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Breaking ground on the new facility in Lossburg
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The opening ceremony for the technology center in Austria
Arburg is continuing to grow around its headquarters in Western Europe. The group recently broke ground on a new assembly site at HQ in Lossburg, Germany, and has also now opened a new technology center in Austria. While many firms are looking to expand in the key emerging markets of Eastern Europe and Asia, Arburg (which, incidentally has also invested heavily in those regions recently) is maintaining a healthy interest closer to home.
The new assembly facility in Lossburg will expand the central production location by 13% to just under 165,000 m2. Initial excavation work began in March 2014 and the completion date has been set for the autumn of 2015. The new site is destined to meet growing demand for larger injection moulding machines and complete production cells, says Arburg.
“Growth means preservation, means actively securing the future,” said Michael Hehl, Managing Partner and Spokesperson for the Arburg Management Team. He added: “The capital investment for the new building section, to the tune of many tens of millions of euros, demonstrates our clear commitment to Lossburg as a production location and is an indicator of the long-term, targeted strategy for which Arburg has been famous for decades and makes us a reliable partner.” The group indicates that significantly more time and space is required for the assembly and testing of large injection moulding machines up to a clamping force of 5,000 kN and complete turnkey systems.
The group says that in all construction plans, it places great emphasis on functionality and aesthetics, in addition to environmental protection and the conservation of resources and energy. “With the new building, we are implementing highly integrated facility management, which will reduce the primary energy requirements to a minimum and therefore further expands our environmental protection activities,” said Hehl.
The waste heat produced from the site will be utilised for heating the hall, for example. Collected rainwater will be used by the gardeners and will cover all requirements for the sanitary facilities. Furthermore, the facility will act as ‘buffer storage’ for the industrial cooling required for the building. North-facing shed roofs reduce the thermal load and minimise the need for electric lighting. The natural cold of the ambient air will be used for air conditioning purposes – via a facade design which employs natural ventilation instead of ventilation systems. Furthermore, extension of the photovoltaic plants to generate a further 340 kWp (kilowatt-peak) is also in the pipeline, according to Arburg.
The new building will match the assembly hall built in 2000 as part of the Arburg II plant expansion. At the time, Arburg claims that to have been employing a ‘modular’ construction concept, which means that the new building will be integrated into the existing complex with relative ease.
The other new development for the group’s recent wave of expansion is the a new technology center in Micheldorf near Kirchdorf an der Krems, Upper Austria. This new location brings the technical centre, spare parts service and training rooms under one roof and is situated in what Arburg describes as “one of Austria’s booming regions for the plastics industry”. During the opening ceremony, Arburg Managing Partner Juliane Hehl emphasised the importance of the new Austrian facility for the company. To mark the occasion, around 100 guests were invited to attend a reception in the Benedictine abbey of Kremsmünster.
“The opening of the ATC in Micheldorf is an important milestone for our presence in Austria,” said Ms Hehl during the ceremony. “Today’s event is intended to emphasise the significance of customer proximity for our efforts, both in physical and mental terms. Proximity to the customer and customer satisfaction are top priorities for us.”
Arburg’s Austrian subsidiary was established in 2010, and the sales and service team was expanded; numerous projects have been completed since then, says the group.
“The new facilities represent a significant expansion of our services in the areas of technical support, spare parts logistics and training,” said Eberhard Lutz, Managing Director Arburg Austria. “The new ATC in Micheldorf provides a central focal point and ensures that customers in Austria always have a direct line to us. They can contact us with questions about our technology or training courses, or place orders for spare parts for fast delivery. The technical centre lies at the heart of our service, enabling customers not only to see the latest machine technology at first hand, but also, crucially, to prototype their moulds. In addition, the demonstration room is the ideal place for providing practical training in all aspects of Arburg technology here in Austria.”
There are several important educational institutions close by, such as the TIZ Technology and Innovation Centre in Kirchdorf, which promotes technology-oriented companies, improved technology transfer and cooperation between commerce and science. In addition, Micheldorf is located close to the A1 Western Motorway and the A9 Pyhrn Motorway.
