Dürr receives order worth US $ 40 million from General Motors in North America

11/21/2001

• Industrial parts cleaning and material handling systems for engine factories in USA and Canada
• Investment trend remains relatively stable to keep pace with speed of innovation
• World market leader for industrial cleaning equipment and systems integration

The Ecoclean business unit of the Dürr Technology Group has received an order worth approximately US $ 40 million in total for the supply of cleaning, filtration and material handling systems to General Motors. The systems will be installed for flexible manufacturing lines producing the newly developed I-4, I-5 and V6 engines at the GM factories in Tonawanda, New York / USA and St Catharine, Ontario / Canada. Some sections of the order were received through the Japanese Nippei Toyama Corporation (NTC) of Tokyo, a machine tools supplier to GM.

In addition to the proven performance of the Ecoclean industrial cleaning and material handling systems themselves, GM's definitive criterion for placing their order with Dürr was Dürr's ability to integrate all production system components involved. This includes those to be supplied by four different machine tools manufacturers to equip a number of machining and sub-assembly centres at various stages on the production line.

Supply of the Dürr systems is based on global cooperation between a number of Ecoclean companies: 26 injection flood wash systems for engine blocks and cylinder heads from Dürr's Ecoclean company in France are designed to offer maximum cleanliness, absolute dryness and the highest possible degree of manufacturing flexibility. They are equipped with efficient filtration systems supplied by an American Ecoclean company. Another Dürr US-company is supplying the automation and material handling equipment, which will link the flexible machining and sub-assembly centres, and is taking responsibility for overall coordination of the project. The material handling systems, which include handling and assembly robots, buffer storage systems and quality control zones, extend over a total length of more than 1,600 meters. Scope of supply also includes the control and automation equipment for material logistics.

To ensure maintenance of quality levels in automobile industry it is vital that a dependable cleaning system removes chips and coolant lubricants from cylinder blocks and heads between manufacturing stages and prior to final assembly. In recent years the demands made on industrial cleaning systems have risen in accordance with the pace of progress made in powertrain technology. Now remaining contamination may only amount to just a few milligrams per workpiece. As the number of engine models passing along the production line increases while the time available decreases, an even greater level of flexibility is also required. There is also a growing demand for system integration services and for suppliers, who are able to deliver simultaneously to a number of different locations all over the world.

The Dürr Ecoclean business unit is the world market leader for state-of-the-art industrial cleaning and filtration equipment. It offers a comprehensive range of products and services for the automobile industry and its suppliers, which includes integrated material handling systems, the design and systems integration of complete powertrain facilities and ongoing manufacturing support services during full production plant operation. Dürr Ecoclean maintains its competitive edge by developing innovative new products: Solutions to provide the highest level of fine cleaning, extremely flexible industrial cleaning systems incorporating robots, innovative systems combinations for parts cleaning and coolant filtration and emission free cleaning systems using hydrocarbons - to name but a few.

In view not only of dynamic developments within transmission and engine technology (e.g. diesel engine boom, direct fuel injection systems), but also of emission level restrictions and fleet consumption regulations, Dürr Ecoclean expects demand for suitable manufacturing equipment to remain relatively stable even in the event of a weakening automobile economy. Total sales for the Dürr Ecoclean business unit, which comprises seven companies and employs a total work force of approximately 1,100, amounted to 220 million euros in the year 2000. For the current year Dürr Ecoclean again expects double-digit growth in sales.

The Dürr Technology Group is one of the world's leading suppliers of manufacturing systems and manufacturing support services for the automobile industry and its suppliers. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, Dürr increased sales by 22 %, compared to the same period in the previous year, to 1,445 million euros (previous year 1,183 million euros). Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the same period were up by 49 % to 89.2 million euros (previous year 59.8 million euros).