Oerlikon opens $55mn additive manufacturing facility

Swiss technology group Oerlikon has announced the opening of a research and development and production facility in North Carolina.

The $55mn Huntersville facility is said to serve as the cornerstone of Oerlikon’s U.S. additive manufacturing business. Occupying 125,000 square feet, the facility employs around 60 people at the time of opening, with the intention of gradually adding jobs in the future.

Prof. Dr. Michael Süss, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Oerlikon Group, said: “This facility marks an important step in our investment strategy for growth. Additive manufacturing will play a decisive role in how industries and industrial processes will look in the future. We are committed to investing in this business and leading the industrialization of this technology.”

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The move is part of Oerlikon’s wider U.S. expansion strategy, having invested $400mn in the country over the past 5 years with the intention of spending another $200mn in the next 3 years. The Huntersville facility in particular is said to be poised for expansion along with the wider business.

“We are already working with customers in the aerospace, automotive, energy and medical industries in the US, and we anticipate continued growth in those sectors, as well as in others,” said Dr. Sven Hicken, Head of Oerlikon’s Additive Manufacturing business. “We believe that additive manufacturing can transform production in many industries, and we are excited that our presence here in North Carolina allows us to better demonstrate those possibilities to our customers.”