»With the new Precision Factory, CHIRON has clearly proven that it is actively pursuing the challenges of the 21st century,« according to Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut MdL, Minister for Economics, Labor and Housing for Baden-Württemberg, in her speech at the opening ceremony.
The minister continued: »That's because this factory combines the very best that our machine tool industry in Baden-Württemberg has to offer: Machines which combine the highest productivity with the highest precision and thereby set standards for the digital age.«
Since August 2019, the CHIRON Precision Factory, the biggest single investment in the company's history at EUR 34.5 million, has been offering the best and, above all, very stable framework conditions for the construction of up to 400 machining centers per year. Currently, CHIRON's tried-and-tested series 15 and 18 as well as the two new series 16 and 25 are being produced in Neuhausen ob Eck. Assembly of series 22 will begin soon. This new series is ideally suited to the precise, dynamic machining of large components in the automotive and precision mechanics industries.
The machining centers that are constructed in the CHIRON Precision Factory are not only characterized by maximum precision, but also by faster availability. The machines are produced in a cluster assembly process – one team, one machine – in shorter cycles. For each order, the optimized processing saves about two to three weeks of time, so that customers can get started with production sooner. And better too, thanks to advance simulation of processes: All machining which is later carried out on the machine can be programmed, simulated and optimized right in the Precision Factory.
The fact that CHIRON has accepted and understood the challenges of the future is clear not only from the Precision Factory itself, but also by the way in which it was achieved. It took just 15 months from the ground-breaking ceremony to the official opening. The pioneering project was successfully completed within the specified time frame and budget.
The also new central logistics department at the Neuhausen plant combines the CHIRON Precision Factory with the existing assembly halls to form a CHIRON campus.
July 2018 to September 2019 (ready for occupancy)
Capacity: Maximum of 400 machines per annum
Production area: 9,000 m²
Logistics area: 2,500 m²
Office area: 2,200 m²
Total area of the new building: 13,700 m²
Total existing space: 17,000 m²
Optimal material flow configuration with logistics spine for all flows of people and materials
Centralized final assemblies, engineering offices and logistics areas
Central order picking of machines and systems
Concrete core activation for even and exact temperature control
Use of waste heat from machines
Ventilation systems with heat recovery
LED lighting
Total energy consumption 70 kWh per m² and per annum
Smart Factory Cockpit: Control of air-conditioning, lighting and camera systems
Digital assistance systems in assembly
Contactless logistics bookings
Digital quality testing and assurance ("digital fingerprint")