(pressebox) (Düsseldorf, 2016-10-20) New production shop #4 recently opened on the site of Kolbenschmidt Czech Republic, a.s. (KSCZ), close to Ústí nad Labem.

The new building has two storeys with a total area of around 8,000 square meters. One part houses those areas which had to yield to the new building, another is for expanding foundry capacities for commercial vehicle aluminum pistons and prototypes. Currently, a high-volume project for a notable German customer is underway. Hence, the number of employees in shop #4 will rise from now 80 to around 120.

Horst Binnig, CEO of Rheinmetall Automotive (KSPG AG), sees the new building as an important step ahead, stating at his opening address: "With a workforce of almost 770, the Kolbenschmidt location in the Czech Republic works to standards of engineering that allow us to manufacture here, too, very sophisticated products. This is more than evidenced by the extensive line-up of international customers."

KSCZ is a major component of the international production location strategy that Rheinmetall Automotive has mapped out for its small-piston business. The fundamentals for the future European location strategy for small-piston production had been defined back in the summer of 2012. A key role in this strategy is played by the Czech plant, with the necessary foundry facility moving from Neckarsulm to Ústí nad Labem. Since, however, all the production areas had meanwhile been taken up and after reviewing the alternatives, it was decided to build a new production shop.