(L-R): Léon GLODEN, Président du S.I.A.E.G.; Dave KAUFMAN, Managing Director Carlex Glass Luxembourg; Etienne SCHNEIDER, Minister of the Economy; HE Shigeji SUZUKI, Ambassador of Japan;
On Monday 23 April 2018, in the presence of Etienne Schneider, Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy, Dave Kaufman, Managing Director of Carlex Glass Luxembourg, and Léon Gloden, President of SIAEG, the new production line of Carlex was inaugurated in Grevenmacher.
The 3,400 m2 facility was realised by an investment of €25 million.
With the construction of their new windshield production line - the Laminating Line 5 - Carlex windshield wrap manufacturers offer their company an additional 3,400 m2 (including warehouses) and confirm their confidence in the industrial site of Potaschbierg / Grevenmacher.
In August 2016 the building permit for this new production line was granted to the company and it was in January 2017 that work began. A few months later, in September 2017, the machines were installed. As early as December, the first tests were carried out. In February 2018, the final commissioning of this new production line was completed and its inauguration took place yesterday.
A complex modernisation to ensure the satisfaction of buyers in the automotive industry
In an industrial environment that is increasingly competitive, the main objective of this important investment is to ensure even more efficient satisfaction of buyers in the automotive industry who are always more demanding in terms of quality. optics, tailor-made products and the shape and quality of the windscreens.
Particularly complex to manufacture, the new Laminating Line 5 production line is not intended to increase the production of the company, but rather to replace the old production lines built in 1992 and which no longer meet the requirements current. Over the years, the expectations of customers have evolved considerably, mainly because of the many innovations in automotive design and vehicle geometry developed in recent years, but also because of an impressive number of technological innovations such as the head-up display integrated in the windshield.
A new ultra-modern production line
While the windscreens previously cut and shaped from rectangular glass plates were hitherto heated to 600°C by the "gravity bending" technique, then pressed to obtain the desired shape, the new Laminating Line 5 works according to a completely different procedure: the "External Press Bending" system which proves to be much more efficient. Combined with a reduction in production waste, this improved energy efficiency allows the company to achieve real savings.
Premium automotive glass products made in Luxembourg
Carlex Luxembourg is part of the Central Glass Group which is headquartered in Tokyo. Under the name of Carlex, the automotive glass section manufactures premium glass products for premium vehicles in Europe and the United States (in Nashville, Tennessee), primarily on behalf of original equipment manufacturers. In 2014, Carlex took over the automotive glass production sites of the American glass manufacturer Guardian, including the Potaschbierg plant. It currently employs 530 employees and occupies a total area of 50,000 m2. Production runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Well equipped logistically, confident in the future
With the construction of this new production line, Carlex confirms its confidence in the industrial site of Luxembourg which, thanks to its strategic position at the heart of Europe, offers ideal delivery routes to important European customers in the high-end market. range: Volkswagen (with production sites in Germany and Slovakia), BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche (Germany), Audi (Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia), Lamborghini (Italy), Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Jaguar (United Kingdom), Skoda (Hungary), Chrysler (United States) and Peugeot (France).
True to Carlex's motto "All under one roof", the departments of purchasing, sales and finance, product development, production for tempered glass and laminated glass, finishing and advanced Product Development - which ensures that Carlex is prepared for future market requirements - can be found on the same site.
Given these particularly advantageous logistical aspects, Carlex not only considers the new production line in the Grevenmacher plant a promising investment in its own future, but also in the context of the sustainable maintenance of jobs and the industrial competitiveness of the Grand -Dutch of Luxembourg.
Carlex is always looking for motivated staff: Production workers, trained specialists, have interesting career prospects at Carlex Glass Luxembourg.
