Röchling Automotive expands in China, USA and Europe

2011-02-28 (Source: http://www.plasticsnews.com)

CHANGCHUN, CHINA (February 17, 2011) -- Automotive plastics parts producer Röchling Automotive plans to set up a new production plant in southeast China, adding to its existing Chinese plants in Changchun and Suzhou. The new plant will produce a wide range of Röchling Automotive products, excluding interior components.
The company also is continuing its search for a new plant site in the United States.

Mannheim, Germany-based Röchling set up its first plant in China in 2007, in Changchun, in part to make air intake components for Smart’s plant in Hambach, France. The Changchun plant also makes underfloor cladding of the BMW 5-series car.

The company’s Suzhou plant also started up in 2007, making steering system fluid and expansion tanks for Ford and later also spoilers for the Ford Focus and Mondeo models.

Since the two Chinese sites started up, Röchling has also been supply parts for OEMs Dongfeng Motor Corp. and Guangzhou Automobile Group.

The company did not identify the location for its new plant in China.

Röchling has two joint venture sites in Brazil. Erwin Doll, Röchling Automotive board member for sales, development and Asia, says there will also be further investment in Brazil.

Back in Europe, Röchling Automotive will set up its first plant in Romania in Pitesti, in order to supply the local Ford plant in Craiova. The long-fiber reinforced LFT plant in Worms that produces car underbody claddings will be expanded already later this year, the company says.

Röchling Automotive has 19 production plants worldwide, including further plants in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Latvia and Spain. The automotive business has 3,500 employees worldwide and accounts for around 49 percent of overall Röchling group sales.

With 5,500 employees worldwide, Röchling Group achieved sales of 830 million euros in 2009, down from 1.1 billion euros in 2008. Doll comments however “for 2010 we expect turnover to move in the direction of the pre-crisis level.”