Fuchs Petrolub SE, the world’s largest independent manufacturer of lubricants and related products, has expanded its site in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and officially opened it on 11 March. A new AS/RS (Automatic Storage & Retrieval System) warehouse, two production halls and new office space for a total of EUR16 million (USD18.08 million) have been built on the premises of Fuchs Lubritech GMBH. The location, which mainly produces lubricants for special applications, now covers a total of 96,000 square metres (sqm.)

“The growth of the special application division and the concentration of diverse activities at this location made an expansion necessary. The extension is part of our global growth initiative, which is focused on capacity increase in line with advanced technology,” emphasizes Stefan Fuchs, chairman of the Board of Fuchs Petrolub.

With 10,000 pallet spaces, the new fully automatic AS/RS warehouse doubles existing capacities and is technically state-of-the-art.

“One highlight is the energy-saving oxygen reduction, whereby we use a modern fire protection concept in such a way that we can store numerous materials such as cardboard boxes and chemicals together, which would otherwise not be possible,” says Markus Heck, managing director of Fuchs Lubritech, responsible for production and supply chain.

Two new production halls with a floor space of 1,000 and 1,300 sqm. make it possible to significantly expand production capacities.

In addition to expanding the warehouse and production capacities, the research and development laboratories have been expanded and 70 new and state-of-the-art office workplaces have been created.

“We want to offer our current and future employees an attractive environment and enable interactive collaboration,” says Bernhard Biehl, chairman of the Management Board of Fuchs Lubritech. Around 300 people are employed at the Kaiserslautern site.