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Injection molding machine and automation supplier Engel has acquired the majority interest in Polish firm TMA Automation (Gdynia). Engel Group CEO Stefan Engleder noted in a release that while his company has a strong presence in Eastern Europe, the acquisition of TMA marks “the next step for further growth in the region.”

Engel noted that the two companies have already cooperated closely for many years on numerous customer projects, adding that TMA’s technologies are complementary to Engel’s in-house lineup of robots and automation systems. In addition to cartesian-style robots, TMA supplies automation systems for in-mold labelling, palletizing, quality inspection and more.

Engel said acquiring TMA will allow it to provide highly-integrated and fully-automated production cells for injection molding applications from a single source. Automating in-mold labelling processes in what Engel calls the “medium performance segment” is one of TMA’s focus areas. In the high-performance segment, Engel said it will continue to cooperate with its long-standing partners for IML automation.

TMA Automation will remain independent under the Engel Group umbrella. The company’s two founders—Marek Łangowski and Piotr Orlikowski—will continue to manage the ����ý, with Walter Aumayr, VP Automation and Peripheral Units at Engel, acting as a third managing director.

TMA Automation will also move forward with its growth plans, including construction of a new office and production facility on land that has already been purchased in Gdansk, a port city on the Baltic coast of Poland. Adjacent to Gydnia, Gdansk will provide good infrastructure and access to a larger number of technical universities in the surrounding area, according to Engel.