TPI April 2009

Orbitalum Tools moves into new premises

Orbitalum Tools GmbH has moved into new premises in Singen/Hohentwiel, with the official opening ceremony taking place on 29 January. The building was handed over to managing director Achim Schneider by architect Ludwig Schweiger, from the city of Rottweil. The event was attended by a number of high-ranking regional politicians and the management of several partners, customers and suppliers, as well as the Orbitalum employees and their families. Employees had already moved into the new headquarters in October 2008, after a construction period of only seven months. Orbitalum Tools GmbH, formerly known as Georg Fischer Rohrverbindungstechnik GmbH, is an ITW (Illinois Tool Works, Chicago) company, and is ISO 9001:2000 certified. The company develops, produces and markets portable pipe and tube cutting and pipe end preparation machines for the plant engineering industry. The equipment produced in Singen is used mainly in industries such as food and beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical and electronics, as well as in power plants, pipeline construction and shipbuilding. ITW has invested approximately €4 million into the new development in Singen. The main objective of the new headquarters was to set the required conditions for modern and effective production and logistics. Various building and energy concepts were evaluated and a future-orientated concept was developed together with the assigned architect. The building has a total size of around 4,200m 2 , including 1,100m 2 for administration, and has been designed so that additional floors can be added when required. Short distances between administration, production and shipping enable the quick exchange of information, while the set up of production in cells ensures optimised product flow. Under-floor heating to all areas, including production and the warehouse, is supplied by a gas boiler, but alternative systems such as a pellet heater will be possible in the future. It was not possible to install a geothermal system due to water pollution control. Structural analysis for the possibility of installing solar panels on the roof has been carried out, and this project will soon be realised. A well-equipped demo room has also been installed, as the company has requirements for customer training and product presentations.

Orbitalum Tools GmbH – Germany tools@orbitalum.com www.orbitalum.com

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April 2009 Tube Products International