SML inaugurates new headquarters
 

With the construction of its new headquarters now completed on a green field near Redlham, Upper Austria, SML has set up one of the world’s most advanced centres for extrusion technology. The site is home to state-of-the-art facilities for the production of plastics processing machinery, as well as campus-like R&D and training facilities with architecture to inspire the extrusion solutions of the future. For SML, the new HQ serves as both a milestone for its long-lasting success as a company and a solid foundation for further growth and development.
 

SML’s new headquarters opened – exactly on time – in April 2019 following eighteen short months of intensive construction work. The relocation of all business units to the new site ran smoothly and without delays in production. “For us at SML, the inauguration of our new HQ is a clear symbol of our determination to further expand our leading position in the field of extrusion technology in the decades to come,” says Karl Stöger, managing director of SML.
 

Perfect working environment

The new site has a total built-up floor area of 42,000 m², a substantial part of which hosts one of the leading state-of-the-art production facilities for plastics processing machinery in Europe. The highlight of SML’s headquarters is the new Technology Centre with R&D facilities and ready-for-sale demonstration systems for customers. One of the new HQ’s architectural highlights is the atrium in the spacious office area, which will serve as venue for company events and informal meetings. All the facilities at SML’s new HQ were designed to offer perfect working conditions, promoting innovation and open communication among employees.
 

Optimising processes in manufacturing and logistics

SML’s new production site fosters the highest levels of flexibility in manufacturing. Along with optimised logistical sequences, machine production at the new plant is becoming more and more efficient. After years of continuous growth, it was necessary for SML to avoid bottlenecks in production and ensure the reliability of delivery times. Due to an overall improvement in operating processes, throughput times have been reduced and productivity increased in every business unit.
 

Advanced building technology

The new HQ’s building infrastructure reflects SML’s drive to pursue technical innovation and efficient resource use. The whole site can be both heated and cooled with an eco-friendly reversible heat pump system using groundwater. Groundwater is also used to provide cooling capacity for test runs on demonstration lines. A centralised power monitoring system makes energy consumption for the whole site as efficient and eco-friendly as possible.

Facts and figures:

Construction period: 18 months

Plot of land: 90,000m²

Total built-up floor area: 42,000m²

Technology centre: 3,100m²

Office building: 6,000m²

Education and training: 900m²

Production and storage: 32,000m²