How Feintool is restructuring its fine blanking production

Change in factory planning How Feintool is restructuring its fine blanking production in Europe

2024-06-20 Source: Press release | Translated by AI 3 min Reading Time

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The current developments in the automotive sector in Europe are characterized by a challenging market environment. Manufacturers and suppliers are accordingly adapting their production and business models. In this context, the Feintool, a global leader in fineblanking, forming, and electrolamination stamping, continuously reviews the strategic positioning of production capacities and plans a change in factory planning in Europe.

With the centers of competence for fineblanking (including toolmaking) and hydrogen (bipolar plates), the Feintool headquarters in Lyss is being aligned with its strengths.(Image: Feintool) — With the centers of competence for fineblanking (including toolmaking) and hydrogen (bipolar plates), the Feintool headquarters in Lyss is being aligned with its strengths.
(Image: Feintool)

Against this background, the Feintool site in Lyss, Switzerland, is consistently aligned with its strengths and will make a decisive contribution to the future of Feintool in the future with the competence centres for fine blanking (including tool making) and hydrogen (bipolar plates) as well as the group's headquarters. The large-scale production in Lyss—which is exposed to exogenous factors such as the strong Swiss franc and high labour and energy costs—can no longer be operated competitively. The plan is to relocate this to the Czech Republic by the end of 2025.

With a view to the best possible use of competencies and improved economic efficiency, Feintool has adopted a future concept for Europe. To this end, the consultation procedure with the employee representation at the Lyss site was initiated on May 28, 2024. This would put around 70 jobs at risk locally. Feintool currently employs around 200 people at the Lyss site and 3,200 employees at 17 locations worldwide.

Gallery

Headquarters of the Feintool Group in Lyss.(Image: Feintool)

With the centers of expertise in fine blanking (including toolmaking) and hydrogen (bipolar plates), the Feintool headquarters in Lyss is being aligned to its strengths.(Image: Feintool)

Consistent focus

"The realignment of the Lyss site is being carefully weighed and prepared in the interest of all stakeholders," says CEO Torsten Greiner. "Feintool has grown from its Swiss base since 1959 to 17 locations on three continents today. With the fine blanking and hydrogen competence centers, as well as the headquarters of the Feintool Group, the extensive expertise in Lyss can be used even more effectively and optimally positioned as part of a realignment."

The planned shift or discontinuation of large-scale production in Lyss by the end of 2025 means the relocation of orders to other plants in Europe, predominantly to the Feintool site in Most, Czech Republic. This planned realignment requires time and careful preparation in coordination with customers and internal departments. The result of the Feintool Group will presumably be burdened with restructuring costs amounting to CHF 10 - 12 million in 2024. After completion of the relocation, a sustainable improvement of the EBIT by CHF 7 million per business year is to be achieved.

Ready for the future

Feintool, with its three core technologies of fine blanking, forming, and electrical steel stamping, is ideally aligned to market needs and can deliver the right solution to customers as desired. Whether electric, hybrid, or combustion engine vehicles - Feintool has attractive solutions for all vehicle classes both inside and outside the powertrain. In addition, there are applications in the industrial sector and renewable energy. For example, in recent years, the innovative "FEINforming" technology for the production of highly precise bipolar plates and interconnects has been developed in Lyss. These components are used by the hydrogen industry as the core of fuel cells and electrolyzers. Feintool has already been able to win customers in this segment in Asia and Europe.

The article was first published in SMM — Schweizer MaschinenMarkt, Switzerland, which is part of the Vogel Communications Group

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Feintool wins important contract from the hydrogen economy in Europe.

Feintool has been commissioned to manufacture precise metallic individual components for fuel cells and electrolyzers. This means that after the nomination in China by a Chinese market leader, the market entry in Europe has now also been successfully realized.

The order from a reputable European company in the field of fuel cells and electrolyzers includes series supply of several components - including highly precise flowfield plates. The order volume is initially in the range of several million euros annually.

Torsten Greiner, CEO Feintool: "With hydrogen technology, Feintool is investing in Europe's energy future and making an important contribution to sustainability. The order confirms our strategy of targeting future markets in the field of green energy."

The order followed close cooperation with the customer - among other things in the development and manufacture of prototype tools and prototype parts - and is based on the successful partnership between the two companies Feintool and Sitec for the production of assemblies in the hydrogen sector.

The German company Sitec contributes its expertise in industrial laser welding, while Feintool produces ultra-precise components in high quantities.

The successful cooperation between Sitec and Feintool is already evident at the Taicang (China) location, where mass production of precision metal components for the hydrogen economy in the Asian market is set to start in 2024.

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