Making Of
The Technology Center's Journey
In the Beginning
As demand for trials continued to grow, the former Technology Center reached its capacity limits. In parallel, the expanding extrusion portfolio required additional space and greater flexibility to accommodate a wider range of technologies and applications. To address these needs, the new facility was designed to increase capacity to up to 250 trial weeks per year and provide a dedicated line for professional degassing trials using ZE-KE tandem technology. Integrating the four separate trial halls into one large, interconnected facility was another key step in meeting these requirements.
Taking Shape
Careful planning was essential to translate the requirements into a functional facility. This involved coordinating the building layout with the technical specifications of the different extrusion technologies. Another priority was to accommodate customer trials under conditions that reflect real-life production environments. This enables our customers to validate machine concepts and processes before implementation, helping reduce investment and process risks. To meet the project schedule, construction planning and execution progressed in parallel.
Bringing it to Life
As construction of the new Technology Center progressed, the first concrete floor was completed and the initial steel platform components installed. Fast-curing concrete in one area helped keep the project on schedule, while platform assembly and floor construction continued in parallel elsewhere. With the first machines and extrusion lines installed, the facility began to take shape, enabling material and process testing. The first trials took place before construction was fully completed, allowing the Technology Center to meet our customer requirements at an early stage. Since then, ongoing adjustments and optimisation have helped the facility evolve in line with changing needs.