Linear actuator specialist Hoerbiger-Origa has moved into a new purpose-built UK headquarters, completing a jigsaw of initiatives that is streamlining the company's logistics and service delivery capabilities.
Located in Gloucester, a minute from Junction 12 of the M5, the new premises include state of the art offices, a high security computer suite and workshops. The latter is being used for the Express Service for building bespoke rodless pneumatic cylinders to order, the design and manufacture of multi-axis motion systems and the service and repair functions.
Ray Barnes, UK Managing Director, says: "In an earlier stage of the plan, local manufacturing activities were reassessed and much of the repeating production of standard products was consolidated into central production sites in Germany and Austria. This gave us economies of scale and incredible efficiencies in our pan-European logistics function."
Once Hoerbiger-Origa had organised this, it turned its attentions to working out what needed to be sited locally in each country. One of the key points in the plan was understanding that while a company can manufacture and deliver standard products in very short times from a central base, it cannot hope to do the same with specialist bespoke products. For this local manufacture is essential, hence the current investment in the UK operation.
Hoerbiger-Origa now manufactures its core pneumatic and electric actuators and associated control products in Filderstadt, near Stuttgart in Germany. Air-preparation equipment, and proportional pressure control valves production is at its Austrian facility in Wiener Neustadt. Central logistics is managed from Filderstadt. This creates significant advantages for customers across Europe, as Barnes explains: "UK deliveries are at least 2-3 days quicker because we now ship direct. This is true for most other European countries too. Furthermore, developments in our IT system mean that we can interact directly with the production centre when prioritising requirements and can monitor the exact status of orders."
It has taken the best part of a year to bring this Europe-wide restructuring to fruition, with as much planning before that. Barnes is confident that the Hoerbiger-Origa production and distribution model is the best possible for delivery of high quality, high tech products across the enlarged and enlarging EU.
