The first Arburg Technology Center (ATC) – then known as the Info Center – opened in Radevormwald in 1982. This was and remains a sought-after contact point for customers from all over northern and western Germany – and is also considered a model for the international Arburg organisations established over the following years. On 19 and 20 May 2022, the 40th anniversary of ATC Radevormwald was duly celebrated in the presence of Managing Partners Juliane and Michael Hehl and Managing Director Technology and Engineering, Guido Frohnhaus. The exclusive anniversary event and the open day were each attended by around 160 enthusiastic guests.
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Proud of “40 years of the Arburg Technology Center Radevormwald” (from right): Managing Partners Juliane and Michael Hehl, Managing Director Technology and Engineering, Guido Frohnhaus, ATC manager Ulf Moritz and Oliver Giesen, Director Sales Germany. Photo: ARBURG/Christian Streili |
“I am very impressed by what the Arburg team in Radevormwald has achieved over the past four decades,” Michael Hehl noted in his speech. “The huge level of commitment, the reliable cooperation and the high level of competence are greatly appreciated by our customers and, together with their brand loyalty, are an important factor in the Arburg success story”. On behalf of the owner families and the entire Arburg organisation, he thanked ATC director Ulf Moritz and his team and together with his sister Juliane Hehl presented him with the anniversary sculpture. During the evening event, Michael Hehl and Guido Frohnhaus looked back on the successful development of ATC Radevormwald.
Contact point for customers from northern and western Germany
Until it was founded in 1982, there were customer service stations outside Lossburg, but no contact point for comprehensive product or application technology advice in a modern technical environment. The first ATC was built with this requirement in mind. In terms of style and quality, it resembled the building in Lossburg, and even then had a façade heating system. Hans Schmuecker, a childhood friend of Partner Eugen Hehl, who had been supporting customers from Remscheid as a service technician since as far back as 1965, assumed management of the new location in March 1982.
In 1998, Ulf Moritz took over management of the ATC Radevormwald, where 21 of the 33 employees work in the service department. The reason for this is because service for all of North Rhine-Westphalia is organised from here. With a team of six people, application technology consulting is also strongly represented. In addition, there are two turnkey experts for planning automated injection moulding systems, two training advisors and two employees in administration.
A successful ATC concept
The concept in Radevormwald was so successful that Arburg has since established many other ATCs in America, Asia and Europe. For customers from south-eastern Germany, there has also been a location in Rednitzhembach for a long time. The ATCs each combine service, spare parts supply, application technology consulting and training under one roof. Customers receive comprehensive pre-sales and after-sales service in the areas of injection moulding technology, additive manufacturing and digitalisation.
The showroom in Radevormwald, covering more than 400 square metres, has space for seven injection moulding machines and one Freeformer. This is where application technology trials, training courses and acceptance tests for customer moulds are carried out, for example. Extensive renovations to the ATC are scheduled to start in August 2022, when it will be fitted with state-of-the-art technical equipment and will also be upgraded to the latest energy standards.
Open house showcases a wide-ranging portfolio
“The anniversary celebration was incredible, and clearly demonstrated the unique spirit of the Arburg family”, said Ulf Moritz of his own impressions and the feedback from the guests. They were equally enthusiastic about the open house the following day. In addition to specialist talks, the programme also included a representative cross-section of the product portfolio. This included seven Allrounders demonstrating, for example, multi-component interval injection moulding, the automated production of drinking cups and the processing of bioplastics, as well as three exhibits on the additive manufacturing of components made of LSR, soft TPU and high-temperature plastics. The topics of automation, digital solutions and the assistance functions of the Gestica control system, which were also demonstrated live, also met with great interest. “With our high-quality technology and wide-ranging know-how in all aspects of plastics processing, we are ideally equipped in Radevormwald. This is something that our customers in the region and far beyond know and have experienced, a fact repeatedly confirmed to us by all sides during the anniversary event”, ATC director Ulf Moritz stated in conclusion.
