Liebherr breaks ground for new hydraulic cylinder plant in Oberopfingen

With a ground-breaking ceremony on 13 December, Liebherr-Components Kirchdorf GmbH has officially commenced construction work for a new plant in Oberopfingen (Germany). The new building will be available from 2024 and will be housing the mechanical production of hydraulic cylinders, which is currently located in Kirchdorf an der Iller. Also, the production-related administrative areas will be moved to Oberopfingen, where the main plant for the production of hydraulic cylinders and other hydraulic components, as well as administration, assembly, painting and logistics have already been located since 2018. The new plant will have a ground area of approximately 46,000 m². "The consolidation of the entire hydraulic cylinder production into one location is the basis for Liebherr to continue to grow and further drive the economic efficiency of our site," says Christian Zenner, Managing Director of Liebherr-Components Kirchdorf GmbH.

With the expansion of the components location, a total of three new halls will be built. One hall houses a logistics area, including a high-bay warehouse, the quality control, the customer service, as well as a modern production for fibre composite components. The other two halls will house a modernised mechanical production. In addition to this, two adjoining administrative buildings will complement the halls. Construction is planned to span 1.5 years, aiming for overall conclusion, including all relocation work, by spring of 2025.

Combined component power

Thanks to the local bundling of production, internal processes and production sequences will be optimised, on the one hand. On the other, opportunities are being created to improve and fully redesign production conditions: "For example, we are expanding the capacity of fibre composite production and investing in new machinery and equipment. In order to implement the overall processes in the best way possible in the future, areas from the older plant in Oberopfingen will also be moved into the new building," explains project manager Thomas Angielsky from Liebherr-Components Kirchdorf GmbH.

"We will not only join forces again as one team in one place, but also exploit potentials for the future – as an attractive employer and a reliable partner,'' explains Christian Zenner. "The construction project is an essential step towards fulfilling our customers' needs, as well as towards positioning ourselves as one of the leading hydraulic cylinder manufacturers worldwide," he adds.