Press

Fürth/Germany, September 08, 2022: Innovations, new impetus, and sustainable solutions for global challenges - K 2022 offers all this and much more. The flagship trade fair is the leading business platform for the plastics and rubber industry and will take place in Düsseldorf from October 19 to 26, 2022. Under the theme ‘Making every product unique’, LEONHARD KURZ will be presenting innovative and sustainable solutions in several areas of application at K 2022.

Fürth/Germany, 05/09/2022: As a pioneer in the field of sustainability in the plastics industry, LEONHARD KURZ is committed to the responsible use of resources and has been developing environmentally friendly solutions and processes for decades. In an interview with the VDMA, Dr. Andreas Hirschfelder, Senior Vice President & Member of the Managing Board at KURZ, explains how this is achieved, which milestones have already been reached, and what goals the company is pursuing in the long term.

Fürth/Germany July 15, 2022: LEONHARD KURZ is delighted to receive the renowned ABC Award for an impressive third time. At this year’s edition of the Automotive Brand Contest, the Smart Crystal Panel was awarded a “Special Mention” for the vehicle interior in the ‘Mobility & Innovation - Smart & Digital’ category. The innovative human-machine interface panel (HMI panel) was created in cooperation with Swarovski Mobility and the KURZ subsidiaries BURG DESIGN and PolyIC, and was presented for the first time at CES 2022.

Sulzbach-Rosenberg/Germany, March 24, 2022: LEONHARD KURZ, a leading thin-film technology company, is celebrating the official commissioning of its new photovoltaic system in Sulzbach-Rosenberg. On an area of around 8.5 hectares, not far from the company premises on Eisenhämmerstraße, this means that after two years of planning and construction, one of the largest solar power plants in the region has been built. In the future, 14 million kilowatt hours will be produced here each year in an environmentally friendly manner – which will enable KURZ to cover around a quarter of its electricity requirements on site. Another special feature is that the electricity generated is fed directly into the company’s production.

Fürth/Germany, March 14, 2022: Electromobility and increasingly autonomous vehicles are changing the car interior. This requires futuristic concepts combining design and functionality, which can be adapted to the occupants’ individual requirements. A good example of this is a roof lining console manufactured by Leonhard Kurz. It is particularly interesting for automotive manufacturers and suppliers, since it can be manufactured in only one production step.

Fürth/Germany, February 15, 2022: LEONHARD KURZ, one of the world’s leading companies in thin-film and finishing technology, has released its 2021 sustainability report. The Communication on Progress (COP) report for the first time provides information on developments in the implementation of the ten principles of the UN Global Compact. These include promoting environmental awareness, developing and disseminating environmentally friendly technologies, and respecting international human rights. KURZ joined the UN Global Compact Network last year, thus reaching another important milestone in its sustainability activities. In addition, the Group was able to consolidate its position as an industry pioneer in sustainable finishing. CEO Walter Kurz explains: “As a family business, it is important to us to leave a better world for future generations. Since our company was founded more than 120 years ago, our ideas and actions have been future-driven as well as sustainable. Joining the UN Global Compact initiative was therefore the next logical step for us.” With its annual ‘Communication on Progress’ report, the UN Global Compact pursues, among other things, the objectives of promoting transparency, demonstrating the continuous improvement of business activities, and disseminating good-practice examples.

Fürth/Germany, January 4, 2022: It’s almost time: CES will be held in Las Vegas from January 5 to 8, 2022. More than 1,700 leading international companies will be presenting their new products at the technology trade fair - including LEONHARD KURZ, the expert in pioneering plastic surface solutions. At stand 4567, the company will showcase what the future of mobility will look like. Autonomous driving and e-mobility pose complex challenges for the automotive industry. The interior of the car is increasingly becoming a second living room, and design is therefore rapidly gaining in importance. KURZ has already begun to develop solutions that serve this megatrend. In doing so, it is important to develop well-thought-out products and holistic concepts that, on the one hand, inspire with unique designs and, on the other hand, contribute to the circular economy.

Fürth/Germany, January 4, 2022: Year after year, it is considered one of the largest international platforms for innovation in the field of consumer electronics: The CES trade fair, held in Las Vegas from January 5 to 8, 2022, is also one of the most important platforms for LEONHARD KURZ to present pioneering surface solutions and exciting design options. At Booth 4567 KURZ will introduce visitors to the vehicle of tomorrow and, together with its subsidiary Schöfer, demonstrate surface finishing to the highest level of perfection. “The automotive industry is facing far-reaching changes – comprehensive e-mobility and autonomous driving will be a reality on our roads very soon,” explains Martin Hahn, Head of Application, Technology & Innovation, Business Area Decoration at LEONHARD KURZ. “The future is also going to move into vehicle interiors: With our futuristic designs, we already have the right answers for the car of tomorrow, today – and we are looking forward to presenting them at one of the world’s most important trade fairs for technology and innovation.”

Fürth/Germany, September 30, 2021: Together with renowned partner companies, LEONHARD KURZ will be presenting innovative and sustainable surface solutions for plastics at Fakuma in October 2021. One of the many highlights of the trade fair presentation – with the theme ‘Making every product unique’ – are the groundbreaking and in some cases award-winning concept components for the vehicle of tomorrow. “As a partner for future supplier challenges, we will be joining forces with the injection molding machine manufacturer Wittmann Battenfeld and the plastics specialist and tool technologist Syntech Plastics to demonstrate the multifaceted future of interior design to trade fair visitors by presenting an immediately functional HMI concept component for roof-lining at the trade fair together,” announces Martin Hahn, Head of Application, Technology & Innovation Business Area Decoration at LEONHARD KURZ. The lighting specialist OSRAM Automotive Lighting Systems, the KURZ subsidiaries BAIER with its CO₂ cleaning and UV curing system, and PolyIC with its 3D-shaped PolyTC® touch sensors also provided important building blocks for the successful concept demonstrated at Fakuma. The highly efficient, series-ready, one-step process can be seen via live transmission in Hall B1 at Stand B1-1204 of Wittmann Battenfeld Deutschland GmbH.

Fürth/Germany, October 4, 2021: The 27th Fakuma trade fair – scheduled from October 12 – 16, 2021 – will once again turn Friedrichshafen, Germany, into the industry meeting point for industrial plastics processing. Under the motto ‘Making every product unique’, LEONHARD KURZ will provide INSIGHTS INTO INNOVATIVE PLASTIC SURFACE SOLUTIONS at the fair. The company presents itself as a ‘partner for future supplier challenges’ with pioneering concepts, in particular in the areas of automotive interior/exterior, consumer electronics, and home appliances. In addition, the thin-film expert will focus on its comprehensive sustainability expertise at its 120-square-meter booth (no. A4-4122) in Hall A4. “Fakuma is the world’s leading trade fair for all industries that have touch points with plastics processing. We are very pleased to be able to present the numerous highlights that we have prepared during the off-season period,” emphasizes Rainer Süßmann, Head of Business Area Plastic Decoration at LEONHARD KURZ. “We will use this important platform to make our comprehensive expertise in sustainable and forward-looking surface solutions come alive for trade fair visitors. At our stand and at our partners’ stands, a wide variety of, in some cases award-winning, exhibits are on display and live demonstrations are planned. In addition, we will provide in-depth information on KURZ’s sustainability know-how, which makes the entire spectrum of our expertise clear.”

Fürth/Germany, September 30, 2021: The fully electric IntElect injection molding machine from Sumitomo (SHI) Demag is efficient, precise, and fast. Visitors to the 27th Fakuma trade fair, which will take place from October 12 to 16 this year in Friedrichshafen, Germany, will see a demonstration of this machine. Together with LEONHARD KURZ, the experts in innovative plastic decoration solutions from Fürth, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, the specialist for machines for plastics processing, is presenting a pioneering application of In-Mold Decoration for the vehicle exterior of tomorrow. In live production, the highly efficient ‘IMD second surface’ process will be demonstrated at the machine manufacturer’s booth B1-1105. This process creates an automotive design badge for the front or rear of the vehicle. In addition to KURZ and Sumitomo (SHI) Demag , KURZ subsidiary BAIER, where the cleaning station in the machine comes from, is also jointly responsible for the successful overall concept presented at Fakuma.

Fuerth/Germany, August 23, 2021: Every year, the IMDA Award recognizes outstanding innovations in the areas of In-Mold Labeling (IML), In-Mold Decoration (IMD), and In-Mold Electronics (IME) in the USA. With its new metallization option indium, which the company presented for the first time in 2020, LEONHARD KURZ was able to impress the judges and won the award for exemplary use of In-Mold technology in component production. Indium offers many advantages, particularly in the automotive, consumer electronics, and household appliance industries, and gives almost unlimited design freedom. KURZ showcases the decoration using an automotive door trim concept.

Fürth/Germany, July 26, 2021: From vehicle interiors to the smartphones we hold in our hands every day, and even washing machine control panels: As consumers, we place high demands on the technology that surrounds us. Manufacturers therefore face the particular challenge of combining smart features with excellent design – while at the same time keeping production cost-effective and sustainable. What sounds challenging can be made reality with the help of an innovative process devised by LEONHARD KURZ. The thin film expert is working with the KURZ subsidiary PolyIC and its partners Wittmann Battenfeld and Georg Kaufmann Formenbau in the implementation of the groundbreaking decoration technology IMD VARIOFORM^® with In-Mold Labeling (IML). As a result, customers benefit from bundled expertise.

Fürth/ Germany, June 3rd, 2020: The plastics industry is currently under considerable pressure as a result of the problems caused by plastic waste. Plastics manufacturers and processors are required to quickly develop effective concepts for reintegrating materials in the resource cycle. Numerous companies have already developed effective recycling concepts and increased recycling quotas. Can recyclability be made impossible due to the application of decorative or protective coatings? Do mono-materials become composites when coated, meaning that they can no longer be mechanically recycled? Then all efforts would be in vain. As the industry requires clarity on this issue, a manufacturer of transfer finishing products has now examined it. 

Packaging for short-lived consumables must be collected in accordance with country-specific regulations and returned to the waste management cycle if possible. In Germany, consumer packaging is collected in the yellow bag or yellow bin, and then sorted and recycled by recycling companies. Whether or not a plastic generally remains recyclable following the application of a decorative transfer finishing depends on two factors: Firstly, the transfer finishing must not impede the processes of the recycling company. As a general rule, the packaging is sorted, ground, washed and extruded. All of this must be possible without any disruptions. Secondly, the resulting extrudate must be of the same quality as a recyclate consisting of uncoated mono-materials. 

LEONHARD KURZ in Fürth has commissioned an institute specialising in the classification, assessment and testing of packaging and goods recyclability to test a sample decorated with a transfer finishing from KURZ. The institute has developed a comprehensive catalog of requirements and assessments for EU-wide certification, which is used to assess product recyclability. The submitted small PP bottle with silver coating was certified by the institute as 100 % recyclable.

Fürth/Germany, February 1st, 2021: Pioneering progress from Fürth: Thin-film expert LEONHARD KURZ has been awarded the 3rd main prize of the Bavarian Innovation Prize for the ‘IMD VARIOFORM® with Functional In-Mold Labeling (IML)’ process. This technological solution bundles the four processes of thermoforming, decorating, integrating a sensor, and punching directly in the injection molding tool in a single processing phase. For the first time, this innovation allows touch sensors to be deformed in three dimensions, injected with plastic and integrated into geometrically sophisticated and decorated components.