BANTBORU

4 out of every 100 cars manufactured worldwide are fitted with BANTBORU products. The Turkish family-owned company BANTBORU San. Tic. A.S. is one of the five established global players worldwide in the development and production of precision tubes used in the modern automotive and cooling industry. The company has now decided to relocate to the Leipzig region.

The company's main focus is the design, development and production of precision components for industry. BANTBORU has made a name for itself as a supplier to leading global automotive brands such as BMW, Ford, Mercedes, Magna, Peugeot and Renault and is involved in important production programmes, including the new generation of hybrid and electric vehicles. Not only in Turkey, the company is also well-known in the "white goods" sector and is a partner of big names such as Arçelik, BSH (Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte), Bundy Refrigeration and Vestel.

Founded in 1972, BANTBORU initially started with production for the cooling industry, which was then expanded to include the manufacture of components for the automotive industry. The double-walled steel tubes produced are used in the automotive industry in brake, clutch, control and fuel lines and are used in condenser tubes in the cooling sector. Since 2007, the in-house research and development department has been focussing on new production and product ideas. The special machines required to manufacture the steel tubes are also developed and designed in-house.

The Turkish company currently has around 450 employees and is on course for expansion. Three new locations are to be established worldwide by 2024. In addition to North America and South Africa, the Leipzig economic region has been chosen for the European plant: The first international branch is being built in Gerichshain (municipality of Machern), in the district of Leipzig. The reason for the choice of location was the ideal local conditions, in particular the proximity to customers and the attractive infrastructure.

Invest Region Leipzig GmbH (IRL), the official relocation and acquisition agency that supports companies in opening a branch, helped with a breakdown of the market data for the decision on the location, with the subsequent search for a suitable property and arranged contact with the regional players. Several properties were viewed together with the regional estate agents. Ultimately, the former print shop building in Gerichshain was chosen.

"The staff [at IRL] were extremely helpful and very friendly, always available and accessible to us. Our questions were always answered promptly and thoroughly. We were very satisfied with the support and communication," explains Mr Rocco Bruno, branch manager of the new location. The good cooperation with the broker Colliers and the owner enabled the rental agreement to be concluded quickly and the project to get off to a swift start.

The plan is to produce the highly complex machines that manufacture the steel pipes at the Machern site and then export them to Turkey. To this end, BANTBORU is looking for skilled labour in the fields of precision mechanics, technical product design, mechatronics, mechanical engineering (engineers) and logistics. Here the company can count on the IRL's skilled labour service. With intensive research in the area of skilled labour support and networking with the employment agency and the Leipzig Vocational Training Centre (BFW), the next step towards realising the opening of the site has been taken. BANTBORU is characterised by a high code of values. "Our company grows with its employees. Final grades are not the deciding factor for us, it's the skills and willingness to learn that count. This also applies to people with disabilities, who we are happy to employ," confirms Mr Bruno. He himself can look back on many years of experience as a trainer and lecturer, meaning that a training company could also be established in Gerichshain in the future.

BANTBORU has a clear focus on flexibility and dynamism, sustainability and diversity, and takes its social obligations seriously. For example, the company currently has a female quota of 35% and is a member of the WEPs / Women Empowerment Principals UN Global Compact. One of the main focuses of BANTBORU's commitment to a sustainable environment and as a member of the Global Compact Turkey and as a Climate Ambition Accelerator is to reduce its carbon footprint. To this end, it invested one million euros in environmental investments in 2021 and covered 35% of its energy consumption from renewable solar energy, for example.

BANTBORU's current market share in the automotive sector is 4%; this is to be greatly expanded in the coming years. Accordingly, investments in the district of Leipzig are expected to total up to 3.5 million euros over the next few years. From July 2022, BANTBORU will therefore start at the new site in Gerichshain, initially with the first sample products, with contract production starting in 2023.