Hermle USA Expands North American Headquarters

Hermle USA, Inc. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) announced on Sept. 9 the completion of a $3 million expansion that will double the size of its North American headquarters. The expansion, says Hermle, represents a commitment from the German precision machine tool builder to broaden its presence across North America to support its growing base of customers.

“With the expansion of our U.S.-subsidiary, we are able to further optimize our customer service in the North American market,” says Benedikt Hermle, executive board member of Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle AG, located in Gosheim, Germany. “We’re proud that we can better support our American customers, and help them deliver on the production of high-quality products made in America.”

The additional 15,000 square feet of space will allow Hermle to continue to strengthen its North American operations. New additions to the facility include a state-of-the-art Technology and Innovation Center, a dedicated apprenticeship and training area, additional warehouse space and “Verweilzeit USA,” a custom-designed customer hospitality area.

“The expansion will allow Hermle to develop custom processes in collaboration with customers and demonstrate all the proprietary software tools developed by Hermle to increase efficiency and maximize all aspects of industry 4.0,” adds Gunther Schnitzer, co-president and chief technology officer of Hermle USA. “We’re anxiously awaiting the time when we can invite our customers to the totally renovated Technology and Innovation Center with up to eight fully-operational machining centers and automation solutions.”

According to Hermle, the new warehouse space creates a larger, dedicated area to store high-demand parts and accessories, so the company can ship them more quickly to North American customers. Hermle also made a leap forward in its mission to close the region’s manufacturing skills gap, adding a state-of-the-art training area to give its own expert team of apprentices and service technicians more dedicated, hands-on practice. The company is already an instrumental partner in the ICATT Apprenticeship Program, a collaboration with the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest to jumpstart dual training programs based on the proven German model.

“As more people get to know the quality of our machinery and the team that stands behind them, we’re going to keep growing,” says Manuel Merkt, co-president and chief operations officer. “Even in the most difficult times for our economy, we continue to invest in a better tomorrow. This expansion allows us to add value to our customers in North America in an expanded capacity and positions us to be even more prepared to serve all our customers as we grow.”