Datwyler expands production capacities

Based on encouraging order intake and customer demands, Datwyler is further expanding production capacity for the Healthcare and Food & Beverage businesses. In response to high demand, logistics capacity for the online distributor Reichelt will also be increased with a new shipping center for around CHF 10 million. Overall, Datwyler expects to invest between CHF 120 million and CHF 130 million in the current financial year.

"With the already made and these planned investments, we are laying the foundation for future organic growth. We are very confident that we will achieve the communicated targets for 2021 of an increase in revenue to over CHF 1’100 million and an EBIT margin of around 15%.", says Datwyler’s CEO Dirk Lambrecht.

System-critical components for Covid-19 vaccines
In the Healthcare Solutions business area, Datwyler supports leading vaccine manufacturers in the supply of Covid-19 vaccines. Among others, it supplies BioNTech and the Serum Institute of India with system-critical elastomer components for sealing the vaccine vials. To avoid capacity shortages, Datwyler plans to invest CHF 75 million to CHF 85 million over the course of 2021 in additional production equipment at the existing seven healthcare plants on three continents and in the second production plant at the existing site in India.

Investments of more than CHF 80 million over three years in its Swiss plant
In the Food & Beverage business unit, the new ten-year contract with Nespresso and the supply of a new customer are leading to continuously growing revenue and orders for coffee capsules. To accommodate the projected volumes, Datwyler expects to invest some CHF 30 million in new production facilities at its Swiss plant in Schattdorf during 2021. In the three years from 2020 to 2022, Datwyler will invest at least CHF 80 million in expanding production capacities and in automating the Swiss plant.

New competence center for surface technology
Datwyler is also building a new competence center for surface technology at the Swiss plant for some CHF 6 million. Starting in late 2021, the center will research and analyze the cleaning, activation, and phosphating of surfaces of various materials, optimize the use of adhesives, and evaluate new processes and technologies in these areas. With the new competence center for surface technology, Datwyler proactively addresses increasing customer demands and strengthens its leading position for multi-component parts in combination with elastomers (rubber-metal, rubber-plastic, etc.). These products play a particularly important role in systems for electric vehicles.