Shape Corp. starts production in the industrial zone Panattoni Park Pilsen West II
Manufacturer of automotive components Shape Corp. is starting production in a new hall with a total area of 36,400 sqm. The industrial complex, which was built by the Panattoni development company, was created on the territory of a brownfield after coal mines. Shape Corp. moved here from the Borská pole site to expand its production capacity. The company is a major employer in the Pilsen region and up to 700 employees will work in the new facility.
A subsidiary of Shape Corp. Czech Republic, s.r.o., started its operations in the Pilsen Region at the beginning of 2011. It focuses on the advanced development and production of systems with a focus on reducing the weight of cars, such as crumple zones or structural elements of car bodies, and has been steadily expanding its customer base and product range. The new plant in Nýřany consolidates operations from four different sites under one roof. This streamlines production processes and internal logistics, while offering room for future expansion. The core of the production operations remains the unique roll forming process, which produces high-strength steel profiles, followed by secondary forming of the profiles, to the welding of the final assemblies, which go to automotive companies across Europe. The hall is equipped with the latest technology and state-of-the-art machinery, enabling Shape Corp. to provide multi-material solutions and high quality products to customers throughout Europe.
The complex has its own canteen, fitness centre, outdoor relaxation area or TCL's advanced air filtration system to ensure indoor air quality. The investor of the entire Panattoni Park Pilsen West II project is the AEW Europe Group.
"We want to be a model of a sustainable global company and reduce our ecological footprint. That is why we are bringing our expertise to the development of the automotive industry towards a cleaner electrified future. The new plant will then set a new standard in automation - from material flow optimization to autonomously controlled trucks to state-of-the-art welding technology. All these solutions will increase the safety and efficiency of our work. BREEAM New Constrution certification is then key to achieving our sustainability goal of carbon neutrality by 2035," says Stephanie Ducroux-Bernache, Managing Director of Shape Corp's European division.
The state-of-the-art hall meets the most stringent requirements under the international BREEAM New Construction environmental certification and aspires to the highest rating - Outstanding. Photovoltaic panels are installed on the building and rainwater is used for flushing. There are facilities for cyclists, covered bike racks and an insect hotel.
"Thanks to its rich industrial tradition, excellent transport infrastructure, the presence of a university and its geographical proximity to Germany, the Pilsen region is an ideal location for industrial production and logistics. The potential of the location is still great, as evidenced by the presence of top manufacturing companies such as Shape Corp. I am glad that we can build value-added production halls in the region and help fulfil the Pilsen Region Strategy 2022+," says Klára Sobotková, Regional Development Director, Panattoni.
The original brownfield site on which Panattoni Park Pilsen West II stands has a rich industrial history. The Krimich I coal mine was formerly located near the site. It was mined here between 1867 and 1935, when mining was transferred to the newly opened Krimich II mine in Tlučná. The old mine was then used to pump water and supplied water to the town of Nýřany and the settlement of Pankrác. Originally, the mine belonged to the miner JUDr. Pankrác, from whom it was taken over by Škoda Plzen. In the 1920s, the Plzeň Škoda factory built a thermal power plant here, which supplied electricity to the Plzeň Škoda factory, the town of Nýřany, as well as the munitions factory and the Ziegler mine. Since 1971, the buildings of the former shaft and power plant were gradually rebuilt into the Likona Nýřany food processing plant, which operated until the 1990s.
"I am very happy that the area of the former brownfield is again coming alive with industrial production, because such use of the site makes the most sense. I look forward to further cooperation with Shape Corp., which has a very good reputation in the Pilsen region," says Zdeněk Zeman, Deputy Mayor of Nýřany. "Shape Corp. is a global company, which we welcome in the Pilsen Region rather than traditional assembly plants. Shape Corp. has a wide range of professions, including highly skilled ones. This is truly a value-added industry," adds Pavel Karpíšek, Senator and First Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce in the Pilsen Region.
Nýřany is located directly at exit 93 of the D5 motorway. It offers excellent transport links to Germany and the Czech Republic via the D5 motorway and the German A6/A93/A9 motorway network to Nuremberg, Reich and Munich. The village is also connected to the railway network, with a bus stop located right at the site.
