It is quite challenging to produce a wide variety of plastic products: you have to overcome many a technological and organisational hurdle. Cranes have an important role to play in the production process as they not only afford precise positioning of the load but are also characterised by a high degree of reliability and availability.

It is not an easy task to optimise transport and logistics in a country of such continental proportions as Brazil. Already during the so-called Old Republic commencing in 1889 the government furthered road building. Even today roads are the most important transport arteries in the country amounting to about 1.8 millions of kilometres which makes them the fourth biggest road and motorway network worldwide.

The South Devon Railway (www.southdevonrailway.co.uk) is the oldest steam heritage railway in the South West of England, having first re-opened in 1969, who aim to literally transport visitors back in time to the bygone steam-train era whilst also offering every modern facility for their enjoyment.

You might be excused if you think of giant lego pieces when you see the concrete blocks made by Dahlgrens Cementgjuteri (www.dahlgrenscement.se), a company dealing in precast concrete at Skellefteå in the far north of Sweden. The same logic is actually used for these concrete blocks as for lego making it easy and affordable to build wall elements.

The HUESKER group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of geosynthetics and technical textiles. The headquarters of the HUESKER group are to be found in Gescher, a small town in the Westphalia area of Germany. The company is active worldwide through nine daughter companies and an international network of trade and distribution partners in over 60 countries.

The German company Harburg-Freudenberger Group is a manufacturer of special machines for the rubber, tyre and edible oil industry on the global market.

Royal Bodewes is a shipyard in Hoogezand in the northeast of the Netherlands that has been in existence since 1812. Well over 200 years of tradition and experience are reflected in the construction and delivery of modern boats of highest quality which this family-run business is renowned for.

Now, what could huge heat exchanger tubes and bicycle tubes have in common? It is most likely that both high quality precision products will have come from the same company: the company TRANSMESA with headquarters in Catalonia in the northeast of Spain.

Q4Glass, Quality for Glass, is a company renowned for high quality glass. The company’s headquarters are to be found at Koszalin in the northwest of Poland. It is the declared aim of Q4Glass to revolutionise the architectural aspect of the glass sector. Employing ABUS products in their production is one factor for Q4Glass to achieve their ambitious goal.

What do a specialist for modular premium houses from Eastern Westphalia and a manufacturer of standard crane systems from the district of Oberberg have in common? Not much at first glance. However, if you take a closer look you will find that both companies use standardised components to satisfy the individual requirements of their customers.