Tradition and innovation let wheels run smoothly
Sauerland enterprise BORBET planning investments in the millions
At BORBET everything revolves around the wheel. The family business, that’s been engaged in metal casting since its establishment in 1881, is today one of the leading aluminium wheel manufacturers in the world with seven national and international production sites and an excellent position on the market. The main plant of the traditional business has been operating in Hallenberg-Hesborn in the Hochsauerland region since 1962. This is where the aluminium wheels are mass-produced in 2,000 variations.
BORBET has 2800 employees worldwide and currently has an annual turnover of approx. 600 million euros. But for the company director Peter Wilhelm Borbet, that’s no reason to rest on his laurels. “The high quality of our wheels is our strength, and so that it stays that way, the BORBET name stands not only for tradition, but also for innovative technology and new methods of production,” says the entrepreneur. Therefore, investments in the tens of millions are already planned for this year in the form of a new painting line at the Hesborn site among other things. Another goal for 2007: The production of 12 million aluminium wheels by the end of the year. And yet, Peter Wilhelm Borbet purposely avoids jumping on the “down-market product” bandwagon. “Our corporate philosophy is to continue to promote Germany as an industrial location, and not to outsource production to low-wage countries,” stresses Borbet. Nevertheless, cost reduction is an important aspect for the profitability of the company, which at BORBET is achieved by automating production. “At BORBET robots cast the aluminium alloy wheels and our employees take care of the fine details, such as x-raying, polishing or centring the wheel,” Peter Wilhelm Borbet describes the typical sequence of steps leading to the finished wheel.
Ninety percent of the wheels produced go directly to the automobile manufacturers (OEM) around the world and the remaining 10 percent are wheels destined for retail.
Upshot: At BORBET everything runs smoothly!
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