LPKF Laser & Electronics has completed the move of its production facilities in Germany ahead of schedule, the company said this week. LPKF Laser & Electronics manufactures milling machines and laser systems used in circuit board and microelectronics fabrication, the production of solar cells, and the medical and automotive industries. The company's worldwide headquarters are in Hannover, Germany, and its North American headquarters are based in Tualatin, near Portland. Office containers provide a temporary working space for LPKF employees until construction of the administration area has been completed. Courtesy of LPKF. The move of 10 km (6 miles) from Erlangen to Fürth, expected to be completed in early 2014, was instead finished in November. The new facility has 10,000 sq m of production space, more than twice as much as in the old location, the company said. This was needed in part because of double-digit growth in the Laser Welding Div. "We have made huge progress. All the employees in the Laser Welding Division have been working at the new location in Fürth since 25 November," said LPKF CEO Dr. Ingo Bretthauer. The production department relocated to the new site in August, a move that has already boosted production. "We have gained a much higher level of flexibility, thanks to the additional space at our disposal," said Frank Brunnecker, senior vice president, Laser Welding Div., adding that he also expects a significant reduction in lead times because of the new options now available for production planning. While all the staff has moved, construction will begin in early 2014 on new administration and laboratory facilities, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2014. Until then, temporary space in office and system containers has been set up in the production building, LPKF said. For more information, visit: www.lpkfusa.com