Fersa Bearings expands its headquarters in Zaragoza

Fersa Bearings has expanded its facilities in Zaragoza, Spain, after acquiring a new building for its headquarters. With the purchase, the production lines have been increased, 3,200 m² of storage space was added, and the commercial offices have been unified.

"We have increased the storage capacity in 8,000 locations" -says Dionisio Ríos, Supply Chain Director of Fersa Bearings-"; the warehouse is designed to maximize storage capacity and picking at any height"

The expansion is motivated to provide the company with the necessary space to grow its business in the national and international markets. The company closed last fiscal year with sales of about 73 million euros. It also closed contracts in the Asian market that are expected to increase its turnover in China by five and to permit contracts signed worldwide that will reach sales of 110 million euros by 2020. The purchase of a new warehouse in the near future is not ruled out. 

Industry 4.0

The bearing manufacturer is carrying out an important digitization process to implement the Industry 4.0 philosophy in its manufacturing system. This has led to the development of new 100% automated lines, the digitization of all its production control with self-developed systems, and the monitoring of its processes in real time. Thanks to this, the company has experienced a significant increase in production capacity over the last 2 years, with a 40% increase in its manufacturing output and an efficiency improvement in its production process of more than 20%. 

An increasingly specialized worker

"The establishment of digital processes requires an increasingly specialized worker profile"- says Fernando Cebrián, Director of Manufacturing at the Zaragoza plant-". Fersa has reinforced the training of its line workers to provide them with technical tools that help them to progress on a professional and personal level". In addition, the company has also significantly increased its workforce. In 2017, the company increased its direct personnel by 6% and indirect technical personnel by 25%, only in Aragón. For this year the company calculates to increase the current staff by 4.6%.