January/February 2020

NEWS In the face of Brexit, Hydrotechnik UK is continuing to invest in its facilities with a 1600 sq ft state-of-the-art test rig manufacturing workshop. This investment allows Hydrotechnik to continue to develop its design, build and testing of world- class test rigs, test beds and testing stations for its growing customer base, In an official ceremony, Linde Hydraulics GmbH & Co. KG opened its newly built production plant in Weifang, China. The global project team took only two years for completion from concept to opening of this 36,000m 2 facility which encompasses an administration building along with 25,000m 2 production halls. The new facility consolidates processes previously housed in several buildings and allows for the best possible material flow throughout production. Coordination at the beginning of the project allowed for optimal plant layout through ‘greenfield’ development. For example, the measurement/testing laboratory is directly connected to both the receiving and the production departments to achieve and secure the high-quality standards. International collaboration “We are happy about the new capacities that have been realised in Weifang. Thanks to the very strong, international collaboration between Germany and China, we have been able to develop a function-specific and overall layout, which will increase our efficiency,” said Dr. Joerg Ulrich, CEO of the company. The Weifang plant has the capacity to produce 100,000 units per year. 80% of the production capacity will be dedicated to pumps and motors and 20% for valve technology. “With the new plant in China, we will further strengthen our position in the Asian market and continue our global growth course,” said Dr. Joerg Ulrich, on the plant opening. “The units produced here will enable us to supply the Asian market faster and with a more customer-oriented focus than ever before. We can now offer more localised units with market-oriented prices.” Along with the recently opened second location in North America, the new Weifang plant in China is another step by the German company to grow globally and to pursue the ‘local for local’ market approach to providing faster availability and shorter reaction times around the globe. The global Headquarters of the company will remain on the location in Aschaffenburg. Linde Hydraulics opens new plant in China Hydrotechnik UK expands test rig design and manufacturing facilities at its Nottingham premises 10 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS January/February 2020 www.hpmag.co.uk both in the UK and abroad. A comfortable meeting space will be included in the expansion to facilitate design and progress meetings with customers. The expansion to the test rig development facilities follows the company’s development in other parts of the business. As recently as 2016, Hydrotechnik UK opened a calibration laboratory, fully fitted with UKAS accredited equipment to calibrate a wide range of analogue and digital sensors alongside its familiar datalogging and process equipment range. Growing demand Hydrotechnik UK’s managing director, Richard Price, commented: “Investment in our manufacturing facility will aid two aims. First, it will allow our team of highly skilled engineers to design and build superb test rigs, and, secondly, it will give us added capacity to build test rigs in volume to cater for the growing demand.” The test rig team are looking forward to working in their new facility in the first quarter of 2020. Hydrotechnik UK has been manufacturing and supplying high-quality test and measurement equipment to a wide range of industries for over 30 years. Its range of analogue and digital test equipment has been utilised by a wide range of industries, including automotive production, component manufacturing and the military. For more information on its latest facility, contact sales@hydrotechnik.co.uk . Hydrotechnik UK’s new 1600 sq ft state-of-the-art test rig manufacturing workshop.