ELAU is named Schneider's packaging competence centre

In 2007, under the leadership of Dr Thomas Cord, ELAU AG increased its sales turnover from EUR40million in 2004 to EUR63million in 2007. In Germany and Italy, ELAU claims to have become the market leader for motion/logic control and servo drives for packaging machines.

The new strategic orientation of ELAU AG created the basis for further significant expansion of the corporate performance. In addition, based on this success, ELAU also aims to become the market leader in packaging automation in the whole of Europe, the USA and Asia. This will be achieved by a close integration of ELAU's typical corporate strengths with the possibilities provided by Schneider Electric. ELAU will leverage the Schneider Electric portfolio to offer comprehensive integrated products in packaging and neighbouring market sectors.

ELAU claims that its strengths lie in focus, innovative ability, flexibility and proximity to the customers. These represent the decisive factors that will be promoted by the group structures in 190 countries. In order to achieve this, ELAU will depend more on the sales, application support and service departments of the respective Schneider Electric country subsidiaries. The integration of the ELAU brand into the Schneider Electric corporate design as an accompanying measure emphasises the fact that ELAU is a company of the Schneider Electric group.

From 1 July 2008, Norbert Gauß succeeds Dr Thomas Cord as the CEO. He will be in charge of implementing the package of measures. CEO of Berger Lahr and now of Schneider Electric Motion, Norbert Gauß has known the structures at Schneider Electric since 2005 and therefore is the right man for increasingly tapping the group's possibilities for ELAU. For Norbert Gauß there is no doubt about it: "Leveraging the possibilities of a major global group more intensively is our chance to internationalise ELAU's OEM business more aggressively and above all more quickly." In the context of the projected measures for raising the customer benefit, continuity in business relations ranks highest for Norbert Gauß.

As a global packaging competence centre, ELAU sets a benchmark at Schneider Electric for developing further industries in the future. Hence ELAU is claimed to be key in the globally intensified activities to expand the automation sector at a stronger pace. At present, Schneider Electric is making extensive investments in establishing a 'diversified solution business' besides the traditionally strong product business.