Lufthansa Technik starts construction of a new wheel and brake workshop

Feasibility study of the new wheels and brakes shop located in eastern Frankfurt
Feasibility study of the new wheels and brakes shop located in eastern Frankfurt (© OPM)

Start of construction of Lufthansa Technik AG’s new wheel and brake workshop at Frankfurt’s East Harbor. The company is investing just under 60 million euros in the new production facility, which fulfills all requirements for lean production, an ergonomic working environment and sustainability in terms of how the building has been developed and will be operated. The planned building technology will enable the requirements of the Energy Saving Ordinance to be exceeded by 30 percent. A separate combined heat and power plant, for example, will be constructed for this purpose. Even the waste heat from the machines will be used intelligently for air conditioning the building.

The new facility will be put into service at the beginning of 2017. It will enable Lufthansa Technik, as the world’s leading provider of
technical services for the aviation industry, to continue to grow in the segment of wheel and brake overhaul. Lufthansa Technik is thus securing the 130 qualified jobs that already exist in Frankfurt and is also creating opportunities for further growth. The most recent figures showed growth rates at more than 3 percent per annum based on the volume of serviced wheels and brakes.

Wheels (© Lufthansa Technik)
Wheels (© Lufthansa Technik)

An ultra-modern workshop with a gross floor area of 14,500 sqm will be built on a 35,000 sqm plot. Thanks to optimized processes fully adapted to maintenance requirements, tailored logistics and state-of-the-art plant equipment, the new site enables the cost-effective supply of wheels and brakes for flight operations for Lufthansa and numerous other European customers into the future. And while business with low-cost carriers is already strong, it opens up opportunities for even further growth in this area too.

The existing workshop at Frankfurt airport has long exceeded its capacity limit, having been designed originally for 15,000 wheels and 2,500 brakes annually.

Lufthansa Technik