With multiple successful joint ventures already in place, KLINGER brings rubbercoated metal (RCM) manufacturing to the United States.
May 2024
For years, KLINGER’s Polystrat has been a key component in the automotive and industrial markets. First developed by KLINGER Switzerland, this rubber coated steel is used to manufacture brake shims and gaskets for automotive, heavy duty/off-highway vehicles, compressors and industrial applications. In 2018, KLINGER began a partnership with Sinyuan Industry Group to produce Polystrat in Ningbo, China. By duplicating the successful process already used in Switzerland, the team was soon ready to take on China, the world’s largest automotive market. With European and Asia-Pacific markets fully supported, the KLINGER team was now positioned to take on North America.
Manufacturing expansion in Ohio
At the same time, KLINGER Thermoseal in Sidney, Ohio was ready and willing to expand. Scott Peters, KLINGER Thermoseal’s Managing Director and Daniel Schibli, CEO of KLINGER Group, suggested rubber coated metal as a path forward. Scott explains: “KLINGER has a presence in two other countries and knows how to build the manufacturing equipment and successfully produce rubber coated metal material. There was no KLINGER RCM presence in the U.S., so the foundation for the collaborative effort between three continents was laid.”
Soon after, David Schweiger, then serving as KLINGER Thermoseal’s Director of Engineering, became a key player in the expansion effort. They broke ground on the new 25,000 square foot addition in January 2023, and the building was completed in autumn. The new factory addition was specifically designed to solely house KLINGER RCM USA’s advanced production equipment. In November 2023, David was promoted to General Manager of KLINGER’s newest subsidiary: KLINGER RCM USA.
Global collaboration drives success
One critical factor in getting the new division up and running quickly was the wealth of support from other KLINGER sites. Just as the original Swiss team helped the Ningbo team, the Ningbo team paid it forward to the US team: Sinyuan played a pivotal role in the design, construction and installation of the production equipment. They followed up by sending a skilled six-person crew from the Ningbo facility to support and assist the Ohio team with unloading and assembling the production equipment. Additional expertise and assistance including product and sales support was provided by KLINGER Switzerland.
Grand opening in May 2024
Jackie Riley, Marketing Manager for KLINGER Thermoseal explains, “There are many challenges to overcome with a global project like this. Strong relationships were built and it was both rewarding and exciting to celebrate the success together.”
A grand opening was held on May 15, 2024, and featured a ceremonial ribbon cutting, followed by refreshments and tours. On hand to celebrate with the KLINGER RCM USA and KLINGER Thermoseal teams were Gabriel Williams (Managing Director of KLINGER Switzerland), Daniel Schibli (CEO of KLINGER Group), Yilin Yuan (President of Sinyuan Industry Group), and Jingjing Qiu (General Manager of KLINGER RCM Ningbo). While it was a priority to recognize all the international team members that contributed to the process, it was also important to involve local support: City of Sidney officials, members of the local Chamber of Commerce, suppliers, and customers were also invited to the event.
Contacts mentioned in this article:
Scott Peters, Managing Director
Daniel Schibli, CEO
David Schweiger, General Manager
Jackie Riley, Marketing Manager
Gabriel Williams, Managing Director
