With demand growing for robots and integrated system solutions, injection molding machine manufacturer Engel Group is spending 11 million euros ($11.6 million) to update and expand its plant in Dietach, Austria.
Founded in 1980, the Dietach plant today develops and produces the viper linear robot, the e-pic pick-and-place robot and the pic A sprue picker. The production and logistics area, as well as the apprentice workshop and the office building, will be expanded and modernized, creating at a total of over 3,000 square meters in usable floor space. The project will happen over two construction phases, starting in May.
The extra space is sorely needed because the company already sells more than half of its injection molding machines complete with integrated automation technology, a trend that is continuing to grow, CEO Stefan Engleder said in a news release.
The project will include modernizing the flow of the assembly line, enabling the company to respond more flexibly to specific customer requests and short-term order changes without prolonging lead times, he added.
By spring 2024, the production, logistics and apprentice workshop areas will be complete. A new solar energy system will allow Dietech to operate on renewable energy, similar to two other production sites in Austria.
The office building is also being enlarged to accommodate additional personnel needed in the future. The Dietach location is already looking for mechatronics engineers, commissioning engineers, software engineers, development engineers and more.
Engel customers appreciate the automation expertise available at Engel. "For many customers, the high level of system solutions expertise is an important criterion for choosing Engel," says Jörg Fuhrmann, who was named vice president of the Automation and Composite Systems Division at Engel Nov. 1.