Who we are

Led by the second
generation of the
owner family

For over 40 years, atka Kunststoffverarbeitung GmbH has been a reliable partner in the development and manufacture of plastic products as well as the corresponding tool moulds and automation devices. Together with our over 100 employees, we produce plastic components weighing between 0.03 g and 9.8 kg for our global customers at our state-of-the-art site in Lohne.

The formation of the company in 1981 laid the foundation for successful growth. For instance, our company has already supplied 3,000 different components for all manner of different industries, and everything – from development and design through to tool mould construction, production and automation – comes from a single source. Our cutting-edge fleet of machinery and large storage space mean that we can supply our customers reliably and flexibly even when times are fraught.

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Growth driven by
innovation

Social trends, ever-scarcer resources and our own commitment to environmental awareness mean that manufacturing processes for plastic components are constantly changing and evolving. Guided by this philosophy and working together with our customers, higher-education institutions and expert partners, we are coming up with ways of making their products safer, more efficient and more eco-friendly. And we are always open to considering new techniques and alternative raw materials.

Atka Kunsstoffverarbeitung

Our brands

Sigle

Sigl

atka’s closure cap system for keg fittings enables tamper-proof protection for your goods. The applicator and shrinking units that we have developed in house allow us to offer you fully automated sealing.

Logo Sigle
Topgreen

Topgreen

atka’s Topgreen green roof systems for flat and pitched roofs offer you wide-ranging possibilities for greening your roof. You too can give nature a bit of its greenery back and benefit from the many grants that are available.

Logo Topgreen
Bevando

Bevando

atka’s range of shatterproof cups boasts a captivating genuine-glass look and also includes cup carriers, transport crates and the atka party keg.

Logo bevando

Worldwide

With local roots –
in global demand

Since it was founded in Lohne in 1981, atka Kunststoffverarbeitung GmbH has gone on to become firmly established as a reliable, expert port of call for plastic products. We support our international customers every step of the way, from the initial idea and the design stage through to the final creation of a product. Our partners can rely on our solid expertise and a state-of-the-art fleet of machinery that means we can currently produce over 3,000 different plastic products weighing between 0.03 g and 9.8 kg on more than 50 injection moulding machines. Thus over 6,000 customers from more than 60 countries now rely on atka products.

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Atka / ­milestones

1981

1985

1988

1991

1993

1997

1999

2000

2009

2012

2013

2016

2017

2018

2019

2023

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COMPANY FOUNDED

On 1 October 1981, Thomas Fuxen, Ernst Halbe, Gregor Sieve and Hubert Simon came together to form the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft für technische Kunststoffanwendungen” (“consortium for technical plastics applications”, or “atka” for short). They set up atka Kunststoffverarbeitung GmbH in the German town of Lohne and became its managing partners. Drawing on the individual partners’ many years of experience in processing plastics for application engineering, design, toolmaking, production and sales, the foundations were thus laid for the new company to develop and manufacture its own high-quality plastics. Starting with four injection moulding machines, small batches of fasteners were made in a rented production facility in Brägeler Straße and sold to a growing number of regular customers.

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THE FIRST ­CNC-MACHINE

When it came to making the plastic parts, great importance was placed right from the start on the craftsmanship of the tools required for production. To ensure the appropriate degree of quality, the tools and moulds were made on the company’s own mould construction line using state-of-the-art machine tools. These included the first-ever computerised numerical control (CNC) milling machine in Lohne, which enabled higher toolmaking accuracy and speed compared to the mechanical machines that were widespread at the time.

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NEW COMPANY BUILDING CONSTRUCTED

With growing demand outstripping the existing production capacity in the 1980s, 1.2 hectares of land were purchased in the western part of Lohne. The new 2,500 m² production and office building was inaugurated on 1 October 1988, seven years to the day after the company was founded. In the same year, a new product area was opened up when a patent was granted for the world’s first tamper-evident cap for sealing beer bottles: ever since then, the cap applicators and automatic cap shrinkers required for sealing have been manufactured in the company’s in-house special machine construction department alongside the production and distribution of the caps.

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DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURE OF GREEN ROOF PANELS

Armed with the possibility of manufacturing products with a larger component weight in the future and in light of people’s ever-increasing awareness of environmental and sustainability issues, the company broke new ground yet again with the development and production of panels for roof greening. In particular, the use of innovative green roof systems that could be used on pitched roofs at angles of up to 45° improved heat protection and reduced the adverse impact of dust and pollutants in the air.

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MANUFACTURE OF PLASTIC CUPS

The purchase of an adjacent plot of land marked the start of building work on a new high-bay warehouse, allowing room to be created for expanding production capacity by relocating the existing storage space. The introduction of shatterproof plastic cups made from transparent polycarbonate increased the variety of the product range and boosted growth through innovation. These unbreakable and environmentally friendly reusable cups are ideal for use where the use of glass is restricted or banned, such as sporting events or town fairs.

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STEADY GROWTH

As well as increasing demand, the manufacture of more and more large parts and a more diverse product portfolio also meant that additional storage and production space and extra skilled staff were needed. A new warehouse for raw materials and finished goods was thus built on company premises in 1997. Spanning 1,800 m², the new extension sported a fully green roof.

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CONSTRUCTION OF THE SILO FACILITY

Construction of the silo facility did much to optimise the company’s production process: capable of holding 400 cubic metres, it allowed precisely the right amount of raw materials to be fed to the individual injection moulding machines fully automatically.

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CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW PRODUCTION FACILITY

Steady growth and the associated expansion in production capacity had pushed electricity and cooling capacity in the existing production facilities to their limits. Drawing on the latest advances in production technology, a new 3,500 m² production facility was constructed on the premises specifically for manufacturing large components. It now processes over 2,500 tonnes of raw material a year.

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CONSTRUCTION OF ANOTHER WAREHOUSE

With one eye on the increasing number of larger plastic products in the company’s portfolio and the other on being able to load and unload HGVs faster and more easily, 2009 saw a new warehouse (3,300 m²) built on company premises and the outdoor storage space expanded by 2,000 m².

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DEVELOPMENT OF THE DEPALLETISER UNIT

From this moment on, our patented single and double depalletiser units helped us automate production for plastic processing companies. Our systems offer a cost-effective, fully automated solution for emptying bagged goods.

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STEADY GROWTH

Headcount passed the 100 mark for the first time, and work was completed on expanding and modernising the office and administrative building.

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HANDOVER TO THE SECOND GENERATION OF THE OWNER FAMILY

Frank and Jürgen Sieve, both hitherto authorised representatives of the company, were appointed to its management team. Together with Founder and Managing Director Gregor Sieve, they would assume responsibility for the family-run company’s day to day business and strategic focus and develop them further.

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EXPANSION ONTO LAND AT SÜDRING 25

The purchase of a private road right next to the “Südring 25“ production site from a cooperative paved the way for extra storage capacity and enabled loading procedures to be optimised in a targeted manner.

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LOOKING AHEAD WITH FOCUS

The injection moulding department expanded its capacity with the addition of two fully electric machines installed in a separate, ultra-clean area. atka is thus making a further contribution to optimum productivity and improved energy efficiency.

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TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

A new development saw atka introduce biobased, biodegradeable materials and focus on using resources sustainably.

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CONSTRUCTION OF NEW “PLANT II”

Steady growth and an increasing need for space led us to complete our new Plant II opposite our existing site. A modern, energy-efficient production hall was built along the “zum Lerchental” road that, from then on, would house our toolmaking and special machine construction activities as well as our design team.