SCHAUMBURG, IL (February 1, 2007) – As Heidenhain encoders closes 2006 with record-breaking unit sales, the company begins the new year with the opening of a new state-of-the-art building at its world headquarters in Traunreut, Germany. Totaling approximately 135,000 square feet, the facility is now being used for encoder assembly and R&D. It is the single largest investment in the history of DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH.
Many of the encoder assembly operations in Traunreut had reached their capacity by the time construction began in July 2004. The production volumes of several product groups had doubled in the years prior, and some had even tripled. The automatic assembly systems for rotary encoders were running in three shifts, often in six-day weeks.
The new building, designated A30, has five 27,000 square foot floors and currently holds about 600 employees. The basement is divided into three equal areas: assembly for high-accuracy encoders, primarily for OEMs in the electronics industry; long-term testing for product qualification during the development process; and technical facilities. The ground floor and 2nd floor house the assembly areas for linear encoders, rotary encoders, and angle encoders.
Large parts of the 1st floor are used for air recirculation of the production level below; the remaining spaces provide break offices for production planning and production engineering and more. The 3rd and 4th floor provide space for the offices and labs of the R&D for encoder mechanics, R&D for encoder electronics, and encoder quality assurance.
The complete process of encoder assembly and packing takes place on the same floor, improving productivity and logistics and eliminating unproductive transports and storage that require additional accounting work. A larger column interval and large ceiling height enhance the existing areas for more flexible use, enabling engineers to react more quickly to changes in the product program and more easily adapt their manufacturing processes. It is much simpler to plan, set up and operate assembly systems. The controlled room climate improves process stability and quality, particularly in adhesive and joining processes.
HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION is the North American subsidiary of DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH, a leading international manufacturer of precision measurement and control equipment. Its product line includes linear scales, rotary and angular encoders, digital readouts, digital length gages, CNC controls, and machine inspection equipment.
COMP: HEIDENHAIN Corporation
WWW: http://www.heidenhain.com
E-mail: [email protected]
:: Design World ::
Filed Under: Factory automation, Encoders • linear, Encoders (rotary) + resolvers, Motion control • motor controls
Tell Us What You Think!