Winkelmann Group, a German-based manufacturer serving the aerospace industry and others, soon will begin production at its first United States production facility in the Auburn Industrial Park.
The company plans to invest $12 million to establish the metal-forming plant and expects to create approximately 50 jobs over the next five years, according to a city of Auburn release.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Winkelmann Group CEO Heinrich Winkelmann announced the new location, called Winkelmann Flowform Technology LP, in France at the Paris Air Show on Monday.
“As we declare to the world that Alabama is open for business, we welcome Winkelmann to our family of aerospace and defense-related companies in Alabama,” Ivey said in the release.
Equipment installation has begun at 229 Teague Court, the former site of Cumberland Plastic Systems, in Auburn. Production is expected to begin in about two to three months, according to Arndt Siepmann, industrial development director for Auburn’s Economic Development Department.
Winkelmann Group is a fourth-generation German company that has three divisions: automotive, building and industry, and flowforming, which is a metal-forming technique. The company has more than 45 years of experience in the space flight and aviation business.
The Auburn site will use the company’s flowform technology that primarily builds high-precision, high-strength, thin wall roto-symmetrical parts from various metals, according to the release.
“With the North America operation, my team will be able to better serve the aerospace and defense industry, as well as the commercial automotive and oil and gas industry in the U.S.,” CEO Heinrich Winkelmann said in the release. “Our flow-forming engineering and manufacturing knowhow combined with the one-of-a-kind machinery equipment installed at our Auburn facility creates solutions for our customers who demand and deserve only the highest quality.”
Aerospace, defense and petroleum materials created at the plant likely will be delivered throughout the U.S. from the plant while automotive materials could remain in the Southeast, Siepmann said.
The company is “truly technology-based” and will bring high-paying jobs for well-trained people to the area, supporting the local economy, Siepmann said. The company’s advanced technology also positions it for “sustainable, long-term growth” in Auburn, said Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield on Monday.
“Since Winkelmann is a recognized leader in innovation and manufacturing, its choice of Auburn represents a powerful endorsement of the city’s advantages for business,” Canfield said.
One of these advantages is Auburn University’s engineering school, which provides a “talent pipeline” for companies like Winkelmann along with advantages for students, Canfield said.
The Auburn plant will add to Winkelmann Group’s more than 4,000 employees and 26 independent business units worldwide.
"The announcement today is great news for Auburn,” Mayor Bill Ham said in the release. “I am extremely grateful for the support we’ve received from the state of Alabama, and I’m proud to welcome Winkelmann to the Auburn family."
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