Two companies which were established in the nineties and have become well-known specialists in their respective fields entertain longstanding relations on a partnership basis. Their unifying element is a large number of drying systems used at various sites and in various processes, and all working successfully.
We are talking about BIA Kunststoff- und Galvanotechnik GmbH & Co. KG of Solingen, Germany, and Harter GmbH of Stiefenhofen, Germany. BIA supplies prestigious automotive customers worldwide with attractively refined, structurally and technically sophisticated components for the interior and exterior. BIA has a workforce of 1,300 and produces almost 3,000 articles at five sites across the globe. BIA plates plastic blanks in fully automatic electroplating facilities using state-of-the-art technology and meeting environmental regulations in conformance with REACH requirements. The same standards apply to all BIA sites. Once refined items must also be dried. This is where drying system manufacturer Harter comes in. Based in Southern Germany, Harter employs almost 100 staff at their production site. Harter has been totally focussed on energy-saving drying for more than 30 years. They got started with sludge, which is still an important line. Today, however, Harter mainly develops solutions such as for items plated in subcontract or in-house plating lines. Clients also include the pharmaceutical industry, manufacturers of medical devices, the watchmaking industry and precision technology businesses. Harter develops and designs special solutions for this clientele and for other trades.