Semperit steps up mixing activities at Polish site

Be?chatów, Poland – Austrian rubber engineering group Semperit AG has invested €17 million over the past three years in the expansion of mixing operations at its production plant in Be?chatów.

Featuring five mixing lines, with a capacity of 75 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa), the unit is now the largest mixing site in the Semperit Group, the Vienna-based company said 27 June.

The Be?chatów facility is part of Semperit's Sempertrans conveyor belts production business.

With the new “Mixer 5” mixing line, Semperit said it can manufacture an additional 30 ktpa of rubber compounds, increasing the site's mixing capacity by 67%.

“The in-house production of rubber compounds is a key strategic field... which will contribute to future growth,” said Martin Fuellenbach, chairman of the management board of Semperit AG Holding.

Semperit is also evaluating supplies for other companies through its mixing division, he added.

In addition to control over quality, the in-house mixing offers costs savings in “a high six-digit range,” according to Semperit.

The mixing activities of the Semperit Group in Europe are concentrated in Wimpassing, Austria; Odry, the Czech Republic; Hueckelhoven, Germany; and Be?chatów.

The Polish Sempertrans location also supplies compounds to Semperform Profiles in Deggendorf, Germany for the production of window seals.