Belgian manufacturing facility expands sustainably
Global microelectronics engineering company, Melexis, has announced a significant expansion of manufacturing space and people at its R&D and manufacturing facility in Ypres, Belgium. The site is focused on Melexis flagship products - position sensors and sensor interfaces. In 2013, the company invested around €10m adding a new production unit to the Ypres facility. The 7,000m2 facility will now be further extended by 1,300m2 to create additional manufacturing space.
The expansion will support the company’s future growth prospects and is planned to be completed during Q1 2018, with Melexis investing €1m for the building works. Construction will start once the necessary approvals have been secured.
This key facility within the Melexis organisation houses manufacturing, development, test engineering, quality assurance and test engineering facilities. Melexis currently employs some 250 people at the Ypres facility, although they intend to increase that figure to 300 through hiring additional operators, technicians and engineers.
In common with other Melexis facilities and in line with their position as an environmentally aware company, the extension will be built to be highly sustainable. In fact, there will be no heating system installed, as all necessary warmth for the highly insulated building will be produced through re-use of heat from normal operations.
Commenting on the expansion plans, Bertrand Leterme, Ypres Site Manager said: “We have been in the Ypres area since 1988 and this further expansion clearly demonstrates that Melexis is committed to being a significant and responsible employer in this area for the long term. We are excited to be able to expand our facility and create new employment opportunities to support the growth of Melexis,’ market leading products.”