Jenoptik (Rochester Hills, MI) is building a modern technology campus for engineering, production, sales, and service for metrology and laser machines for the automotive industry. In the future, other Jenoptik businesses will also expand their North American business from this location.
The Jena, Germany-based company is investing around $15 million in its US location in Rochester Hills. On May 31, 2016, ground was broken for a new modern technology campus for metrology and laser machines for the North American automotive industry.
The new location is currently the largest single investment being made by the company. The total amount includes the purchase of the property as well as the construction of modern production, service, and office environments. The new building is in direct vicinity of the current location, which is rented by the company. Relocation is expected to take place in the spring of 2017. The new technology campus will cover a total area of nearly 16 acres while, in the first expansion phase, the new building will have 100,000 sq. ft. of space, almost half of which is production space.
The new building will be equipped with modern systems and materials for energy efficiency, including sensor-controlled office and plant LED lighting as well as special energy-saving HVAC systems.
The investment allows the company to pave the way for planned future growth or technical upgrades. The technology group has had an in-house production facility in place at Rochester Hills since 2007 and currently employs more than 100 local staff.
The new location will also provide areas and flexible expansion options for other company activities and its future planned growth in the US, including for the Defense & Civil Systems and the Healthcare & Industry divisions. The location is designed to ensure that it will also be able to provide significant expansion options in the medium-term.
As of January 1, 2016, the company merged the Metrology and Laser Processing units into the Automotive division. In the US, the Laser Processing unit had moved to Rochester Hills already in the past year, and has since used the infrastructure for administrative and operational processes together with the Metrology unit. Synergies also arise in sales, logistics, and customer contact: the comprehensive product and service portfolio as well as customized solutions—especially for automotive customers—will be offered from a single location and as a system partner.
The business with the 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, measures the necessary force required to open an airbag compartment as well as the necessary time taken. The mechanics of the system are designed in Rochester Hills for application in the automotive industry. It complements the JENOPTIK-VOTAN A laser system, which creates the predetermined breaking points in airbag covers.
North America is one of the company's strategic target markets, with an expected above-average growth in the coming years. In 2015, the company generated around 20% of group revenue, or $143 million, in the Americas. This was an increase of just over 24% compared to the previous year, while revenue in the Americas has more than doubled since 2009. In total, the company employed about 250 staff in the US at the end of the first quarter of 2016.
For more information, please visit www.jenoptik.com.