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Footprint Newsroom
| Client: |
Siemens Mechanical Drives |
| Issue date: |
9 December 2011 |
Leeds Factory is a
Key Part of Siemens' Engineering Future
Relocating the Siemens Mechanical Drives factory to Leeds has entailed significant investment by Siemens – and a strong belief in its UK engineering future.
How the new centre came about
Siemens Mechanical Drives was created from the acquisition by Siemens Industry Automation & Drive Technologies (IA&DT) of Flender Power Transmission and its German parent in 2005. The acquisition focused on improving the product portfolio around the drive train concept, representing industry in motion.
Drive train products include gear units, drives and motors, couplings and other related control technology. This new facility – which is considerably larger than the Bradford site where Flender had been located for 39 years – provides enhanced manufacturing and service capabilities for gear units, motors, geared motors and couplings. These are key to Siemens IA&DT’s plans to expand its offer in the areas of servicing, wind turbines and rail.
Highlights of the new facility include:
• £1.2 million relocation investment
• State-of-the-art manufacturing and assembly facilities including cranes with 25-tonne lifts and large-scale washing and painting lines
• Expanded service facilities for wind turbines and rail couplings
• An authorised Winergy service centre (Winergy is the world’s largest provider of wind turbine units)
• A demonstration room enabling Siemens to show customers effective savings that can be generated through the drive train.
General manager at the Leeds facility is Simon Nadin, who described recent developments: “The Leeds site now assembles, designs and develops drive train industrial transmission technology systems for applications such as water, aggregates, energy and transport. But it’s not just about products; our customers increasingly expect value generation around the packages that we tailor to their requirements. The focus is now on energy and operational efficiency, service, maintenance and safety.”
With the move to Leeds, Siemens has also embarked upon a lean manufacturing programme, which over the next three years will see increased productivity and consistency of delivery performance.
The role of the workforce
The current workforce of 60 has significant experience spanning the industry, and the planned expansion at the new site will mean that this highly skilled team will invariably grow to meet the demands of the customer base, particularly in the renewables sector with wind and tidal power. An apprenticeship programme which has been running for several years will see this commitment to the current and future workforce continue.
Official opening
The Right Honourable Hilary Benn, MP, is officially opening this flagship facility on 9 December 2011, after an open day in which customers tour the new site. Juergen Maier, managing director of Siemens Industry UK sector, is also making a keynote speech about the industry.
ENDS
Notes to editors: About Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 169 years ago and now employs 12,972 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £4.4 billion*. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry, infrastructure & cities and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
* Data includes intercompany revenue. Data may not be comparable with revenue reported in annual or interim reports.
For further media information and photographs please contact Bridget Summers, Footprint, PO Box 4, Thorpe Park, Leeds LS15 8WX. Tel: 0113 251 5697. Email: bridget@fim.org.uk
How the new centre came about
Siemens Mechanical Drives was created from the acquisition by Siemens Industry Automation & Drive Technologies (IA&DT) of Flender Power Transmission and its German parent in 2005. The acquisition focused on improving the product portfolio around the drive train concept, representing industry in motion.
Drive train products include gear units, drives and motors, couplings and other related control technology. This new facility – which is considerably larger than the Bradford site where Flender had been located for 39 years – provides enhanced manufacturing and service capabilities for gear units, motors, geared motors and couplings. These are key to Siemens IA&DT’s plans to expand its offer in the areas of servicing, wind turbines and rail.
Highlights of the new facility include:
• £1.2 million relocation investment
• State-of-the-art manufacturing and assembly facilities including cranes with 25-tonne lifts and large-scale washing and painting lines
• Expanded service facilities for wind turbines and rail couplings
• An authorised Winergy service centre (Winergy is the world’s largest provider of wind turbine units)
• A demonstration room enabling Siemens to show customers effective savings that can be generated through the drive train.
General manager at the Leeds facility is Simon Nadin, who described recent developments: “The Leeds site now assembles, designs and develops drive train industrial transmission technology systems for applications such as water, aggregates, energy and transport. But it’s not just about products; our customers increasingly expect value generation around the packages that we tailor to their requirements. The focus is now on energy and operational efficiency, service, maintenance and safety.”
With the move to Leeds, Siemens has also embarked upon a lean manufacturing programme, which over the next three years will see increased productivity and consistency of delivery performance.
The role of the workforce
The current workforce of 60 has significant experience spanning the industry, and the planned expansion at the new site will mean that this highly skilled team will invariably grow to meet the demands of the customer base, particularly in the renewables sector with wind and tidal power. An apprenticeship programme which has been running for several years will see this commitment to the current and future workforce continue.
Official opening
The Right Honourable Hilary Benn, MP, is officially opening this flagship facility on 9 December 2011, after an open day in which customers tour the new site. Juergen Maier, managing director of Siemens Industry UK sector, is also making a keynote speech about the industry.
ENDS
Notes to editors: About Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 169 years ago and now employs 12,972 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £4.4 billion*. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry, infrastructure & cities and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
* Data includes intercompany revenue. Data may not be comparable with revenue reported in annual or interim reports.
For further media information and photographs please contact Bridget Summers, Footprint, PO Box 4, Thorpe Park, Leeds LS15 8WX. Tel: 0113 251 5697. Email: bridget@fim.org.uk