Bietigheim-Bissingen, May 14, 2012 - Machinery and plant engineer Dürr has installed a total of 155 painting and application robots at VW in Bratislava in 2011 and 2012. 45 robots are for a new paint shop at the Slovakian auto plant. Dürr has installed another 110 robots to modernize two existing paint lines, on which VW will be able to paint both the body exterior and interior fully automatically in future; the lines are due to be brought into operation by June 2012. The robot orders for VW Bratislava are worth € 36 million.
Besides the painting robots, Dürr is also supplying the complete application and paint supply systems, featuring high-tech products such as electrostatic high-speed rotating atomizers, paint-saving color changers, and software. The scope of supply also includes robots for welded seam sealing and for applying underbody protection. In addition to the luxury SUVs Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7 and bodies for the Porsche Cayenne, the new compacts Volkswagen up!, ŠKODA Citigo, and SEAT Mii are produced in Bratislava. It is planned to increase production capacity to 400,000 vehicles this year.
The Application Technology division, in which Dürr concentrates its robot and application systems activities, aims to grow its sales revenues from € 407 million to over € 500 million in 2012. Sales were already increased by 52% in 2011. The driver is the buoyant demand in the automotive industry, which has continued so far in 2012. Among the main investment motives in the automobile industry are the need for additional production capacity and the increasing automation of the painting process. For the group as a whole Dürr expects sales revenues in excess of € 2 billion in 2012.
Dürr is a mechanical and plant engineering group that holds leading positions in the world market in its areas of operation. It generates a good 80% of its sales in business with the automotive industry. It also supplies the aircraft, machinery, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries with innovative production and environmental technology. The Dürr Group operates in the market with four divisions. Paint and Assembly Systems plans and builds paintshops and final assembly systems for the automobile industry. Application Technology provides automated paint application, sealing, and glueing with its robot technologies. Machinery and systems from the Measuring and Process Systems division are used in engine and transmission manufacturing and in final vehicle assembly, among other areas. The fourth division, Clean Technology Systems, is focused on processes to improve energy efficiency and on exhaust air purification. Dürr has 50 business locations in 23 countries worldwide and approximately 7,100 employees. The Group achieved sales of € 1.9 billion in 2011.