Thermamax Starts Series Production in Serbia

Founded in June 2017, Thermamax d.o.o. started series production of turbo-charger insulation in mid-February at the Taiwanese company MEI TA Europe d.o.o. factory in Obranovac in Serbia. In doing so, Thermamax has strengthened its position as a leading partner in the automotive sector and continues to drive forward its international growth strategy.

Series production by Thermamax in Serbia was given the go-ahead following the successful completion of a VDA 6.3 process audit on Feb. 14, 2018. Turbochargers for internationally recognized producers will be insulated here. Work has started on the insulation of twin-turbos for engines, which are used in a range of Daimler vehicles.

Thermamax d.o.o. was founded in July 2017 by the Thermamax group at the Chinese MEI TA foundry in Obrenovac, some 40 km from Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The recently created assembly facility, which includes logistics and quality assurance, connects Thermamax directly with MEI TA’s production process. MEI TA specialises in the production and processing of castings, particularly for the automotive sector. With its products – turbine and centre housings – the company is set to become the leader in the turbocharger market worldwide.  

The founding of Thermamax d.o.o. is a response to the customer’s demand for high quality products and the reductions in cost enabled by a streamlined supply chain. The completed housings are insulated with Thermamax cladding in the factory immediately after production. This makes it unnecessary to transport insulated and uninsulated parts between Serbia and Germany. Transport costs and risks are reduced and loss of quality through additional handling is prevented. A large proportion of the added value remains with Thermamax in Mannheim. This includes design and production of the foil shells and insulation fibres.

A team of some 15 employees reporting to a local plant director has been trained on site to undertake the manual and semi-automated assembly of several hundred thousand insulated parts per year. This will expand with further projects coming up.

According to Ralf Großhauser, Thermamax CEO, the successful launch of series production in Serbia “is an important milestone in the implementation of our international strategy and, above all, a confirmation of our position as a reliable and flexible partner to the automotive industry and evidence of our commitment to this market.”