Umicore Electroplating in Schwaebisch Gmuend informs local residents about current events and plans

Umicore Galvanotechnik GmbH attaches great importance not only to transparent communication, but also to cooperative relations with the people who live in the immediate vicinity. Last Thursday, the company, based in the southern part of the city, once again invited residents from the surrounding areas to an information event on site. Around 30 neighbours and the southern district coordinator, Dr Birgit Klein, accepted the invitation.

In a relaxed atmosphere in the specially prepared in-house canteen, Managing Director Michael Herkommer took the opportunity to present the company and its broad product portfolio in the field of electrolytes and electrodes for electroplating processes, mainly for precious metal coating. It is particularly noteworthy that Umicore is holding its own despite the difficult economic situation – partly because the site is constantly striving to tap into new, future-oriented markets. These currently include the semiconductor, hydrogen and electromobility sectors. According to Herkommer, it is precisely this agility in terms of application areas, in addition to high quality, that makes the company globally successful.

The completed construction projects, including the expansion of employee parking spaces with the aim of easing the parking situation in the neighbourhood, were noted with great interest. New structural adjustments to the site were also presented. Of particular note here is the partial extension of the production building in Plant 2, which is currently the company's largest project. This is intended to make production processes even more efficient and bring safety in line with the latest state of the art.

One key focus was the company's commitment to sustainability. As Production Manager Uwe Wohlfarth explained, the test centre and electroplating facility in Plant 1 are already 100% CO₂-neutral thanks to measures such as the installation of three large-scale photovoltaic systems and the replacement of the ventilation system, including heat recovery and a heat pump. With these and other steps, some of which have already been implemented, Umicore is sending an important signal for sustainable and future-oriented site security in Gmünd's southern district.

After about two hours, the official part of the harmonious neighbourhood meeting came to an end. In the discussions that followed, the residents expressed their appreciation for the transparency shown by the company. The company representatives assured them that the informal exchange, which takes place every two years, was also important to them and that they therefore wanted to keep it going. This is the only way to identify any dissatisfaction in the relationship directly and discuss it together immediately.