Okuma opens a new Engineering Centre in Germany
Krefeld (Germany), 7th July 2020. Okuma, one of the world's market leaders for CNC tooling machines and process optimisation, will soon be opening a new Engineering Centre at its site in Krefeld, Germany. In future, the standard machines kept in stock will be individually tailored to meet the needs of customers all across Europe.
Okuma Europe works in most European countries with long-standing sales partners who are able to provide service and individual solutions particularly quickly due to their customer proximity. After Okuma changed over to direct sales in Germany, it was then up to the company itself to lay the foundations for continuing to generate successful growth locally.
1200m² for faster individual all-in-one solutions
In 2018, plans were drawn up for the new Engineering Centre to increase the workshop capacity. August 2019 marked the start of construction. Just under a year later, the building designed and realised by the Toenisvorst based company, Hagelstein architecture, is set to open soon – despite the coronavirus crisis and all the delays that entailed.
The opening ceremony cannot presently be held as to protect customers and employees from COVID-19, however, Norbert Teeuwen, Managing Director of Okuma Europe, still has reason to be pleased: “In future, the Engineering Centre will enable us to respond even better and faster in satisfying special requests and providing all-in-one solutions for the manufacturing needs of our customers all across Europe.”
Over 1200m² floor space, will soon be an assembly area for up to 20 machines, along with communal areas for the 17 employees currently working in the Engineering department. The centre will focus on fitting Okuma machines with local accessories and automation solutions to suit customer requirements. A variety of the most in-demand machines will be kept in stock in the warehouse, ready to go at any time. Furthermore, the Engineering Centre will be equipped with a main crane with a 32-ton loading capacity as well as six ancillary cranes, each allowing a 2-ton loading capacity, to support the team's great work. Preliminary acceptance testing of the systems will then also be carried out in Okuma’s own workshop in Krefeld.