Fluoroware expands international presence
Chaska, MN–Fluoroware, Inc., an innovator in material handling solutions for the data storage, semiconductor and other microelectronics industries, announced it is expanding its manufacturing capacity in Asia and Europe to meet growing customer demand. According to Fluoroware President Stan Geyer, demand for Fluoroware`s products in both Europe and Japan is escalating. “We are committed to adding capacity to meet our customers` needs on a global scale. In Europe alone, sales of our products increased over 100 percent during the past 18 months.”
Fluoroware`s new 12,000 ft2 building in Japan brings Nippon Fluoroware`s square footage to 41,000. By housing the Japanese operation`s office space and inventory in the new building, the company can dedicate 29,000 ft2 of existing space to manufacturing. Nippon Fluoroware`s sales are up 44 percent in 1996, compared to the same period last year. Currently in operation, the facility offers advanced capabilities similar to those provided by its new state-of-the-art Chaska facility, which was announced in June.
When completed, the new 44,000 ft2 German facility will double the manufacturing capability of Fluoroware`s existing ISO 9001-certified Bad Rappenau site, originally leased in 1989. The new facility will feature Class 100 cleanroom technology, including multiple injection-molding machines enclosed entirely in the hardwall cleanroom. Currently, Fluoroware is the only company in Europe to manufacture wafer handling components in a cleanroom.
Contamination concerns will be further addressed in the new facility through the use of an automated material handling system and the installation of both a primary packaging area and a secondary operations area within the cleanroom. A number of features designed to speed products to European customers will be incorporated within the facility, including in-house tooling to create custom and standard molds of the full range of products, as well as on-site warehousing. Building completion is slated for March 1997, at which time the existing Bad Rappenau facility will be phased out of operation and all personnel transferred to the new facility. n