New research centre for GF Automotive

The application for planning permission is to be submitted by the end of this year. Construction is scheduled to start in February 2008, and the new building on the Ebnat should be in operation by spring 2009. An experimental foundry, a laboratory and an office wing will be housed in the building, which is to be constructed on a plot of land totalling 10,700 m2. The new Centre will provide space for 130 attractive workplaces. There is also a reserve for expansion at a later date. In addition to the core R&D, Sales and Central Procurement units, the new Centre will also feature a prestigious reception area with a showroom for customers and business partners and offices for Corporate Group management and the most important staff functions.

The new Centre for Research & Development is based on Minergie standards, a construction concept that minimises the impact on the environment and resources. Once GF Automotive moves into the new building on the Ebnat, the property in the Mühlental is to be sold. GF Automotive, which in 2006 employed 5,778 people and generated sales of CHF 1.927 billion, has further research & development sites in Germany and China.