Hobart is set to double the size of its European manufacturing operation by 2020, rocketing production levels to 70,000 units annually, with direct benefits for British customers.
Despite the uncertainty of Brexit, the manufacturer is pressing on in positive fashion breaking ground on a new 12,000sqm facility, alongside its existing plant in Offenburg, Germany, which will double its current production output of 36,000 machines a year.
Manfred Kohler, VP and General Manager of Warewash Germany has hailed the plan as a “major investment” delivering “significant benefits and savings in terms of time and cost.”
Group President Global Warewash, Axel Beck, who greeted a row of prominent guests during the official ground-breaking ceremony added: “We are sending out a clear message with the plant expansion and are looking forward to a very promising future.”
Scott Santi, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of the HOBART parent company, Illinois Tool Works, travelled from the USA especially for the event, while Marco Steffens (First Mayor of the City of Offenburg) and Kurt Augustin (District Mayor Village Elgersweier) also symbolically reached for their spades.
David Riley, Managing Director, Hobart Equipment Division UK, added: “This is not just an expansion, it’s a pledge to double our already formidable production prowess, resulting in shorter lead times for our UK customer base and reflecting a serious spike
in demand for our machines – the European management team are already long-range planning for a further expansion in the coming years.”
The Offenburg facility has already hired 80 new staff since December 2017 and will continue to add to this number ahead of the 2020 date line.
Hobart’s Offenburg facilities are used to build commercial warewashing equipment that is sold across Europe and most of Asia, except for China. It has a separate manufacturing facility in North America to serve US customers.
Hobart UK has now aligned its Warewash and Cooking divisions into one single sales and administration operation known simply as the Hobart Equipment Division.
To learn more, visit: www.hobartuk.com or call 0844 888 7777
