned in 1924, with Carl Bredemeyer,
who took the destiny of the company
into his hands.
As part of the Buna programme, Troester
experienced an economic high point in
the 1930s. The company profited from
the development of synthetic rubber and
thermoplastics. The equipment
manufacturer conquered new business
sectors, for instance with extruders for
PVC processing.
Yet the Second World War brought
difficult times. By 1945, the plant in
Wülfel had virtually been completely
destroyed by two air strikes. However,
currency reform, the lifting of seizure by
British military authorities and the
Marshall Plan ensured that relations
were soon normalised. The
reconstruction of the destroyed facilities
began, and Troester presented itself to
the public for the first time in 1947, on
order of the British-organised ‘Export
Trade Fair Hannover’, the predecessor of
what later became the ‘Hanover Fair’.
Employee know-how is the best
capital
Over the years, the company has
developed from a classic equipment
manufacturer to a system provider,
accountable for comprehensive
electronics, controlling and automation
of state-of-the-art units, in addition to
manufacturing. Among other things,
the company is based on in-depth
research and development work, which
has always been a top priority at
Troester. The company spends about
two per cent of its revenue on these
areas. Key competencies and special
know-how stay in the company.
“Courage and tireless commitment are
characteristics that have shaped
Troester since its founding,” added Dr
Schmidt, who took over managing the
company from his father in 2003. “The
workers and staff feel like they are part
of a family.”
On average, each employee has been
in the company for about 16 years,
while many are celebrating their 25 th
and even 40th anniversaries.
Equipped for the future
The company is committed to its
location in Germany. As part of
restructuring and optimisation of
production conditions at the Wülfel
plant, a new production hall with a
surface area of 3,200m 2 was constructed
in 2016. A second construction phase
with several buildings follows this year,
which will expand the factory premises
in Hanover to over 25,000m2 – about
15,300m2 of which is production space –
thereby positioning Troester’s capacities
and plant logistics for the future. New
investments are already in planning to
equip the company for the challenges of
digitisation and Industry 4.0.
Troester GmbH & Co KG – Germany
Website:
❍ With the new 3,200m2 production hall, capacities and factory logistics are ready for the
future
❍ The continous kneaders from X-Compound have a wide range of applications –
including gentle processing of cable compounds