Moving on Relocations and expansions

NEWS

MOVINGON

Relocations and expansions across Europe

Work starts om £140M biomass plant at UK’s Discovery Park

Work has begun on a new £140 million biomass, renewable energy plant, which will eventually produce all the power and heat requirements for Discovery Park in Kent. The project will create 300 jobs during its construction phase and 30 full time jobs once operational. Biomass fuel will be sourced from various wood types, including coppice grown locally in Kent and East Sussex, and will help to reduce the site’s carbon footprint.

Paul Barber, managing director, Discovery Park, said: “Discovery Park has from the start been a place for innovation. The agreement to press ahead with the new biomass energy plant not only represents a major investment in the site, but puts the park in the unique position of being supplied with a reliable source of green energy.” Visit: www.discovery-park.co.uk

Solvay and Suzano Papel e Celulose to build first integrated hydrogen peroxide unit at pulp mill site in Brazil

Solvay and its affiliate Peroxidos do Brasil have agreed with Suzano Papel e Celulose to build a small dedicated hydrogen peroxide production unit using Solvay’s myH2O2® technology, at Suzano’s pulp mill site in Imperatriz, Maranhão, Brazil.

This is the first agreement that Solvay has signed for its myH2O2® peroxide technology, developed for installation at remote customer premises. This unit will use Suzano’s hydrogen feed-stock, utilities and site services and supply all of the site’s hydrogen peroxide needs for pulp bleaching. It will be controlled from Solvay’s peroxides plant in Curitiba, about 2700km south of Imperatriz.

“We believe that this technology will help us to be more competitive and efficient, as it will allow us to reduce costs in the purchase of an important input that we bought from another state. The forecast volume includes our increased capacity, which will be implemented in 2017,” says Walter Schalka, CEO of Suzano Papel e Celulose. Visit: www.solvay.com

Edscha builds new plant in Mexico

The internationally operating automotive supplier Edscha, a member of the Spanish Gestamp Group since 2010, has laid the cornerstone for its new plant in Mexico. For the Gestamp Group the new plant will be the sixth in Mexico. Edscha products are slated to come off the production line in the Mexican city of San Luis PotosÌ as early as December of this year.

In the new plant, Edscha will manufacture its entire product range for numerous international automakers. The first products will be door hinges, door checks, liftgate hinges and hood hinges, with and without pedestrian protection systems. Later on, the local production of Powered Systems for automatic opening and closing of rear lids and liftgates is also planned.

The first machines will be installed as early as September. They include ultramodern assembly systems and, as a next step, machines and equipment for processing rolled parts and forged parts, and later on for the assembly of plastic parts.

During the first construction phase, the new Edscha plant will occupy around 3800 square metres; at the end of 2016 some 60 persons will be employed at Edscha in Mexico. The plant is scheduled to grow to as much as 10,000 square meters and some 300 employees during the coming years. Visit: www.edscha.com

Bowman announces new UK manufacturing facility

Leading manufacturer and supplier of bearings and sintered components, Bowman International, has unveiled its new UK manufacturing facility.

The facility has been specifically designed to offer a faster and more efficient end-to-end service on larger, non-standard sized wrapped bearings above 75mm in diameter. Housed at Bowman’s headquarters in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, the manufacturing centre contains an array of market-leading machines capable of working a variety of materials in line with the distributor’s vast product portfolio. Paul Mitchell, managing director of Bowman International said: “The key driver behind our decision to manufacture on home soil is speed. Producing non-standard components here, instead of through one of our trusted international manufacturing partners, means we can fulfil special or urgent orders in days rather than weeks.” Visit: www.bowman.co.uk

ATR inaugurates main maintenance base at Toulouse

ATR has decided to invest substantially in Toulouse-Francazal airport in order to secure high-quality facilities over the long-term. These facilities will provide employees and customers with excellent working conditions while complying with aeronautical regulations.

The new site amalgamates ATR’s Part 145 maintenance activities for all of its customers worldwide. It will also be possible to conduct Part 147 on-the-job training activities (maintenance, servicing and repairs) for airline technicians. Qualified ATR teams based at the site will provide services to operators, either in the form of major maintenance work in coordination with the design offices, or via secondments to the customer.

“Technicians from around the world will come to train at Toulouse-Francazal airport thanks to these Part 145 and 147 certifications. For ATR, this new facility was vital for supporting our growth,” explains Patrick de Castelbajac, ATR CEO. Visit: www.atraircraft.com