Jenoptik Opens New Technology Campus in Michigan
Their new advanced facility in Rochester Hills is almost twice as large to support future growth in the U.S.
Posted: May 9, 2017
On May 15-16, 2017, Jenoptik management and guests will celebrate their relocation to a modern campus of engineering, production, sales and service for both industrial metrology and laser processing systems in Rochester Hills, MI. After relocation in the week of May 8, full operational capabilities are expected to be online by May 15. An internal opening ceremony with the Jenoptik executive board, local management and staff is planned for mid-June.
This new building covers 100,000 sq ft, on a 16 acre campus. Almost twice as large as its current facility, this new facility meets the latest standards in a production environment for both employees and customers. Benefits include modern and flexible application areas, which can be used simultaneously for training and meeting rooms. “In our expanded laser application center, we will be able to demonstrate and perform feasibility studies, application-specific competencies, as well as cutting and welding services directly on-site,” said Andreas Blind, the vice president of sales, services and marketing for the company.
The new facility will be equipped with modern systems and material for energy efficiency, including the latest in sensor-controlled office and plant LED lighting, as well as special energy saving HVAC systems. “We will markedly exceed U.S. and local environmental standards,” noted David Matynowski, the vice president of operations. The workplaces will not only have natural light in both office and production areas, but the manufacturing departments will also be modern and flexible, while the machine facilities will be equipped with the latest technology. Non-technological capabilities were also implemented, with a special floor thickness and ceiling height of 9 m under the crane, making it possible to flexibly produce customized solutions in the future.
In this first expansion phase, the new facility will devote approximately 50 percent of its total square footage to production. It will also provide areas and flexible expansion options, in the medium term, for other company activities and future planned growth in the U.S. North America is one of Jenoptik’s strategic target markets, with an expected above-average growth in the coming years. In 2016, the company generated around 20 percent of group revenue (or 135 million euros) in the Americas. In total, the company employs about 270 staff in the U.S.
The business for JENOPTIK-VOTAN® BIM laser cutting systems will also be expanded in Rochester Hills. For example, these cutting modules can be used to process aluminum or plastic parts. A new product will also complement the company’s portfolio in Rochester Hills: the “drop tester,” an impact test bench that measures the necessary force required to open an airbag compartment as well as the necessary time taken. The mechanics of this system are designed in Rochester Hills for application in the automotive industry to complement the JENOPTIK-VOTAN A laser system that is used to create the predetermined breaking points in airbag covers.
On the occasion of the relocation to the campus, the Jenoptik management and staff will welcome a delegation group from Thuringia, Germany that includes Matthias Wierlacher, the chairman of the Jenoptik supervisory board, Thuringian Minister-President Bodo Ramelow, Thuringian Economics Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, as well as members of LEG Thüringen, a federal development association, and entrepreneurs from the federal state of Thuringia that are visiting the Detroit area.
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