North America is one of the Schubert Group’s most important export markets and is developing at a rate that is well above average. A considerable increase in turnover was once again achieved in 2020, despite the challenging conditions that resulted from COVID-19.
This is due, among other things, to the outstanding local service and the high level of advisory expertise at the Schubert location in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In view of being able to work more autonomously in the future and to serve customers even better, the packaging machine manufacturer in Crailsheim is planning to further expand its North American subsidiary.
The city of Charlotte has now become a hub of headquarters for German businesses in the United States. The list of German companies that have subsidiaries or branch offices in the Charlotte area is long. There are in fact 213 German companies, including Bayer, Lufthansa, Siemens, Thyssen-Krupp and, since 2015, Schubert North America. The Schubert subsidiary manages and grows the company’s business across the continent—and does so very successfully. “The market has developed disproportionately well,” reports Hartmut Siegel, chief executive officer at Schubert North America.
“Fortunately, the pandemic has not slowed down the ongoing development of our product innovations. Demand from our North American customers for state-of-the-art packaging technology with great flexibility and a high degree of automation has been high."
Machine approvals on North American soil
The pandemic also highlighted the importance of autonomy and direct support for Schubert’s customers in North America. “With this in mind, we are now further expanding our location for our North American customers," says Hartmut Siegel. Schubert North America already has a potential building site in mind for its new headquarters. Discussions with the current owner on the purchase of the land are proceeding very positively. And there are already concrete plans as to what the new headquarters will encompass: “In addition to our new offices, an assembly hall will also be built at the new location. Final assembly and commissioning for TLM packaging machines will be carried out there. There will be a workshop for service activities as well. In the past, customers often had to fly to Schubert’s global headquarters in Crailsheim, Germany, to approve their machines. In the future, approvals of selected machines will take place directly on site in Charlotte.”
A location with multiple possibilities
The new site would represent a real stroke of luck: It is located directly near a major highway, close to the airport and not far from the University of North Carolina and the Central Piedmont Community College. Schubert North America will start to develop close partnerships with both institutions. “Our service team will have everything right on their doorstep. Service team members could even complete a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree at the university part-time. Conversely, we could offer internships for students,” explains Hartmut Siegel.
An upgrade of local service expertise in combination with a capacity expansion for new machines are the objectives Schubert has set for this project. Schubert North America will therefore be even closer to its customers and more responsive. Hartmut Siegel recounts: “The first customers have already been informed on our project and they are enthusiastic. Our employees are also excited about our plans.”
