New colour technology starts up in Lahr, Germany: LIXIL Group top executives celebrate ribbon-cutting ceremony with employees

12.12.2019 Company Information

• New PVD technology* for coloured showers and shower systems delivered to Lahr, global shower competence centre within LIXIL Group

• Official inauguration ceremony in Lahr with Kinya Seto, LIXIL Group CEO and more than 600 employees

Düsseldorf, 12 December 2019. On 11 December, two new machines of the PVD coating technology for coloured showers and shower systems were unveiled in Lahr by global top executives of LIXIL Group, in the presence of the site’s employees. The new technology was already announced back in October 2019 during a press meeting on site, with an investment amounting to approximately 5 million euros and the creation of 27 new jobs.

Innovative production Made in Germany

Lahr supplies a vast proportion of LIXIL’s global product portfolio for hand showers and shower systems with around 1300 product variants produced in the Black Forest. The plant is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, working with more than 100 automated processes and collaborative robots

Inauguration Ceremony for new PVD Machines

More than 600 employees attended the official inauguration ceremony for the new PVD machines, which followed a town hall event with LIXIL Group CEO Kinya Seto and top executives from LIXIL Group and LIXIL International. Employees around the globe attended the event via a live broadcast.

The symbolic ribbon in front of the new PVD machines was cut by Thomas Fuhr, COO Fittings LIXIL International and CEO of Grohe AG, Ryuichi Kawamoto, Director of LIXIL Group Corporation, Hans-Martin Souchon, Plant Manager of Grohe AG Lahr and Timo Mai, Works Council Chairman of Grohe AG in Lahr.

“With the PVD coating technique we have a high-end technology in place that’s in line with a global consumer trend and also serves a growth segment: showers and shower systems in beautiful colors for customized designs in bathrooms. With this technology we are increasing the manufacturing scope of the plant in Lahr, which puts us in a better position to bring coloured showers and shower systems to market faster”, says Thomas Fuhr, COO Fittings LIXIL International and CEO Grohe AG.

High resolution images: click here.

*About PVD technology

PVD is the abbreviation for Physical Vapor Deposition. The technology originates from the aerospace industry and has set a new standard for the quality of finishes. During the first step, the pre-treatment, the components are carefully cleaned and heat-treated in an oven where the plastic components undergo a degassing process. During the second step, the PVD coating is applied. This process takes place in a high vacuum environment and consists of three steps: First, the substrate is cleaned, then the base coat is applied followed by the paint coat. The process ensures a broader range of colors while at the same time making it possible that the finishes are three times harder and ten times more scratch-resistant than galvanized finishes.

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