No half measures! Investment in semi-finished product plant Gochsheim

MORE than moulding plastics. SHAPING TOMORROW.
f.l.t.r.: Robin Merz (Process Technician), Thorsten Wetzel (Teamleiter Instandhaltung HZW), Andreas Wetzel (Head of Production Area HZW), Julian Rocha (Process Technician) 

With a great deal of passion for innovative plastics solutions, around 50 employees in the semi-finished products plant at the German site in Gochsheim are responsible for customized material development, production and sales of SMC (Sheet Molding Compound) semi-finished products.

A wide variety of fiber/matrix combinations and over 200 active formulations are used here. A small-scale SMC plant is available for development purposes, sampling and the production of special materials. Two series production facilities for SMC manufacture cover the Group's entire in-house requirements as well as orders from external customers. Flexibility is top priority here, and in this way the cost structure can be optimized.

The innovative materials produced in POLYTEC's in-house SMC materials forge are, for example, formed into non-automotive products and plastic solutions for cars, trucks and agricultural vehicles in the directly adjacent press shop. This results in exterior parts that meet all requirements for surface quality and durability, as well as robust structural components that invisibly contribute to the body of a vehicle.

Only recently, an intelligent system of a small component plant was put into operation at the Gochsheim semi-finished products plant. This fits seamlessly into the wider production environment and meets all legal requirements with regard to occupational safety, explosion protection, explosives legislation and water hazards.

A completely closed plant system ensures safe storage, conversion, metering, weighing and transport of sensitive fluids required for SMC's semi-finished product production. In addition, the system also ensures optimum temperature control of the components to guarantee high quality throughout the year. The system consists of a main scale and a fine scale in order to be able to realize different weighing scenarios within the required weighing tolerance. Incorrect dosing can thus be ruled out.

Automated order management is fully integrated, and production orders are continuously traceable through the new system. Through strict quality standards and robust production processes, this plant enables us to manufacture SMC semi-finished products that meet our own high requirements as well as the expectations of our customers.