Datwyler announces €110m group-wide expansion programme 

Altdorf, Switzerland – Datwyler is investing between CHF120-130 million (€109-118 million) in a groupwide expansion programme which will see the company raising production capacity across a number of its businesses this year.

As part of the scheme, the Swiss group is planning to invest CHF75-85 million over the course of 2021 to increase production capacity for elastomer components for sealing vaccine vials. 

The investment will go towards additional production equipment across Datwyler's seven health care solutions manufacturing plants globally, said the Swiss group 2 June. 

Datwyler currently supplies the system-critical elastomer components to a number of vaccine manufacturers, including BioNTech and the Serum Institute of India.

The Swiss group will also invest at least CHF80 million between 2020 and 2022 in its Swiss plant in Schattdorf. 

The move will support Datwyler’s food & beverage business unit, which has secured a new ten-year contract with Nespresso and a new customer for coffee capsules. 

To accommodate the projected volumes, Datwyler expects to invest some CHF30 million in new production facilities in Schattdorf during 2021. 

Over the three years to 2022, Datwyler expects to invest at least CHF 80 million in expanding production capacities and in automating the Swiss plant.

Furthermore, the group is investing CHF10 million in a new shipping centre to increase logistics capacity for its online distributor Reichelt.

The Swiss elastomer products manufacturer has also earmarked CHF6 million for building a new competence center for surface technology at the Swiss plant.

Starting in late 2021, the center will research and analyse the cleaning, activation, and phosphating of surfaces of various materials, while evaluating new processes and technologies. 

The centre, Datwyler said, will strengthen its expertise in elastomer-based multi-component parts, such as rubber-metal and rubber-plastic parts, which are particularly important in electric vehicles.