Gesipa's Thal, Thuringia site in Germany is in line for a CHF 14 million (approx US$14.1 million) investment.
A new facility on the site will double Gesipa's blind rivet manufacturing capacity in Germany by the end of 2018. It will also centralise the firm's blind rivet manufacturing operations in Thal.
The firm said it has decided on the move to maintain a high level of manufacturing readiness, capture economies of scale and "bring a lasting improvement in the competitive profile of the Riveting division (GESIPA)".
The investment is one of many in the offing from Gesipa's parent group SFS, which is ramping up its manufacturing footprint across the board. Capital expenditure has been ramped up, including a CHF 50 million expansion of its sites in Switzerland. This sum exceeds SFS' previous investment peak set in 2014.
CHF 11m for SFS' fastener, tool and architectural hardware supply business
Investment cash is also being made in SFS's supplier business. It is a leading fastener, construction tools and architectural hardware supplier in Switzerland and in order to offer customers an even broader range of products, capacity at the logistics center in Rebstein, "one of the most modern logistics sites in Europe", is being expanded at a cost of about CHF 11 million. The new building will increase storage space by about 5,000 pallets as well as 27'000 container spaces in the automated small-parts warehouse. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.
Other SFS investment cash, not necessarily relating to the fastener or tool industry, is going to:
- SFS' site in Heerbrugg, Switzerland has seen CHF 20m investment in anticipation of its automotive business growth, thanks to the trend towards autonomous driving and the electrification of vehicles.
- Jánossomorja, Hungary will see CHF 1.8m investment to expand capacity for new production equipment.
- Nantong, China will see CHF 34.7m investment for its electronics division, Unisteel.
- La Aurora de Heredia, Costa Rica has seen a new building leased to expand production for medical division, Tegra Medical.
We have an in-depth article from Gesipa on the Flow Drilling Riveting process in our latest magazine.
