Innovation

Know the market. Deliver solutions.

OLYTEC tailors its market approach specifically to its customers’ challenges. This results in product solutions based on clearly identified needs that arise from new trends or changing technological, social and economic requirements.

At the centre of this practical approach lies the POLYTEC GROUP’s broad technological expertise, which the group transfers to a variety of applications. The company’s long-standing automotive competence thus formed the basis for building the promising Smart Plastic Applications business segment. In this area, POLYTEC has recently focused on modern and sustainable logistics solutions.

Initiatives to drive vertical integration, in particular through the company’s own material development and production, constitute another element in this strategy. They strengthen POLYTEC’s competitiveness based on greater independence from supply chains and an expanded service portfolio. At the same time, customers benefit from faster development processes and, in many cases, lower costs.

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Enhancing value-added depth through vertical integration

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Reusable packaging as a strategic growth area

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Automotive: strong positioning in markets of the future

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Enhancing value-added depth through vertical integration

In 2026, POLYTEC will primarily invest in material production. The aim is to achieve four goals through in-house production of UD tapes and semi-finished products: increased value-added depth, lower dependence on value chains, new opportunities in production development, and more sustainability. POLYTEC is also setting new trends in the development of new materials.

As a starting point of this initiative, POLYTEC acquired the composite business of the film manufacturer Profol at the end of 2025 – including the customer base, patents and facilities. The company will now produce and further develop high-performance fibre composites, which had previously been purchased externally. Thanks to the in-house production, POLYTEC will be able to align its products even more precisely with customer requirements, respond faster to changes in the market and sustainably improve its innovative strength. At the same time, this investment is the logical answer to continued high demand for lightweight solutions.

UD tapes: high performers with maximum strength and minimal weight

High-performance fibre composite semi-finished products are based on so-called unidirectional tapes (UD tapes). These are fibre-reinforced semi-finished products whose fibres are aligned in one single direction and held together by a thermoplastic matrix. They are characterised by very high tensile strength and rigidity in the direction of the fibres – and they are extremely low-weight. The material is therefore excellently suited to be processed into high-strength structural and functional components. In addition, it features ideal properties in terms of automation capability and processing.

POLYTEC has employed this technology in different areas for many years, for example in the production of underbody solutions or compartment wells, but also for structural components outside the automotive industry. With the integration of this technology, POLYTEC is deliberately investing in its own material expertise, aiming to utilise it for the development of new material combinations. This is opening up completely new opportunities for the expansion of the POLYTEC GROUP’s product and customer portfolio

In the production of compartment wells and underbody solutions, POLYTEC has been using its expertise in processing UD tapes successfully for many years. In the future, the company will produce this high-strength material in-house.

Organosheets: highest precision for recyclable products

Another advantage of UD tapes is that they can be processed into organosheets. In this process, UD tapes are combined with thermoplastic matrices, creating a material which can be precisely shaped by heating, is light and fully recyclable and therefore meets ecological customer requirements. By integrating this technology into its own value chain, POLYTEC is also strengthening its position in terms of sustainability.

Mica: POLYTEC develops alternative to controversial material

Sustainability was also the driver behind a new development for which POLYTEC filed a patent in 2025. Specifically, the mineral mica was to be replaced by a sustainable alternative. Due to its high temperature resistance, electrical insulation properties and its chemical stability, mica is used in a wide range of industries – in electric vehicles, for example, it serves as an insulation material and as protection in the event of a potential battery explosion. However, the extraction of this mineral is quite controversial.

The alternative developed by POLYTEC is ideally suited to be used against what is known as thermal runaway of a battery cell thanks to its very good dielectric strength and corrosion resistance. This new material has been met with great interest by customers and the company has already received first inquiries.

Demand for lightweight components made of environmentally compatible materials is growing in many industries – the automotive sector is already showing an interest in POLYTEC’s innovative alternative to mica.

Organosheets are made from UD tapes and thermoplastic matrices; not only can they be moulded into any shape, but they are also fully recyclable.

Expanding our material expertise helps us to become more independent, to support our innovative strength and to open up new markets in the area of lightweight design.
Martin Resch
COO

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Reusable packaging as a strategic growth area

Regulatory requirements such as the new EU Packaging Regulation and growing expectations regarding sustainability are changing the market for transport packaging. POLYTEC has established a strong position in this area. Based on its extensive material, development and industrialisation know-how, it delivers durable and recyclable reusable packaging – with visible success in development and production.

In our Smart Plastic Applications business segment, we use three forms of market access: we work with long-standing customers, we handle the industrialisation and scaling of existing products as a partner, and we develop new, tailored solutions for specific requirements in collaboration with our customers.
Markus Huemer
CEO

This repositioning started with the logistics boxes that POLYTEC has produced at its site in Ebensee for many years. Since POLYTEC is a manufacturing partner of one of the world’s largest poolers of reusable transport packaging, several million fruit and vegetable containers for retail logistics have rolled off the assembly lines here in recent years – robust, durable and 100% recyclable. On this industrial basis, new, technologically advanced and future-oriented logistics solutions have since been created.

BOOXit: digitally connected logistics

One of the most recent projects of this kind is a collaboration with BOOXit, a start-up established in 2021. Together with POLYTEC and the second industry partner HAIDLMAIR, BOOXit is launching a completely new system of logistics boxes on the market that combines physical durability with digital intelligence – logistics boxes offering an efficient and industry-independent solution for optimising supply chains thanks to container networkability, easy stackability and high load-bearing capacity.

The project started with the idea of reusable, networkable logistics boxes for digital, automatable systems with sophisticated functionality and a clear focus on the needs of customers from a wide range of industries. In order to bring the boxes to market maturity, the start-up was looking for experienced industry partners who would contribute their technological know-how and enable rapid international expansion.

HAIDLMAIR, a globally leading manufacturer of high-performance injection moulding tools, is contributing its comprehensive toolmaking expertise to the innovative boxes. And POLYTEC, with its extensive industrialisation expertise and wide-ranging material and manufacturing know-how, will not only handle series production of the logistics boxes, but also enables extensive testing, thus accelerating the path towards commercialisation.

The three partners bundle their expertise along the entire value chain – from the development and design to manufacturing. The fact that inquiries have been coming in from the EU and overseas long before the market launch proves the highly promising potential of BOOXit’s logistics solution.

Recyclable plant trays

Another example of robust and sustainable logistics solutions made by POLYTEC are the new reusable plant containers, which went into series production at POLYTEC’s plant in Ebensee in the summer of 2025. The aim is to save up to 40,000 tonnes of plastic waste by utilising these plant trays. In Europe alone, 500 million single-use plant trays have so far ended up as waste every year. Only every second one was recycled.

In 2022, renowned European DIY chains and plant wholesalers joined forces to launch the Euro Plant Tray initiative in an effort to push the switch to a reusable system for the storage and transport of plants. In a Europe-wide call for tender, POLYTEC impressed with its innovative concept.

The plant trays are manufactured on two state-of-the-art production lines; their production is CO2-neutral. As the trays are fitted with RFID, 2D data matrix and barcode labels during production, they can later be seamlessly integrated into automated logistics processes. In addition, the well-thought-out design with integrated canals and openings for irrigation facilitates regular water supply for the plants.

The trays are designed for more than 100 usage cycles and for a service life of at least ten years. Afterwards, they can be mechanically treated and used for the production of new trays.

Perspectives beyond the existing portfolio

POLYTEC’s expertise in material development, lightweight design and functional integration is opening up many additional fields of application around the development of other recyclable transport boxes for retail. Products ideas in this area are already in the development phase.

Reusable packaging thus serves as an example of POLYTEC’s successful strategic direction: use new market requirements as an incentive for innovation to transfer existing industrial expertise to new markets and put sustainable, economically viable solutions into production.

As a result of megatrends towards sustainability, reusable packaging has become a central element of our Smart Plastic Applications product group.

Markus Huemer
CEO

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Automotive: strong positioning in markets of the future

POLYTEC is sought-after partner of the European automotive industry. In recent years, the company increasingly shifted its focus towards e-mobility. As a result, applications in vehicles with conventional internal combustion engines roughly account for 20 percent of the POLYTEC GROUP’s portfolio today. In addition, the company also targets future-oriented niche markets which – unlike the market for passenger cars – continue to develop positively, including the market for agricultural machinery.

Although registrations for electric vehicles have recently been stalling, the breakthrough of this drive technology will hardly be stoppable in the long run. The emission targets of the European Union alone, which provide for stricter rules regarding CO2 emissions of vehicles from 2035, speak in favour of this development. POLYTEC has optimally positioned itself for a recovery of this segment in recent years with its multifaceted solutions.

Efficient thermal management for electric passenger cars
Solutions around the thermal management of battery-powered vehicles are one example. The performance of an electric vehicle, its range and how fast it can be charged depend on the perfect temperature of its high-voltage battery. Thermal management is therefore a key to efficiency, safety and long service life. POLYTEC developed a module that precisely controls heat flows in the vehicle and prevents the high temperatures generated when the battery is discharged from negatively impacting charging times or range or even damaging vehicle components.

he starting point for the development of POLYTEC’s thermal management systems was the company’s extensive experience in the development and production of highly complex plastic solutions for the powertrain of passenger cars with combustion engines. Today, the company applies this know-how very successfully to its e-mobility solutions.

A key element here is functional integration. This principle, which POLYTEC has pursued for many years in the development and production of modules for cars powered by combustion engines, was also central in the design of the thermal management module. The component combines elements made of a variety of materials with different thermal conductivity properties and comprises a number of valves, actuators, pumps, sensors and heat exchangers. In this way, heat can be dissipated and diverted in a targeted manner and highly efficiently even in the most confined spaces. Another advantage of POLYTEC’s module solution: the number of parts needed in the vehicle is reduced to a minimum. As a result, weight, complexity, costs and assembly are also reduced for the customer.

The heart of the module is an innovative six-way valve: it flexibly directs coolant to the connected components and controls the flow of the coolant in the different circuits for the battery, the electric motor and interior air conditioning. Through this targeted distribution, the six-way valve reduces energy loss while at the same time increasing energy efficiency and, consequently, the range of the vehicle.

Fan nozzle: small part, big effect

Another new development, for which POLYTEC has filed a patent application, is an innovative fan nozzle. The compact component provides for targeted lubrication and cooling in the gearbox of electric cars. A special feature: the oil jet is not linear, but rapidly oscillates, leading to even lubrication and better cooling of gears and bearings. The nozzle functions without moving parts and continues to operate even with low pressure in emergencies. The spray angle can be adjusted to ensure the oil is directed exactly where needed.

Along with these new developments, POLYTEC is already very successful in the market with other solutions. These currently include, in particular, aerodynamic and weight-optimised underbodies. In addition, POLYTEC is working intensively on the development of battery housings that combine impact protection with safety-relevant thermal properties.

Tractor components: high-tech powerhouses

Meanwhile, POLYTEC also sees promising growth opportunities in the area of agricultural machinery, a market that the Truck, Bus and Agricultural Applications Product Line focuses on. The requirements for modern tractors are constantly growing – because with increasing performance, the temperature in the engine compartment also rises; as a result, conventional materials often reach their limits. This is where POLYTEC comes into play with its modules made of sheet moulding compound (SMC): this material, which is also ideally suited for painted engine hoods, is both heat-resistant and dimensionally stable – and therefore increasingly in demand for tractor components.

POLYTEC also pursues a one-stop shop approach in this area, covering the entire value chain: starting with the development of materials and components to the manufacturing the semi-finished products and components, and finally painting and assembly. POLYTEC’s aim is to broaden its customer base in the medium term – not least by drawing on know-how from the passenger car sector. To do so, the company started to make investments in 2025. At the plant in Gochsheim, for example, the first assembly station for one of POLYTEC’s new customers, a manufacturer of agricultural machines, is currently being established.

At the same time, a paint facility is being installed at the Altenstadt plant, which will also be used for the Truck, Bus and Agricultural Applications Product Line. The facility, which will be commissioned in autumn 2026, enables highly efficient and flexible coating of large plastic and metal parts. It is designed for eco-friendly water-based paints and has a very big painting window, which is ideal for working on components for agricultural, commercial vehicle and industrial applications.

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