German conglomerate Vorwerk (Wuppertal; www.vorwerk.com) is planning an additional multi-million euro investment next year at its site in Cloyes-sur-le-Loir / France, where it produces its “Thermomix” food processor. The company intends to add about 9,000 m² in production and storage space to meet strong international demand for its “TM5” model, which it launched in September last year. This will be the fourth expansion of the site in the past three years. To date, Vorwerk has invested about EUR 50m in the Cloyes-sur-le-Loir operation, adding 4,500 m² in space. Last year alone the group hired 60 additional workers for the location.

The site specialises in plastic housing parts, produced either by means of multiple-component injection moulding or by water injection technology (WIT). An example is the upper component with a touch-sensitive display made of a combination of ABS/PC, PC and PMMA. Vorwerk is currently building an automated production unit that will process glass fibre-reinforced, injection-moulded parts directly. The unit will employ plasma cleaning and six-axis robots as well as machinery for the automatic joining of recently injection moulded parts. The company will continue to source several smaller plastic parts as well as electric equipment and stainless steel pots from leading European producers, although the engines and blades used in the machinery are produced at Vorwerk’s plant in Wuppertal.

The German group posted sales of EUR 2.79 bn in 2014, a rise of almost 6% year-on-year. Sales of its Thermomix food processor came to EUR 920m – meaning it now accounts for most of the company’s revenues, after having overtaken the group’s “Kobold” vacuum cleaner brand (EUR 898.4m) for the first time.