December 03, 2008

ThyssenKrupp invests EUR 56 million for new forging line in Unna

It is reported that ThyssenKrupp VDM is investing strongly to increase its competitiveness and around EUR 56 million has been spent, among other things on the construction of a new forging line in Unna.

Mr Jurgen Fechter executive board chairman of ThyssenKrupp Stainless AG said that "In Unna we now have one of the world’s most advanced open die forging operations. It opens up new possibilities to attract further customers, particularly in the promising aerospace industry."

Dr Olbrich chairman of the management board of ThyssenKrupp VDM said that "We are closing a technology gap in the production of nickel long products and expanding our range significantly."

Mr Christa Thoben North Rhine Westphalia economics minister said that "A lot is talked about corporate responsibility these days. So it gives me great pleasure to come across a company like ThyssenKrupp VDM which is investing in the latest production facilities and through this commitment is strengthening North Rhine Westphalia as an industrial location and offering the people here securing livelihoods."

ThyssenKrupp VDM GmbH is working hard to cement and expand its position as one of the world’s leading suppliers of high performance nickel alloys. To achieve this goal, various investment projects totaling more than EUR 70 million were launched around 2 years ago as part of a forward strategy. At the Unna plant they included the expansion of remelting capacities as well as the construction of the new 5,000 tonne forging press.

ThyssenKrupp VDM already supplies high performance materials for the construction of wide body aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In the future the company also intends to supply materials for rotating aircraft parts. The expansion of the forging operations in Unna has also had an impact on the number of jobs at the plant, which has risen by roughly 30 to just under 320.