Thyssenkrupp will build an advanced forging line at its Homburg site in Germany’s Saarland region. The company will invest approximately $90 million in a new 12,000-square-meter facility to produce forged front axles for trucks. The centerpiece of the highly automated and digitized forging line will be a 16,000-ton forging press measuring 32.8 feet (10 meters) high and weighing 1,700 tons. According to Thyssenkrupp, the press will produce 360,000 forged components per year and will not be restricted to one product. In addition to front axle systems, the line will be able to produce crankshafts and other forged parts as required.

The investment will create around 70 new jobs. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2020, and start of production is planned for early 2021. Long-term delivery contracts have already been signed with truck manufacturers. The Homburg site is already a market leader for forged crankshafts. The production of truck front axles will open up a new market and product segment for Thyssenkrupp.