ThyssenKrupp Expands in Mexico

ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, Inc. (TKMNA; Southfield, MI) is expanding its current blanking operations in the ThyssenKrupp Materials de Mexico S.A. de C.V. unit at Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico, with a $20 million investment that will add nearly 55,000 sq ft (5,100 sq m) and a new, state-of-the-art aluminum and carbon steel blanking line. TKMNA expects to complete the expansion project and begin production in the fourth quarter of 2015.

“This expansion is important to our business as it positions us as the first Mexico-based facility to offer both aluminum and advanced high-strength steel configured blanking capabilities for our customers,” said Christian Dohr, the president and chief executive officer of TKMNA. “Once complete, it will also benefit the Silao community, adding 35 full-time positions to the facility.”

The expansion centers around a new Schuler blanking line with the ability to process both aluminum and carbon steel, addressing the automotive industry’s needs in using aluminum in place of other materials for specific automotive applications. Additionally, the line will process carbon steel for exposed and unexposed automotive applications, including high-strength steel up to 1,500 MPa of TS. The new blanking line and expanded facility will increase the processing capacity of the Silao plant by nearly 70 percent, to 270,000 MT per year.

“Mexico is a key area for investment and opportunity for our business, especially as it relates to the country’s growing automotive manufacturing presence,” said Joachim Limberg, the chief executive officer of business area material services at ThyssenKrupp AG. “The ability to process both aluminum and carbon steel blanks on the same line will allow us to react and provide solutions to the materials and service demands of our customers much more quickly.”

The expansion recently broke ground on a newly-acquired 3.7 acre piece of land adjacent to the existing facility. “Securing the land provided us with a great opportunity to not only expand our facility and introduce this unique capability to Mexico, but also provides options for future use as we continue to grow and expand our service offerings,”said Olaf Voss, the president of ThyssenKrupp Materials de Mexico.

The Silao facility currently offers steel blanking and warehousing services for aluminum and steel products in the automotive and aerospace industries. TKMNA also has warehousing and material processing locations in Saltillo and Puebla, Mexico, totaling more than 380 employees at their three Mexico locations, combined.

www.tkmna.com