New production hall will expand hose manufacturing capacity at Czech site by 20%
Odry, Czech Republic – Semperit Group has broken ground on a €110-million project to expand hydraulic and industrial hose production capacity in Odry.
The new production hall will expand manufacturing capacity by 20% to nearly 200 million metres per annum by 2028, said Semperit in a statement 22 June.
Early production, at half capacity, is set for the beginning of 2025, with full ramp-up scheduled for 2028, the Austrian group added.
As announced last July, the project is part of Semperit’s aims to focus on industrial products and strengthen its position in the hydraulic hose market.
Spanning 17,000 sqm, the new hall will be the “world’s first” CO2-neutral hose production facility, according to the group's statement.
The project, it added, has involved “an intensive preparation and planning phase [to build] one of the world’s most modern production plants for hydraulic hoses.”
In particular, the design of the plant places emphasis on productivity enhancement, CO2 neutrality and waste-minimisation, continued Semperit.
Automated production and logistics will support "very high and consistent quality” there, said Michael Adelbauer, director operations of the group's Semperflex unit.
In terms of CO2 neutrality, the plant does not rely on fossil fuels as an energy source and “a considerable part” of the electricity demand will be covered by an 835kWp photovoltaic system.
The building will also have high energy efficiency in terms of heating, requiring 116kWh/sqm per year, according to its energy certificate.
Furthermore, the specific water-consumption of the entire plant is expected to be reduced by up to 60% through improved production design.
The figure is a significant improvement on the 30% water savings assumed originally, said Daniel Pazdirek, Semperit site manager of the Odry plant.
Reduced water consumption will largely be achieved through the use of rainwater-capture and closed-water-circulation systems, he explained.
The new facility is expected to bring Semperit a step closer to its '30 by 2030' goal: using 30% less energy and 30% less water by 2030.
Semperflex's production of hydraulic and industrial hoses contributed 31% of Semperit’s total group revenue of €780 million in 2022.
The Austrian group now claims to world no. 3 in hydraulic hose and Europe’s no. 2 in industrial hose production.
Semperflex also operates production facilities in Austria, Thailand and China.
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