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Oerlikon Group opens plant in Japan

Oerlikon Group opens plant in Japan

Tokyo (SCCIJ) – The Oerlikon Group, a leading global technology provider of market-leading technologies and services from Switzerland and Liechtenstein, has inaugurated its new production plant in Nagoya. The company will leverage synergies to further strengthen the excellent market position of Oerlikon Balzers and Oerlikon Metco Friction Systems in Japan’s top car manufacturing industry area. The new site in Nagoya allows the company to be closer to customers in and around the Nagoya area and to better serve new and existing customers from all five Japanese locations. The number of employees is expected to triple as a result.

Well attended opening ceremony

Oerlikon Balzers, a leading global supplier of surface solutions, and Oerlikon Metco with its business line Friction Systems, a leading international developer and manufacturer of innovative transmission synchronizers, high-performance carbon friction linings and transmission components, welcomed a large number of representatives of the regional government, car manufacturers and OEMs to the inauguration, where they were joined by the management of Oerlikon Balzers and Friction Systems.

Oerlikon Group opens plant in Japan

Oerlikon factory in Nagoya

Marc Desrayaud, Head of Oerlikon’s Business Unit Balzers Industrial Solutions, expressed his vision for the future in his opening speech. “We are gaining synergies by joining forces locally with our colleagues from Friction Systems, thus enhancing the service we offer our customers in the automotive market. This is not only the story of two solution providers under one roof, this is a commitment to the Japanese market and to our growth strategy in this core market.”

Jochen Weyandt, Head of Oerlikon’s Business Unit Automotive Solutions, added: “This new facility brings our latest technologies and services to Japan. We are looking forward to cooperating with key OEMs in the automotive industry with the highest standards of quality. Establishing ourselves at the heart of the innovation area in the Japanese automotive market underlines both our dedication to our customers and our position as an innovation driver for all surface solutions.”

Oerlikon Group opens plant in Japan

Traditional Japanese “Sake Barrel” Opening Ceremony

Japan cornerstone of growth strategy

According to Oerlikon, the new plant represents another important cornerstone in the group’s growth strategy. The significant investment has been made to meet the demanding requirements of a new contract with one of Japan’s largest automotive manufacturers. The Nagoya area is one of the four largest industrial centres in Japan and is well known as a hub for automotive component manufacturers working with advanced technologies. Japan has been one of the world’s top three car-producing countries for decades, enjoying a reputation for high levels of innovation, and its domestic sales and worldwide exports are strong.

In the first quarter of 2018, Oerlikon Balzers closed its site in Chiryu and transferred a number of services from the existing Shizuoka facility to the new plant in Nagoya. The Nagoya plant is equipped with the latest coating technologies, services and infrastructure, supplying coating services for cutting and large forming tools to provide even better support for the latest needs of car manufacturers in the region. The Shizuoka customer centre remains a location of major importance for Oerlikon Balzers, especially for providing physical vapor deposition solutions for the automotive market. The new site in Nagoya allows the company to be closer to customers in and around the Nagoya area and to better serve new and existing customers from all five Japanese locations.

Workforce to triple long term

Friction Systems manufactures and supplies high-performance carbon synchronizers and modules to local OEMs. This is the first customer centre to be opened in Japan for Friction Systems, underlining the importance of the Japanese automotive market. Combining the technologies and solutions from both Oerlikon Balzers and Friction Systems will make this facility a “one-stop shop” for the automotive industry.

In order to serve its large base of customers, Oerlikon Balzers and Oerlikon Metco, Friction Systems, are expecting to approximately triple their current workforce over the long term. Oerlikon Balzers has several coating and nitriding systems in operation and will deliver coated cutting tools within their globally standardized, extremely customer-oriented delivery timeframes. Friction Systems will begin several high volume programs in July and continuously add more throughout 2019, with the plan to operate double-digit production lines and deliver sophisticated solutions to its customers on a regular basis.

About Oerlikon

Oerlikon, a leading global technology group based in Pfaeffikon, Switzerland, has over 100 years of tradition, a global footprint of over 13,800 employees at more than 170 locations in 37 countries with sales of CHF 2.8 billion in 2017. The company invested CHF 107 million in R&D in 2017 and has over 1,000 specialists developing innovative and customer-oriented products and services.

Oerlikon follows a clear strategy of becoming a global powerhouse in surface solutions, advanced materials and materials processing. Backed by the key ability to intelligently engineer and process surface solutions and advanced materials, the group is committed to invest in value-bringing technologies that provide customers with lighter, more durable, more efficient and environmentally sustainable products.



Text and photos: Oerlikon Group

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