That was the in-house exhibition motto at W. MÜLLER GmbH in Troisdorf in the Rhineland.

120 customers from all over Europe and from the U.S. had accepted the invitation from the blow-moulding specialist to listen to interesting lectures and acquire information about the latest trends in plastics processing. W. MÜLLER presented new developments on how to refit and retrofit existing machines and innovative options on how to increase productivity. For the producers, the latter-especially during times of economic crises-is a hot topic for optimising the cost situation and securing their survival on the market.

In co-operation with the Fraunhofer Institute and the materials manufacturers Biograde Ltd. and FKUR Kunststoff GmbH, W. MÜLLER used the in-house lab machine to demonstrate that the production of bottles using biological materials is approaching the production stage-one way of becoming independent from the rising oil prices. An optical highlight was the production of articles with colour gradient effects in co-operation with LyondellBasell and Milliken Chemical. This is where W. MÜLLER can produce some prestigious references from the cosmetics industry. Further producers of high-quality products have already expressed their interest in this technology.

The lecture program was topped off by the in-house MERC control system, a system with 130 heating zones, a wall thickness control with 100 support points, an intuitive recipe management and sturdy touch screen control that also can stand up to the most demanding applications in a rough environment.

The evening presented the guests the opportunity to network: While dining from the exquisite buffet dinner and listening to live jazz music, the guests discussed the day's new information and exchanged experiences from their daily production routine.

"We are very satisfied with the positive response from the event," says Christian Müller, managing director of W. MÜLLER GmbH. Future in-house exhibitions will therefore probably occur at regular intervals.