Innovative safety solutions ALT

dedicated to a different client: the Poznan plant makes bumpers for VW, as VW’s production unit is located in the same city, while Fiat and BMW are the main customers for the Gliwice plant bumpers. Products manufactured at the Kleszczow plant go to GM (which owns the Opel factory in neighbouring Gliwice) as well as to Skoda and VW. The company is also open to cooperation with other local manufacturers that have plants in central and southern Europe, for example with Korean car makers, Hyundai and Kia that have their factories in the nearby Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Key factors of success

The people factor is very important for the company. It declares that it is working very hard to ensure the best possible career with Plastic Omnium for its employees. “We have an excellent, well-motivated and experienced workforce. Some of our people have been working in the business for 15 years and we are proud that we have a low staff turnover. Even during the hard times we do not reduce our number of employees, but instead move them from one of our plants to another. In 2012 we transferred 70 people from our Gliwice plant to Kleszczow,” says Mr Czajka.

Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior’s success is not only down to the company’s own capabilities, but also to the selection of the right partners. “Plastic Omnium has a policy of centralised purchasing of components. Thanks to this we can take advantage of economies of scale and get the best quality supplies, while maintaining optimal prices. We have five or six Polish companies working for our plants. They all meet Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior’s strict requirements for product quality,” says Mr Czajka. n

Visit: www.plasticomnium.pl

Impuls Ltd

We specialize in production of multi-dimensions complicated boxes (packaging) made of five-layer cardboards with high endurance. We also make standard packaging made of various cardboards. On our packaging we are able to make a printed/design using a technique of silk-screen printing. In our warehouse we offer a wide variety of packaging and materials needed to comprehensive pack and protection of your products. IMPULS aims at getting client’s full satisfaction with a deadline deliver of products which fulfils requirements about quality and price. We declare total support to realise of quality aims, which we realise continuously.

INNOVATIVE SAFETY SOLUTIONS

ALT is a global leader in the design and manufacture of in-car safety solutions that include airbag and inflatable curtain-wrap technology. Philip Yorke talked to Jean-Luc Verstraeten, the company’s managing director, about its revolutionary flexible electronic circuits, life-saving pedestrian airbags and ambitious plans for further global expansion.

ALT was founded in 1935 and quickly gained a reputation for its manufacturing expertise and product innovation. In 2002, ALT was the subject of a management buy-out, and in 2004 it invested more than €1.5 million in a new automotive safety production facility in Romania. The company’s focus today is on self-adhesive and die-cut products for the automotive, electronics, durable goods and security market sectors. ALT works in close partnership with its customers and has been responsible for the development of many unique products for a wide variety of applications. These include passenger airbag covers, inflatable in-car curtain wraps and a wide range of seals. In addition, ALT produces protective components, high-performance labels, film materials and adhesives.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company operates three state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, one in Utrecht, the Netherlands, one in Lupini, Romania, and another in Shanghai, China. In addition, ALT has a global sales office in Brussels, Belgium.

Putting safety first

ALT specialises in the development of automotive safety solutions, and its flagship product is its unique, inflatable curtain-wrap product for automotive side-airbags. The company’s functional adhesive technology is also used for frontal impact airbag covers for both driver and passenger locations, as well as for head impact, side impact, knee and seatbelt protection systems. Furthermore, ALT also manufactures high-performance safety labelling for metal, plastic, glass and other surfaces which are exposed to harsh and hazardous automotive conditions.

Mr Verstraeten said, “Early in 2002 we decided to change the product focus of ALT as the safety labels market had become fragmented and highly competitive, making it more and more difficult to achieve a reasonable return on investment. Therefore we decided to look for a different market where there would be consistent growth and where we could use our expertise to add value, which is when we decided to focus more on the automotive and home appliances sectors. We began by producing airbag covers. These are high-tech products which protect the air bag and must open instantly upon impact and therefore must have the highest quality, fail-safe systems built-in. We began with one well-known OEM customer and today supply virtually every passenger car manufacturer in the world, from VW and Volvo to GM, Porsche and Toyota.

“We have grown steadily with our customers and continue to invest in new plant and technology, especially in the emerging markets. We are planning to build more manufacturing facilities in China and Romania where we