Eaton expands its footprint in Europe
Power management company Eaton is establishing a new office and research center in Karlsruhe, Germany. The expansion will complement existing engineering and manufacturing sites in Montrottier, France, and Tczew, Poland.
The company says that the new office in Karlsruhe will serve as a base for customer interaction and engineering service for Eaton’s Vehicle Group and eMobility customers in the region. The facility will include a new laboratory to enable rapid turnaround in testing Eaton’s latest eMobility products.
“The city of Karlsruhe is a central location in Europe near major automotive manufacturers and suppliers, allowing us to be closer to our customers and satisfy their needs in terms of research and development,” said Scott Adams, president, eMobility, Eaton, in a press release. “The new facility is also close to several prestigious universities, which will allow us to attract talent for our research center.’’
This location will also host Vehicle Group employees from varying product lines and functions, ensuring an integrated approach and alignment with customers across the region. Eaton is also expanding and upgrading its engineering and manufacturing capacity across its other sites in the region.
The Vehicle Group’s recent expansion of its Tczew facility includes investing more than USD 20 million to add a laboratory and three new automated production lines to manufacture EV components for its eMobility customers.
Equipment for the new eMobility lines is currently being installed, with the start of production scheduled for the first quarter of 2023. The lines will initially produce traction inverters for a major European automaker. The company says that additional eMobility solutions will later be produced at the plant, including power distribution units.
In addition, Eaton’s eMobility location in Montrottier is undergoing expansion to support the demand for power electronics and power distribution products for EVs in the automotive sector.
Three new assembly lines will increase output at the facility up to four times that of current levels, and a new cleanroom will allow for testing in a sterile environment. Eaton says that it will be adding engineering, manufacturing, and support staff to sustain increased production.
