Mexico – A $20m investment will add nearly 55,000 sq.ft plus a new aluminium and carbon steel blanking line to the facility in Guanajuato, raising its annual capacity by 70% to 270,000 metric tons. ThyssenKrupp Materials de Mexico expects to complete the expansion and begin production in Q4 2015. The workforce will grow by 35 personnel.

As well as handling aluminium, the new Schuler blanking line will process carbon steel for both exposed and unexposed automotive applications, including high-strength steel up to 1,500 MPa of tensile strength. “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,” explained Joachim Limberg, CEO, Business Area Material Services, ThyssenKrupp.

Christian Dohr, president and CEO, ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, added: “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.”

The expansion follows ThyssenKrupp’s acquisition of 3.7 acres of land next to its existing facility, which currently offers steel blanking plus warehousing for steel and aluminium products that are sold into the automotive and aerospace industries.

www.thyssenkrupp.com