In an inaugural ceremony, Linde Hydraulics GmbH & Co. KG, (www.linde-hydraulics.com) a manufacturer of drive systems including hydraulic power transmissions for heavy-duty applications, opened its new main plant in Aschaffenburg, Germany. After completing its spin-off process from the KION group in 2013, Linde Hydraulics has been taking steps to advance its international growth, adding new research and development activities, an active distribution network in the growth region of China, and planning multimillion-euro investments over the next three to five years.
The 22,000 m2 production and assembly hall and extendable office complex will house 700 employees. Tan Xuguang, chairman and CEO of Weichai Power, majority stakeholder in Linde Hydraulics, said, “This investment in the new, enlarged plant in Aschaffenburg is a clear signal of our confidence in the innovative power and the long-term growth potential of Linde Hydraulics’ main location. We will also provide incentives for successful expansion into Asian markets from here in future.”
The facility features environmentally conscious equipment that communicates energy-consumption rates with energy savings and recovery systems in the building, seamlessly coordinating heat exchange and power generation to use as little energy as possible. The ISO 50001-certified plant will produce up to 150,000 hydraulic pumps and motors and 50,000 assembly kits for final assembly in other plants.
“We place particular importance on energy-efficient products, such as our hydraulic start-stop system. In commissioning this project, we have not only optimized the structure of our plant in order to achieve considerably better interdisciplinary cooperation, we have also further optimized the plant itself,” said Dr. Steffen Appel, a member of company management and responsible for the project. “I would like to thank all parties involved in the project who completed it not only on time, but also within budget.”
