At Aerzen USA all the signs point to growth and expansion. This is evidenced by the recent expansion of the company’s headquarters in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, by around 2,000 square metres, a development which the company celebrated at an Open House event held on 19 September 2017.
- Article Aerzen USA celebrates the expansion of its headquarters
The newly planned production area was also presented at an Open House
The festive event in Coatesville was well attended: participants included the management of Aerzen Germany, representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, representatives of the U.S. sales team, employees, customers, suppliers and personnel from construction companies. The keynote speakers were, Tony Morris, President of Aerzen USA, Neil Weaver from the Pennsylvania Department of Economic & Community Development and Klaus-Hasso Heller, CEO of AERZEN. As a result of the expansion of the building, which has increased the available space by 50 percent, the facility has new office and seating areas, new conference rooms and a new break room. The additional production and storage space created takes account of the growing product range and Lean production. The planning for the redesign of the production areas was carried out by a team of employees from the Technology division at the AERZEN parent company and Aerzen USA. At a one-week factory planning workshop in Aerzen, the layout of the production hall, as well as the set-ups of the production and logistics processes, were revised. The factory structure was developed in close cooperation with local colleagues in Coatesville and the Lean team, combining site-specific conditions and experience as well as proven AERZEN processes and Lean criteria.
When entering the production hall, a clear structure is immediately visible. This is as a result of the newly-designed material flow, workstations equipped according to 5S and visual management, which means, for example, the colour coding of the various areas according to product types, floor markings for material supply and visual signals for material control.
Facts at a glance
- Number of employees: 112
- Size of the company site: around 5,800 square metres, including 1,400 square metres of office space and 4,400 square metres of production
- Permeable paved areas with underground layers of rock to store rainwater
- Solar systems that generate a large part of the company’s energy requirements
- Ground ducts that channel outside air into the interior to cool the production areas
- Recycled furniture and materials throughout the building
- Wild meadow with native trees and bushes instead of well-kept lawn
- Geothermal heat pump for heating and cooling
- Straw bale construction of the large conference room: R-value 48
- Footpaths with 40 percent recycled glass
