06.11.2006
Linde Material Handling' new development center nears completion.
About 9.8 million euro is being invested by Linde Material Handling in a new development center at its German headquarters location in Aschaffenburg.
One existing building will be integrated with three new buildings, all scheduled to be ready for occupancy by the end of the year. They will add roughly 10,000 square metres of space for new offices, test bays, workshops, assembly shops and a model production shop. Construction has taken just under 18 months.
"With the new development center for drive systems and lift trucks we are headed for long-term strengthening of our capabilities in innovation and expertise in technology", announced Dr. Stefan Rinck, chairman of the management board of Linde Material Handling. "At the same time we aim to enlarge our de-velopment team and are on the lookout for well trained engineers", he continued.
A large part of the new space is designed for flexibility of use and allows physical interfacing of the development departments with the other company sections involved in the development process, which include production, purchasing, quality assurance, marketing and sales. As described by Klaus Hofmann, responsible at management board level for truck development and production, this is all part of the iPEP (innovative processes and evolutionary products) initiative directed at curtailing time for product development and streamlining development processes altogether. Each covering maximum 400 square metres of floor space, the office units allow use as open-plan, combined, group or individual offices.
