KraussMaffei to move into new 'smart factory'

MUNICH—KraussMaffei has "received the keys" for its new manufacturing site in Laatzen near Hanover, Germany, the machinery maker announced Sept. 1.

The 1-million-sq.-ft. facility is designed to produce extrusion systems and recycling equipment for the plastics and rubber processing industries.

Relocation of operations from Hanover started in July and is expected to be completed by December without stopping production, said KraussMaffei.

The hand-over follows a two-year construction project for the facility which "offers space for up to 750 workplaces," the machinery maker stated.

Capabilities of the Laatzen "smart factory" include networked production, data processing in real-time, process visualization and data evaluation as well as state-of-the-art machine tools to increase production efficiency.

According to KraussMaffei, the project is part of the largest investment and modernization program in the company's history.

The move to Laatzen is part of the strategy involving the relocation of the Munich company's four sites to larger and more modern production facilities.

New plants in JiaXing, near Shanghai, and in Einbeck, near Göttingen have already been in operation since 2020. This year, KraussMaffei also will move into a new headquarters in Parsdorf, east of Munich.

"With the commissioning of this ultra-modern site now underway, we are opening a new chapter in the 184-year history of KraussMaffei," said CEO Michael Ruf.

"In our new extrusion and recycling technology center, we are placing an even stronger focus on circular economy," according to the KraussMaffei leader.

This, he said, includes plans to make recycling processes more efficient, with digital products to optimize energy efficiency and machine utilization.