Bürkert opens new competence center for plastics technology
Bürkert is investing around 20 million in a new competence center for plastics technology: A hall with a floor space of around 6,000 square meters will be built by December 2024, bringing together the fluidics specialist's entire plastics expertise under one roof.
Jürgen Häberle, Head of Design, Toolmaking and Plastics Production, describes the new Plastics Technology Competence Center, which was built on the Bürkert Campus Criesbach, as a "milestone in plastics technology at Bürkert". The approximately 6,000 square meter building, which was completed in December 2024, is now home to the entire plastics value chain. The space freed up as part of the construction work on the campus will be used in future to expand customer-specific system development and to expand machining technology. These areas will thus be expanded by around 30 percent and enable further growth at the site. Bürkert has invested a total of around 20 million euros in the construction of the Criesbach campus - a clear commitment to the location, but also to the traditionally high level of vertical integration and the associated independence of the company.
Complete plastics technology process chain
"Bringing all specialist areas together under one roof connects employees along the entire process chain. This enables us to work efficiently, facilitates the rapid introduction of innovations into the real process and thus guarantees outstanding results for our customers," says Jürgen Häberle, pleased with the newly created framework conditions. The entire plastics technology process chain is now in close proximity to each other. All requirements for the plastic component, the appropriate materials and the planned production steps are carefully checked and coordinated at an early stage. The plastic components are designed, qualified and manufactured in a way that is suitable for plastics - by development, toolmaking and the technical center. The analysis laboratory and technical center also benefit from the newly gained proximity to each other: Necessary investigations, for example when introducing new materials or manufacturing technologies or solving new customer requirements, can be optimally processed and solved in close cooperation. In the long term, the Plastics Technology Competence Center is to be "the Polymer Excellence Center for the global manufacturing network of the Bürkert Group," says Stefan Müller, Chief Technical Officer at Bürkert, describing the key role of the building for the future of the company.