Plastics machinery giant KraussMaffei (KM, Munich / Germany; www.kraussmaffei.com) says it has laid the foundation stone for a new production plant for extrusion systems in Laatzen’s eastern industrial park located in the Hannover region of Germany. The 66,500 m² facility is scheduled for completion by the third quarter of 2022 and will replace the company’s former site in Hannover-Kleefeld that did not allow any further expansion. The new facility, which includes office, production and administrative space, is part of KraussMaffei’s investment plan in new production plants and a new headquarters (see Plasteurope.com of 13.02.2020).

The company said the facility will combine KraussMaffei’s extrusion business activities under one roof to produce systems for the plastics and rubber industries. “Our new premises will be our future extrusion and recycling technology center,” KraussMaffei Group CEO Michael Ruf added. “Seven hundred and fifty jobs will be created here for highly trained skilled workers in metalworking and plastics specialists.”

The site is said to place special focus on an innovation centre of around 10,000 m² for trial purposes that will comprise 20 machines and lines from small laboratory facilities up to production-scale machines. The centre will be available to prospective customers for preliminary testing under realistic production conditions before they place orders.