Feb 28 2008
On 21 February 2008, Arburg opened its new American Technology Center California in Irvine, CA, in the presence of Arburg’s Managing Partners, Juliane and Michael Hehl. The gala opening was followed on 22 February 2008 by an open-house event. This event afforded customers and guests the opportunity to see the new premises for themselves, experience Arburg technology live in the demonstration room and attend various technical presentations on current injection moulding topics.
The event commenced with a welcome by Subsidiary Manager, Friedrich Kanz who introduced Michael Hehl, Spokesperson for the Arburg Management Team. Michael Hehl, together with his sister, Juliane Hehl, and Sales Managing Director Helmut Heinson had travelled to Irvine especially for the occasion. Michael Hehl formally started the grand gala opening with a speech underlining the role of the Technology Center and the importance of the North American market to Arburg.
This was followed by a presentation by Bill Carteaux, President and CEO of Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), who then joined Juliane Hehl, Michael Hehl, Helmut Heinson, Friedrich Kanz and Regional Manager Jürgen Giesow in the ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the facility.
ATC offers best conditions for comprehensive service
In his address, Michael Hehl emphasized the close connections between the German parent company and its North American subsidiary, Arburg, Inc.: “This is also reflected in the new Arburg Technology Center (ATC) California, which, like all Arburg buildings worldwide, has a glass façade, the most noticeable feature of our Corporate Identity.”
The new building in Irvine will cater for customers from California and the entire West Coast and has around 5,500 square feet of usable space. This means there is plenty of room for offices, stores, a training room and a demonstration room that can be equipped with six Arburg injection moulding machines. In addition to its function as a forum for showcasing products, the demonstration room also serves as a place where customers can perform tests, try out a new mould for example, or receive practical assistance in dealing with injection moulding problems arising in practice. Practical customer training courses can also be hosted here. A 16-person training room is available for dealing with theoretical aspects.
Customers have top priorities for Arburg
“This gala opening is intended to emphasize the significance of customer proximity for all our efforts, both in physical and psychological terms,” explained Michael Hehl. “The customer was, is, and remains our most important capital. Customer proximity and customer satisfaction have always been top priorities for Arburg.” This explains the company’s continuous investment in its international sales and service network.
Examples of this in the USA are the new ATC California in Irvine and the ATC Midwest in Elgin, Illinois, opened in October 2007. The aim is to further increase local activities in the USA. In this context, the company is also expanding its range of services in the areas of application technology consultation and project planning for tailor-made, highly automated production cells.
The guests were impressed of the ATC
This extensive range of services was demonstrated to guests at the gala opening with a series of live presentations: Several injection moulding machines were installed in a variety of applications in the demonstration room to exhibit the versatility and performance of the Arburg product range. The expert presentations on the latest aspects of injection moulding technology also underlined Arburg’s know-how in the areas of application technology and automation. The 130 guests were impressed by the opportunities offered by the new ATC and expressed their interest in making intensive use of the facilities in the future.