GENERAL NEWS
Matthias Siemer, President, BENTELER Automotive Components Europe. Group image at Kenitra, Morocco.
New automotive plant for BENTELER
With an official groundbreaking ceremony on 25 June 2025, the BENTELER Group launched construction of its new automotive plant in Kenitra, Morocco. During the ramp-up phase, the company plans to invest a middouble-digit million-euro amount in the new manufacturing facility, which is scheduled to start production in 2026.
“ The new plant is expected to create more than 300 direct jobs, along with the potential for many more additional indirect jobs along the value chain within the local ecosystem. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended, among others, by Mr. Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Kingdom of Morocco,” highlighted the BENTELER Group.
“ We can’ t wait to open our new plant in Kenitra and thereby further expand our global presence. Morocco offers us relevant locational advantages; it’ s a modern country with a strong automotive industry, plus the country’ s geography and infrastructure also allow us to optimise logistics,” said Matthias
Siemer, President of BENTELER Automotive Components Europe.“ In addition, Morocco has a high proportion of renewable energy sources, which is ideally suited to our sustainability ambitions.”
BENTELER is establishing its new facility in the Atlantic Free Zone at Kenitra, Morocco. It is constructing a building of around 17,000 square metres on the approximately 50,000 square-metre site, which has direct access to the motorway and good connections to the port of Tangier in northern Morocco.
“ We welcome BENTELER’ s decision to invest in our country and create hundreds of new jobs in Kenitra. This project further strengthens the momentum of our automotive ecosystem, supported by a skilled workforce and a competitive industrial offering,” said Mr. Ryad Mezzour.“ It confirms the rise of Morocco as a major industrial and technological platform and highlights the kingdom’ s increasing appeal to leading global industry players.”
BENTELER will provide comprehensive training programmes for staff, along with opportunities for continuous development. At the new facility, the company will manufacture front and rear bumpers, twist beam rear axles, crash struts and control arms for a major OEM. The plant will be equipped with modern equipment, including a 3,200-ton cold stamping press, various welding systems, a cathodic dip coating system( CDP) and a 3D laser for component production.
To drive digital transformation and enhance competitiveness, BENTELER will also integrate Industry-4.0 technologies developed through its SMART FACTORIES initiative. These include Big Data analytics, the company’ s Smart Production Data Platform and a range of connectivity solutions for intelligent, data-driven operations. n
www
. benteler. com / en /
Don’ t miss SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN
SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN, a global trade fair for joining, cutting and surfacing, will take place from 15-19 September 2025 at Messe Essen in Germany. A new feature for this year’ s event is the Future Hub in Hall 7 with daily panel discussions, lectures and presentations as well as shows and entertainment. Everything in this area will revolve around digitalisation, automation and sustainability, with a clear focus on networking and knowledge exchange across the industry.
“ Under the banner‘ Join the Future’, the trade show will become a central meeting place for decision-makers, experts and market leaders from various sectors. The focus will be on issues that will shape the industry of tomorrow: digitalisation, sustainability and the recruitment of skilled workers,” show organiser, Messe Essen, told ISMR.
Event partner, DVS- the German Welding Society, will hold the DVS Congress 2025 alongside SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN from 16-17 September 2025. The Congress aims to provide answers to the pressing questions of the future: energy, mobility, digitalisation, climate protection and sustainability.
The trade show will also shine a spotlight on start-ups bringing exciting product innovations to the table. At the shared“ Young Innovators”
stand in Hall 3, trade show visitors can get a glimpse of the industry’ s future, thanks to the diverse ideas of these emerging companies( all of which are based in Germany). In addition, several start-ups will present their ideas on the Future Hub stage in H7 on Wednesday 17 September 2025, from 3pm onwards. Throughout the trade show, this platform will host a wide-ranging programme focused on industry trends and developments.
The ticket shop for SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN 2025 is now live. The newly redesigned ticket shop is faster, more intuitive and optimised for mobile devices. Tickets are also available in a digital wallet format for smartphones. ISMR is an international media partner for the trade show and its September issue will be distributed at the event. n
www. schweissenschneiden. com
10 | ismr. net | ISMR September 2025