Kolbenschmidt Pierburg Expands Fountain Inn

Kolbenschmidt Pierburg (USA, a division of Rheinmetall AG, Germany) announced it is expanding both Pierburg and KS (Karl Schmidt) Bearings operations in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. The original Fountain Inn Pierburg plant is currently home to both Pierburg and KS Bearings -- Pierburg celebrating its tenth year of operation, while KS Bearings marks its fifth anniversary there. Facing deepening sales problems and profit woes, Pierburg underwent an aggressive restructuring and market reorientation effort which has paid off handsomely in new business and a return to solid profitability. The expansion will separate the two operations; KS Bearings is moving out and turning over the entire 140,000 square foot Fountain Inn facility to Pierburg. KS Bearings will have its own location. Opened in 1996, the Pierburg plant at 50,000 square feet initially produced pumps for Mercedes M class SUVs being manufactured in Alabama. 90,000 square feet were added in 2000 to accommodate new business growth. As the company's performance faltered, the expansion instead became home for a relocated KS Bearings. KS Bearings' move to a nearby 124,000 square foot facility in Fountain Inn will double its manufacturing floorspace, and allow it to add a reliability and failure analysis operation. The new location is expected to be set up and online by early 2007, initially employing approximately 60 workers. David Mosier, President of KS Bearings, said: "Our KS Bearings business has made significant inroads in North America over the past few years in terms of new business, productivity, quality, and profitability. The new facility will allow us to meet the growing demands of our customers both now and well into the future." In all, parent Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG has four operations in North America, with production facilities in Fountain Inn; Greensburg, Indiana (bearing strip); Fort Wayne, Indiana (pistons); Marinette, Wisconsin (pistons), and Leamington, Ontario, Canada (pistons). Its North American sales offices, for the OEM auto and truck industry, are in Southfield, Michigan. KS Pistons division has just recently acquired the former Pistones Moresa, located in Celaya, Mexico Trivia: Kolbenschmidt's Fort Wayne piston plant came via its 1999 acquisition of Zollner Pistons. The Fort Wayne Pistons were a National Basketball Association team established by owner Fred Zollner. When the team moved north in 1957, it kept its name and is now the NBA's Detroit Pistons.