At the beginning of July, Balluff inaugurated a new 6,000 m² building at the Chinese site in Chengdu - the production area increased by 75 percent in one fell swoop and the production volume could be doubled. The Chengdu plant is one of Balluff's three large production sites, alongside the two plants in Veszprém (Hungary) and Aguascalientes (Mexico). The sensor and automation specialist produces more than 3,700,000 inductive and mechanical sensors here every year, as well as linear position measuring systems for industrial automation and other products. One advantage of the new production area is that it has been designed to be universal and therefore offers full flexibility as to which product lines and products will be manufactured here in the future.

Holisticly modern

When planning the new building, it was important to Balluff to maintain a holistic appearance of the entire location. That's why the sensor and automation specialist has also modernized the existing building complex: "We have focused on sustainable solutions - especially when it comes to the technical infrastructure," explains Frank Nonnenmann, who, as Managing Director at Balluff, is responsible for setting up the global production and logistics network is. Particular attention was also paid to logistics during the planning: the previous and new production areas are connected to each other for short internal transport routes. By introducing a digital assistance system, the processes in the high-bay warehouse will become smarter and faster. Thanks to state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, Balluff is flexible: from one-piece to large series – everything is possible. Nonnenmann highlights the advantages of the different production options: “With this strength in product variety and precision, the expansion will lead to further product and component localization, from which Chinese and Chengdu suppliers will additionally benefit and expand their business.”