Igus generated 53% of its total turnover in 2018 in Europe, 31% in Asia and 16% in America and Africa. The number of employees rose to 4,150.

The company offers high-tech plastic components. Igus is showcasing this development at the Hannover Messe - from intelligent plain bearings to an online platform that brings together suppliers and users of cost-effective robotics.

Igus is opening up new areas of industry with its core technology "motion plastics": 3D printing for wear parts with a service life that can be calculated online, intelligent "smart plastics", energy chains with 1,000 m travel or lubrication-free polymer ball bearings with 10 times longer service life.

Test laboratory as a growth driver

Igus developed and tested over 260 new plastic compounds in its test lab last year alone. In addition, over 11,300 tests were carried out in the plain bearing area alone at over 50 different test stations. Over 4,100 tests were carried out in the energy chain and cable laboratory in 2018, representing more than 10 billion e-chain cycles. At the same time, the test laboratory is always a "think tank" for developing special solutions for a wide range of industries and applications using tribo-polymers.

The signs are also pointing to a further expansion of capacities worldwide with the aim of supplying customers quickly on site. For example, the branch in the USA has been expanded by a further 5,000 square meters to around 19,000 square meters of office and production space. In China, the new 22,000 square meter building is currently under construction and will be completed in August. In addition to expansions in Brazil, India, Poland and Thailand, a plot of land was acquired in Korea for the construction of the new branch. The 9,500 square meter building will be completed by the end of 2019.