Fuchs Petrolub SE opened a $26 million grease plant, research lab and warehouse near Chicago Monday. The company did not disclose the capacity of the plant but said in its 2016 annual report that it will produce 29 specialty greases.
The new plant, which is located close to Chicagos South Side in Harvey, Illinois, serves North Americas automotive, heavy-duty truck, construction, rail and off-road markets.
Photo courtesy of Fuchs
Fuchs’ Illinois grease plant will be the company’s second in the U.S.
A research and development center and technical services laboratory are housed on-site alongside a warehouse. The laboratory works to develop new products while also conducting quality control testing greases currently produced.
The 34,000 square foot plant is part of the companys 3C commitment, in which Fuchs seeks to offer identical greases for original equipment manufacturer customers across three continents. It is also an element of the companys initiative to invest 300 million globally between 2016 and 2018.
Fuchs plans to open plants in Wujiang, China, Australia and Sweden, and has already expanded its Mannheim and Kaiserslautern, Germany facilities. Kansas City, Mo is home to Fuchs only other U.S. plant.