Chiron Group Opens Digital Machine Tool Plant

Chiron’s new Precision Factory in Neuhausen, Germany.

Chiron Group celebrated the official opening of its new Precision Factory with guests from the manufacturing industry and politics. The building was constructed specially for the assembly of two new machine series that combine productivity and precision. Optimized assembly and logistics processes in the plant will ensure shorter delivery times for these products.

With a maximum annual production capacity of 400 high precision machining centers, the nearly 150,000-square foot factory in Neuhausen, Germany, cost more than $38 million and was completed in 15 months. The greenfield building is the largest single investment in almost 100 years of Chiron's corporate history.

The new central logistics department at the Neuhausen plant combines the Precision Factory with the existing assembly halls to form an integrated Chiron campus.

In planning and equipping the new factory, IT experts and production planners sought to maximize digitalization to achieve high productivity and traceable assembly quality. The plant layout is designed for optimal material flow. The operation was also designed to be paperless.

For testing and quality assurance purposes and as a reference point, the delivery state of the machines is documented through what the company refers to as a digital fingerprint, which contains all data related to each machine.

The new factory also makes a contribution toward climate protection: waste heat produced by the machines during test runs is used to heat the factory. The plant’s environment, including air-conditioning, lighting, and camera systems is controlled through a smart factory cockpit.

The company built the new factory specifically for its new machining centers, the 16 and 25 series. It says the modern factory is designed to satisfy the special requirements needed for precise assembly of these accurate machine tools.