Plastic Logic ceases mass production in Dresden, Germany

 

On 25 November 2018, Plastic Logic ceased mass production at its factory in Dresden – a move that will impact 70 of its positions. “We are working with various organisations to help those to gain alternative employment and want to place on record our gratitude for their contribution to Plastic Logic’s ongoing journey,” said CEO Tim Burne in a statement on Plastic Logic’s website. “The decision to cease production was not taken lightly but it is an essential next step for the future growth of the business and for the needs of our customers. Wholly focussing on the manufacturing of EPDs over the last three years has allowed us to deeply understand what the optimal mass production EPD manufacturing process should look like.”

He continued: “Unfortunately, neither the location nor configuration of the Dresden site is suited to the manufacturing profile needed by our current and future customers. The factory, originally built for pilot production, was never designed to be economical for mass production. As a result, it has proven to be too costly an overhead that was holding the business back.”

Plastic Logic affirms that customers will not suffer as a result of the factory’s closure. “We continue to operate as normal,” adds Burne. “We have sufficient stock to meet existing customer orders and have also established alternative mass production manufacturing partnerships in Asia — where we already ship 100% of our product — to maintain longer-term supplies.” More information about these partnerships is expected to be announced soon. Meanwhile a European commercial and customer support team remains in place in Dresden.

“The future of Plastic Logic’s business is very bright. We continue to see strong demand for glass-free displays building globally. The decision to close the factory is a positive natural progression that improves our offering and the efficiency of the business,” concludes Burne.

Caption: A Lectum glass-free display (photo: Plastic Logic)