Oerlikon Opens New Facility
Oerlikon Group (Pfäffikon, Schwyz, Switzerland) opened their $55 million Innovation Hub & Advanced Component Production facility in Huntersville, NC, as part of their ongoing U.S. growth strategy. This facility will serve as a cornerstone of their additive manufacturing business in the U.S. The 125,000 sq ft operation currently employs about 60 people and is fully functional. This additive manufacturing production site is their second location in North Carolina, the other site being a center that provides man-made fibers, in particular, carpet yarn systems. The company employs more than 1,300 people in 18 states. This investment is part of the $400 million they have invested in the U.S. in the past five years, with another $200 million planned in the next three years that will add some 400 new jobs. The Huntersville facility will continue to add jobs gradually and is poised for expansion as the business grows.
“This facility marks an important step in our investment strategy for growth,” said Prof. Dr. Michael Süss, the chairman of the board of directors at Oerlikon Group. “Additive manufacturing will play a decisive role in how industries and industrial processes will look in the future. We are committed to investing in this business and leading the industrialization of this technology.”
“We are already working with customers in the aerospace, automotive, energy and medical industries in the U.S. and we anticipate continued growth in those sectors, as well as in others,” said Dr. Sven Hicken, the head of Oerlikon’s additive manufacturing business. “We believe that additive manufacturing can transform production in many industries, and we are excited that our presence here in North Carolina allows us to better demonstrate those possibilities to our customers.”
