In the year leading up to its 50th anniversary, POLOPLAST, a company specialising in plastic piping systems, with production plants in Leonding, Upper Austria, and Ebenhofen, Bavaria, achieved a new record in its turnover and results. POLOPLAST shows a growth of 15%, while the growth rate of the national construction industry, as calculated in the economic report of the Institute for Economic Research, is just 1.5% and corresponding international rates are only around 3%. This growth rate represents an increase in sales from EUR 57.5M to EUR 66M.

"Sustainable ecological and social engagement requires long-term economic success. We consider it one of our top priorities to provide a harmonious balance between these three elements of our service provision. POLOPLAST is not afraid of international competition; with an EBIT value clearly exceeding 10% of the company performance and a cash-flow rate significantly higher than 15% POLOPLAST not only bears the comparison, but even challenges its competitors", says Guntram Bock, commercial CEO of the POLOPLAST group (see picture).

POLOPLAST's well-developed and longstanding brand awareness is closely linked with its success. With POLO-KAL, POLOPLAST has succeeded in creating a brand in domestic waste disposal which is seen as synonymous with plastic piping. A current usage study on secondary meanings acknowledges that POLOPLAST has achieved a name recognition level of 85 % in Austria.

POLOPLAST's growth also creates jobs, and thus, in 2005, a total of 20 new employees could be taken on in production and sales.

In 2005 the pipe-systems business sector sold approximately 8,000 km of piping on the international market (this corresponds to the distance between Vienna and New York). The market for special-purpose plastic pipe systems (sound proofing pipe systems) is booming in the Middle East. POLOPLAST is proud to be able to point to the Emirates Palace Hotel and Conference Centre in Abu Dhabi as their show piece. In the Far East, famous projects such as The Mall of Asia (Philippine Islands) were also equipped with POLOPLAST pipe systems.

The relatively new Compounds sector has also proved successful. Together with partners such as the "Kunststoffcluster OÖ" (plastics cluster Upper Austria) and the K+ Polymer-Kompetenzzentrum Leoben (plastics and polymer competence centre Leoben) POLOPLAST is using completely new methods and combinations of materials to develop a number of products that can be adapted to the specific requirements of its plastics processing customers. This is how POLOPLAST has succeeded in being the market leader.

The forecast for 2006 is excellent, as POLOPLAST is confident that its orientation towards greater internationalisation, innovation and competence will continue to secure its leading position ahead of tough competition.