Double-digit sales growth for POLYRACK Group in 2018 - further investments planned
Straubenhardt, 15 May 2019 – The POLYRACK TECH-GROUP celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Over the years, the company group has developed into a globally operating family-run enterprise. In fiscal year 2018, the POLYRACK Group once again achieved strong sales growth. For this purpose, the company has heavily expanded its technology areas, for 2019 as well as the coming years many investments are planned.
Since it was founded in 1979, the POLYRACK Group has developed from a one-man operation into a globally operating family-run enterprise. Over the decades, more and more new technologies, markets and know-how have been added. On the basis of its standard business the company has developed into a cross-technology system provider. Today, its portfolio encompasses engineering with extensive technology know-how in the fields of mechanical and plastics technology, system technology and surface technology. In addition, it offers a wide standard portfolio as well as logistics and sourcing services.
The POLYRACK Group currently has more than 450 employees at various sites in the Straubenhardt / Ettlingen area (Baden Württemberg) and in the US, China, Switzerland and Belgium. "I am proud of the fact that despite our growth we have remained a family-run company with clear structures that steers the destiny of the company with moderation and responsibility and will pursue this in the next generation as well", declares Horst Rapp, company founder and owner of the POLYRACK Group, who is still active today. "As entrepreneurs, we are responsible first and foremost for our customers and for our employees. As owners of the company, the family wishes to undertake this responsibility also for the next 40 years and be a reliable partner both for our business partners and our employees."
"Today the company offers a broad range of products and services and is represented in many sectors and markets. This provides us with stability and our customers with the requisite reliability", adds executive manager, Andreas Rapp.
Successful Fiscal Year 2018
The POLYRACK Group looks back on a successful fiscal year 2018: In 2018, the company was able to increase its sales by around 10% and achieved total sales of around 70 million Euros (not consolidated). Once again, the company group showed a double-digit percentage increase in incoming orders and order backlog. "We were able to sustainably develop the company group not only with our existing customers but also and above all with new customers and new projects. In 2019 we anticipate growth in about the same amount", explains Andreas Rapp.
The main growth sectors are medical engineering, measurement and control technology, broadcasting, machinery and plant engineering, traffic-control systems, railway technology and aerospace. POLYRACK has also systematically expanded its standard and modified standard business in the fields of 19" and embedded computing to fit specific markets.
Numerous Investments for Continuing Growth Track
In 2018 POLYRACK modernized and reorganized the ESD area in assembly in order to be able to support its customers with in-house engineering in collaboration with its customers.
In the coming years too, POLYRACK plans extensive investments, first and foremost by expanding the factory in Ettlingen, near Karlsruhe. Here the company will expand its sheet metal production and logistics with a building extension of around 1300 m2. In addition, the machinery will be successively upgraded and replaced by 2020. By 2021, the investment volume of the POLYRACK Group will amount to five to six million Euros, embracing all technology areas: punch and laser technology, bending, welding, milling, plastics and surface technology as well as further development of quality assurance and measurement engineering.
POLYRACK has built up extensive project experience and detailed know-how in systems technology, above all in the field of "open VPX" standards. "In future, the systems sector will play an even more important role, so we want to expand this further and invest in R&D and manufacturing know-how", Andreas Rapp explains. "For this year and the coming year, we see an increasing number of project implementations above all in the areas of embedded computing and display technology.”
In order to achieve its objectives in the coming years, POLYRACK is also ramping up its workforce and investing in employee development.
"With these investments, we consider the company group well prepared for accomplishing the upcoming customer projects and it has scope for future growth with our customers", according to Andreas Rapp.
Focus on Quality
Various companies within the POLYRACK Group have recently been successfully re-certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001(2015) and IATF. Certification to DIN EN 9100 - aerospace – will be completed during the course of 2020. "With this, we want to show this target group too that we can offer top performance in technology and quality", says Andreas Rapp.
Strong Domestic Market and Further Internationalization
In 2018, it was the German market that largely contributed to the sales growth: here there are still attractive growth opportunities for the POLYRACK Group. For further growth potential the focus is on international markets, in particular the countries in Europe and the US and Canada. Currently, exports account for around 50% of POLYRACK Group’s sales. "Our goal is to achieve positive sales development. But we want to do this with the necessary sense of proportion and entrepreneurial foresight", says Andreas Rapp.
Straubenhardt, 08. October 2018 - POLYRACK Electronic-Aufbausysteme GmbH has received the classification according to DIN EN 45545 for their card guides and fulfils the requirements for fire protection of materials and components on railway vehicles.
The DIN EN-standard regulates the fire protection of all products that are used in rail vehicles which have a potential for fire protection.
The card guides are common in railway applications and are subject to certain fire protection guidelines for passenger rail vehicles. The fire protection regulation specifies the requirements of fire performance for materials and components which are installed in the vehicle to allow an effective evacuation and rescue of persons in case of emergencies. POLYRACK achieved a classification result according to the requirement set R24 for the hazard level HL3. This is the highest possible classification stated in the hazard level table and provides construction engineers of railway vehicles a maximum of planning certainty.
POLYRACK guarantees its customers safe and high-grade card guides for rail vehicles according to DIN EN 45545-2.
The POLYRACK TECH-GROUP has recently obtained certification according to DIN EN ISO 3834 and offers fusion-welded sheet metal and profile casess as well as control cabinets according to ISO 3834.
ISO 3834 guarantees high-quality fusion-welded components and constructions. The process places extensive demands on personnel, machines and systems as well as on the necessary documentation. "The quality of a welded joint is often difficult or impossible to assess. This certification gives our customers the certainty to receive only cases and control cabinets with absolutely high-quality welded joints," explains Vitalij Linker, international welding technician and deputy production manager at POLYRACK.
POLYRACK has obtained the ISO 3834 welding certificate for the use of aluminium or chrome-nickel-steel for products that are realised with a welded joint. The certificate is particularly relevant for industry-specific applications in mechanical and systems engineering as well as in medical technology, especially for cases with requirements for reliable protective properties or use in rough environmental conditions. Upon customer request, POLYRACK qualifies further welding processes and materials. At POLYRACK, this is already taken into account during the development phase of a project in coordination with the customer and the respective requirements.
With the DIN EN ISO 3834 certificate POLYRACK guarantees its customers high-quality welded joints for sheet metal cases and control cabinets
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The FerroRAIL-series meets besides the demanding requirements in the railway and transportation market also the specific demands of the French railways SNCF towards electronic components.
This particularly includes the standard EN 50155, which combines important standards for on track vehicles: it regulates aspects such as power distribution, isolation coordination, electromagnetic compatibility, shock and vibration resistance (NF EN 61373) as well as special fire and smoke protection standards (NF 16- 101/102, class F1, I2). In addition, the FerroRAIL series corresponds to the standards NF F 60-005 as well as NF F 67-012 and NF F 60-002 (mechanical test for French rail vehicles).
Depending on the application-specific use different constructions can be realized with single components of the series. The basic constructions are available in two designs: standard products have a side plate extension as well as a cable distribution frame, the IEEE-versions are also available in a shortened version and shielded with EMC-springs. In order to design the basic constructions vibration-proof, the side plate and mounting brackets as well as the rear corner brackets are positively tox-joined and the horizontal rails secured with two screws each side.
Various assembly and accessory parts match the use in different domains. This includes for example standardized guidance profiles or coding pins. Furthermore card guides made of polycarbonate (PC) are used.
Straubenhardt, 30. June 2016 – The robust subracks series Future from the POLYRACK TECH-GROUP can be individually configured. It is designed for different shielding concepts and applications in harsh environments such as railway technology.For applications in demanding environment POLYRACK developed its Future subracks exceptionally robust. Thanks to the securing of the heavy-duty rails with two screws each side as well as the tox-joined version of the side plates the series Future meets the requirements on a „vibration resistant“ product and therefore corresponds for use at the Deutsche Bahn (according to LESDB) as well as the French railway system (NF-F).Depending on the demands various configurations can be combined with the standard parts of the series Future. The basic constructions are differing in vibration resistance and shielding concept. The shielding concept “spring” carries a groove for insertion in the mounting bracket while the concept “gasket” shows a detail for a self-adhesive strip in a CuNi coated fabric. POLYRACK also has a compatible version according to IEEE 1101.1/IEEE 1101.10 with front extrusions and ejector handle perforation in its product range. Combinations of positively tox-joined and with two screws secured side plate mounting brackets and side plate corner brackets ensure a robust construction. Due to the profile positioning in 10mm increments a dual construction is also possible.Further versions can be individually configured by single components. An example for a customer-specific solution is a subrack based on the Futureseries that was successfully certified according to EN 60068 by POLYRACK. With its weight of 10 kg it withstands shock loads up to 5G and is suitable for use in environments with strong mechanical load, such as in rail wagons, in power plants, in mines or lorries. Besides the development and customerspecific adaptions up to the complete product solution POLYRACK also provides the certification of the subracks with accredited partners, e.g. the TÜV Rheinland.
