NEWS
MOVINGON
Relocations and expansions across Europe
EMCO Group and Unimatic establish Solvay starts up new fluoroelastomers joint venture to build a plant in Russia plant in Changshu, China
S
E
mco Group and Unimatic – long-time trade and service partner on the Russian market – have announced the foundation of a joint venture to establish and commission a production and assembly plant in Yekaterinburg. The first stage involves the production and assembly of universal lathes at the production site in Yekaterinburg – the objective is to gradually increase the percentage of the components installed to 40%. In order to ensure that the initial training and the transfer of know-how will take place under good conditions, the local team will be supported by employees from Austria. The machines are intended for the Russian market. Visit: www.emco-world.com
olvay has begun production at its new fluoroelastomers (FKM) plant in Changshu, China, as part of its ongoing strategic site expansion, to meet booming demand for its speciality polymers from Asia’s fast-growing automotive industry and multiple other high-end markets. As Solvay Speciality Polymers’ third fluorelastomer unit in the world it benefits from the site’s existing Speciality Polymers operations and infrastructure, as well as from secure raw material supplies through its joint venture with nearby Shanghai 3F New Material Co. Ltd. “This state-of-the-art fluoroelastomers facility considerably strengthens our global industrial footprint, extending our reach from Europe and the United States to Asia,” said Augusto Di Donfrancesco, president of Solvay’s Speciality Polymers Global Business Unit. “Solvay Speciality Polymers offers the industry’s most diversified range of high-end polymers and our expansions in Changshu will bring us closer to our customers and support them in maintaining their competitive edge in their market segments.” Visit: www.solvay.com
Elatec opens factory in Bosnia
T
he Elatec Group has opened a new factory in Gračanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Group’s Card Solutions and RFID Systems departments are serving in the capacity of manufacturers and ELCO is acting as distributor. Elatec’s new facility with more than 1600m2 - produces SIM cards and packaging as well as RFID chips. The factory, which is equipped with cutting-edge machinery, currently has an annual capacity of two-digit million SIM cards annually. The product and packaging systems at the factory in Gračanica are protected by structural elements including 60 surveillance cameras, motion sensors and access control systems. The production facility and security control room are high-security areas. All people and goods moving through the area are subject to strict control measures. “Constructing a new building gave us the opportunity to design the security equipment as well as the production and packaging systems according to the latest standards,” explains Benedikt Leisten, department manager at Elatec Card Solutions. Visit: www.elatec.com
Audi celebrates topping out of new paint shop
T
he Audi plant in Ingolstadt continues to grow: A new paint shop is being built in the north of the plant site. Just over a year after the start of construction, the company is now celebrating the topping out. As of June 2016, Audi employees will paint the first series car bodies for the new Audi A4.
18 Industry Europe
Supporting the Biologics Industry
IN
September 2015 the National Biologics Manufacturing Centre will open its doors giving companies access to state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and expertise to help develop, prove and commercialise the next generation of biologic products and processes. The centre is a £38 million investment which has been established to support the growth of the UK biologics industry. Located in Darlington, the centre has been designed to handle mammalian, microbial and next generation biologic platforms, with the ability to scale up from millilitres to 200 litres and demonstrate innovative new process technologies. There is an extensive analytical suite and high throughput development capabilities, so users can fully characterise their product and optimise their process. Visit: www.uk-cpi.com
“With ultramodern equipment and manufacturing technologies, we are ensuring our Vorsprung durch Technik in production and thus safeguarding our highest product quality. The new topcoat paint line stands for the continuous growth of our company and the outstanding importance of the Audi†plant in Ingolstadt,” stated Prof. Dr Hubert Waltl, board of management member for Produc-
tion at AUDI AG. The new topcoat paint line introduces a new painting technology: In the future, the painting process will be carried out fully automatically by ultramodern equipment using robot technology. The robots can follow the contours of car bodies even better, allowing them to achieve an even more uniform covering of paint. Visit: www.audi.com
