22/05/2017 17:29
Frédéric BIANCHI, Journalist
Vorwerk, which produces the bulk of its Thermomix robots at a French plant in Cloyes-sur-le-Loir, had to increase new production line
The French Thermomix Vorwerk factory, based in Cloyes-sur-le-Loir is producing more Thermomix robots. The site, which employed 250 employees just five years ago, has just increased its workforce to 420. The company, which had planned to launch a fourth production line in 2018, had to advance it’s expansion earlier by a year.
According to Les Echos, it’s early June that the new line will start producing the Thermomix. The goal is twofold: to satisfy an ever-increasing demand (Thermomix worldwide sales grew by nearly 30% in 2016) and to allow the factory to regain a normal working schedule. “We advanced our expansion plans a year ahead of schedule, and thanks to new automation, we will finally be able to revert to a more normal working schedule of five days a week as we have worked non-stop 7 days a week for the past five years, ” Michael Homuth, general manager of the plant, told Echos .
The French plant, which accounts for 85% of Thermomix’s global production, has changed in size in recent years. Vorwerk, the German group that invented this robot cooker in the early 70s, invested 100 million euros on its hexagonal site to prepare the launch of the latest model, the TM5. The plant has almost doubled its surface area (23,000 m²) in five years and has been renewed with ultra-modern robotic automation to produce and assemble the different parts that make up the TM5. Robotic automation has not prevented the company from hiring, as 170 more people are working on production since 2012. The site also has the capacity to double its employees and production to keep up with demand.
The sales of the German cooking robot have not stopped growing since the launch of the new TM5. TM5, launched in 2014 has already sold more than 2.5 million units worldwide. The brand has also launched in new markets, such as the United States in early 2017.
In France alone, 280,000 Thermomix were sold in 2016, a growth of 400% in six years. A success that should give much hope to the French economy.
This article was first published in French. Please view the original article in French from here and here.
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