Kyocera invests millions to double production in Germany

Kyocera Fineceramics Europe GmbH plans to invest around EUR 34 million in its two German sites in Mannheim (Baden-Württemberg) and Selb (Bavaria) during the current 2023/24 financial year. The company is a supplier of advanced ceramics for a range of industrial applications, ranging from automotive to energy and medical technology to semiconductor manufacturing.

“The challenges of industrial transformation in Germany are enormous. Especially so in an energy-intensive industry like ours. That is why linking commercial aspects and green issues is particularly important to us. This is exactly what these investments are designed to achieve,” explains Dr Carsten Rußner, President of Kyocera Fineceramics Europe GmbH, in a press release.

Demand for the company's products is high and the order books look healthy – and Kyocera wants to continue its growth. There is a clear growth strategy in place to achieve this.

“The Kyocera Group does not focus on short-term shareholder value effects. For us, the long-term perspective is what counts: we want to become the No.1 in the European market for technical ceramics,” says Dr Carsten Rußner.

Kyocera Fineceramics has hired more than 200 new employees since the acquisition and merger of its two predecessor companies, the non-oxide ceramics manufacturer H. C. Starck Ceramics GmbH in Selb and the ceramics business of Friatec GmbH in Mannheim. 

“After laying the foundations for the new administration and logistics centre in Mannheim in March of this year, we intend to expand our production facilities in a focused manner over the next few months. In Selb, we will also convert existing buildings and construct new ones on newly acquired land,” explains Armin Kayser, Executive Vice President of Kyocera Fineceramics Europe GmbH. 

New production facilities will also be set up in existing buildings in Mannheim and the power supply will be put on a new footing. This includes photovoltaic modules for generating electricity and the use of waste heat from the sintering furnaces for heating and cooling the entire site.

“The expertise at both facilities – industrial ceramics in general in Mannheim, and ceramic materials for semiconductor production in particular in Selb – will be retained. Mannheim is also the headquarters for Kyocera Fineceramics sales in Europe, which sells Japanese products alongside those manufactured at the German sites. At the same time, Kyocera also wants to enable its sites to work together more closely,” Armin Kayser continues.