On the back of positive trading, Kennametal has underlined its commitment to further growth by investment throughout Europe.
Some €12 million was invested in its European operations during the last fiscal year (July to June 2007). The Vohenstrauss in plant in Germany alone - carbide drilling products - hired more than 100 people, introduced a 6-day production week, while a "huge amount" of money was spent on new machinery (pictured).
In the other German manufacturing plants - Ebermannstadt, Essen and Nabburg, as well as internationally in France and Italy - similar efforts were made.
In the current fiscal year the company plans to increase capital expenditure even further.
Kennametal has also focused on expanding its reconditioning services. Currently all European Kennametal Reconditioning Centres - Vohenstrauss and Nabburg (Germany), Kingswinford (England), Bordeaux (France) and, since 2006, the new reconditioning center in Istanbul (Turkey) - are able to recondition drilling and milling geometries.
An additional centre has been established in its Milan plant, and Kennametal is also setting up additional networks with authorised and qualified external partners.
The company reports an increasing demand for cutting and product training. The European Kennametal Knowledge Center (KKC) offers such training and handles about 700 customer visits per year to the Fürth Technology Centre in Germany. There is a similar center in the UK and others are planned for Italy and Poland to offer customers training in their national language.
Such training, which combines theory and practice, makes a sustained contribution to a better understanding of Kennametal's products' advantages and potential, substantially increasing the tools' benefits for the user.
And on application advice, since last year, the Customer Application Support (CAS-Team) has been available to all customers over the phone, and each plant maintains a 'Customer Helpline'.
Kennametal says it will continue to pursue its growth strategy in Europe.
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