Volkswagen Group placed an order for aluminum extrusions from ST Extruded Products Group (STEP-G) in Germany — representing the largest single order in the company’s history. “With this major order and the corresponding investment volume, STEP-G realizes the largest project in the company’s history,” said Michael Zint, Managing Director of STEP-G. “This challenge is an extra ordinary opportunity for our company.”
With this order, STEP-G will produce components for the battery frame for vehicles manufactured with the Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB) developed by Volkswagen. In addition to producing the profiles for the battery frame, the company will provide further processing and surface treatment of individual components in order to supply Volkswagen finished parts from a single source.
The order includes an investment package in the double-digit millions for the modernization of the STEP-G plant in Bonn, Germany, which will be delivering the aluminum extrusions. The plant will be able to provide completed processing capabilities from extrusion production (with three presses of 22 MN, 43 MN, 100 MN at the site) to CNC machining, surface treatment (passivation), and logistics. This will be the first such fully automated production line of its kind for the manufacture of high-quality aluminum profiles within the corporate group.
With the modernization of the location in Bonn, the plant will be able to better serve and support its customers in the automotive sector. With less handling and just a single point of contact for the customer, the move towards an one-stop manufacturing partner is progressing steadily. This means one contact person for all requirements and the elimination of the different interfaces along the value chain.
“The upcoming investments show our great commitment to grow together with our customers and partners,” said Zint. “This will enable us to position ourselves optimally for the future. Only in this way can we focus on the highest product quality as well as expand our expertise and ensure the long-term satisfaction of our customers. STEP-G continues to move forward successfully and is growing very fast in a very dynamic environment”
At the moment STEP-G employs about 1,000 people worldwide at five production plants in Germany, Belgium, and China, which cover the entire value chain. “With our current eleven presses, we see ourselves as one large factory that can serve our customers in the best possible way,” said Zint. “Our employees are able to work together on complex customer projects regardless of physical distance.”