GE Additive is inaugurating a new 40,000-square-meter campus in Lichtenfels, Germany, which will become the new official home for GE Additive Concept Laser. The new Bavarian facility, called GE Additive Lichtenfels, will help the additive manufacturing specialist to meet growing customer demands and transition into additive serial production.
The opening ceremony, which took place today, was officiated by Bernd Sibler, the Bavarian Minister of Sciences, and saw attendance by local politicians and business partners.
“In Bavaria, global players find exceptional conditions for successful and future-forward investments to take to the world,” said Sibler. “The opening of the new GE Additive Lichtenfels facility in Upper Franconia is one such example. It is a great win for the people in the region and there [are] many valuable opportunities for business and science to cooperate. The future of the additive manufacturing industry is being shaped in Lichtenfels.”
Sibler wasn’t the only Bavarian politician to express excitement about the inauguration. “GE Additive Concept Laser is a pioneer in world class 3D printing,” said Dr. Markus Söder, the Prime Minister of Bavaria. “The new campus in Lichtenfels is a technology and job motor for industry 4.0 in Upper Franconia. Technological leadership in rural areas, large industrial investments throughout the state—that is hightech made in Bavaria.”
The new campus will soon be buzzing with up to 700 employees, as the transition of the current Concept Laser site to its new home is well underway. According to GE Additive, the office block is still under construction, but it scheduled to be complete in 2020, when the remaining Concept Laser teams will relocate.
As more and more of GE Additive’s customers are shifting to serial production with additive manufacturing, GE Additive is increasing its investments in manufacturing facilities across Europe and North America in order to meet growing demand for its technologies. Recently, for instance, the company also opened a new Center of Excellence in Gothenburg, Sweden for its Arcam EBM systems.
“Today is a great milestone for GE Additive, for Frank and Kerstin Herzog and the entire Concept Laser family,” concluded Jason Oliver, President and CEO of GE Additive. “There has been a lot of interest in the building over the past three years, both locally and from our customers. We want this modern, Lean manufacturing production facility, here in Bavaria, to become a global focal point for the additive industry. We have created a collaborative environment for our customers and our teams. And, making the campus a great place to work for our people has been a top priority from the early planning stages.”
