Matador expanding Puchov plant again

By Liz White, ERJ staff

Slovakian tyre maker Matador AS is installing a new K7 mixer and weighing and feeding equipment on the fourth mixing line at its Puchov plant.

UK firm Chronos Richardson said it has a £280 000 (Euro400 000) contract to supply the weighing/feeding systems, including a new carbon black storage, weighing and handling unit.

Chronos Richardson said this is its fifth major project in ten years for the Puchov plant. Installation will start immediately, and should be finished by the end of May 2005.

Recent developments at Matador include last November's signing of a renewed agreement under which the Slovakian firm will make tyres for Finnish company Nokian Tyres. This offtake agreement is for half a million to 1 million tyres a year. Under this agreement, Nokian is also buying equipment from Matador, to allow the Slovakian firm to raise its capacity. The tyres are destined for the central European markets.

In October last year, Matador also announced a move into automotive supply, with the signing of an agreement by president Stefan Rosina to purchase majority control in Slovakian automotive supplier Pal-Inalfa AS in Vráble. This metal parts supplier, whose name has been changed to Matador Inalfa Inc, also has plants in Bratislava and Nitra, as well as one in the Czech Republic, and has annual turnover of Euro 64 million.

“This important acquisition means the final stage of our preparations for the accession of Matador group to the fourth basic business-automotive business,” said Rosina in a company statement. “Our strategy is clearly customer-oriented in the area of development, production and sale of tyres, machines, conveyor belts and products for the automotive sector, which is our most important customer,” the Matador boss added.

Matador's turnover for the first nine months of 2004 was SKr 9564 million (Euro 250 million-equivalent to annual turnover of some Euro 330 million). The firm claims to have pre-tax profit of SKr 336 million.