"The PU market is a global market", explains General Sales Director Rolf Trippler. "To survive in this market segment in the long run, it is essential to also think and act globally. We continue to see strong growth rates in the future, especially in Asia. A broad product portfolio and a strong international network are the keys to success in these diverse markets with their different requirements. "The markets in Eastern Asia, China, Korea and Japan are also highly technologically driven. According to Trippler, new innovations, especially in these markets, are important in order to maintain and expand their competitive edge. Another topic in the countries mentioned is the clear growth of the middle class. This creates new, rapidly growing markets and applications. These include, for example, the production of slabstock foam for high-quality mattresses and furniture as well as the production of energy-saving refrigerators. In general, the topic of sustainability is gaining importance in Asia as well. In Southeast Asia the demand for building insulation with sandwich panels is booming, and the rapidly growing Chinese automotive industry is also banking on lightweight construction that is suitable for mass production. "Ideal examples of tasks that the companies of the Hennecke Group have mastered perfectly as world market leaders. In these industries, we are ideally positioned with our systems portfolio. All in all an excellent starting point to become the most trustworthy, reliable and advanced supplier of machine and systems technology for polyurethane processing in Asia," adds Trippler.

About 40 percent of the world's available polyurethane raw materials are consumed in Asia. No wonder then that Hennecke decided early on to focus more on the largest part of the world in terms of surface area. On July 30, 1994, Hennecke founded a subsidiary in Singapore that operates today as Hennecke Asia Pte. Ltd., and recently received competent reinforcement from two German employees from the parent company. In 2011, Hennecke opened the first factory of Hennecke Machinery Shanghai with a floor area of 6,500 m² in the metropolis of Shanghai. Here, Hennecke produces dry parts for refrigerators and car seat production systems. A mere two years later, a second, 6,000 m² plant was inaugurated at the same location. Currently more than 80 employees work for Hennecke in Shanghai. The newly opened plant in the province of Jiaxing now has around 8,000 m² of additional production space. It is connected with a state-of-the-art office landscape.

A showroom in the entrance area allows customers to experience what distinguishes Hennecke machinery and systems technology. "Unlike our competitors, we did not go to China just to produce cheaply," says Trippler, explaining the company's motivation. "Instead, we want to produce internationally to be closer to the customer. This is an invaluable advantage, especially for large-scale systems. Over the years, we have built up and qualified the entire supply chain of the plants with meticulous quality management so that we can ensure that the machines from the Asian factories have exactly the same quality standards as those which have been appreciated for decades in the German production."

Hennecke has also worked in other Asian countries since early on. The company has its own branch office in Seoul, Korea, and the PUR specialist maintains a sales and service office with a five-man team in Hyderabad, India. In Japan, the market presence has also been significantly strengthened with the founding of Hennecke Machinery Japan. The Tokyo-based company has been available to customers for all questions regarding the extensive Hennecke product portfolio since June 2018.

On-site service in all Asian countries is provided by local staff. All Southeast Asian locations assume the service and sales responsibilities of the entire Hennecke Group. These include Hennecke Profiliertechnik GmbH from Kreuztal, Germany and the newest group member HENNECKE-OMS, based in Verano Brianza, Italy.