Swedish plastics car component moulder Plastal Group AB plans to launch a new 10,000 sq metre production plant in Swarzedz, Poland early next year.The new unit will produce bumper systems and other painted injection moulded parts and will replace two Plastal units in Poznan and its suburb of Swarzedz. The unit is being constructed by Polish firm Immo Industry Group which will lease the plant to Plastal.
A total of 90 workers from the existing factories will be switched to the new unit when it opens. It could eventually employ a workforce of around 200 if expanded, according to Plastal's senior vice president for business development, Thomas Comstedt.
He said: - This project will eliminate daily internal transport between the current facilities, improve management of the operations and create potential for growth. The consolidation move will not entail any redundancies. Plastal currently has seven plants in its northern business area in Sweden, Norway, Poland and Belgium. It will manufacture parts mainly for its major customer Volkswagen at the new plant as well as serving Fiat and Ford from there. The new unit is due to be launched by March 2009.
The Swedish moulder also operates an automotive parts facility in Gliwice, Poland where it injection moulds, paints and assembles car components for nearby General Motors and Fiat manufacturing plants. This will be largely unaffected by the latest Polish development.
Plastal is clearly taking advantage of the cost benefits of locating its moulding operations in Eastern Europe. Some expansion is likely in the region to serve the growing concentration of car manufacturers there. However, Plastal`s business development vice president was unwilling to reveal details of Plastal's plans for Central and Eastern Europe immediately.
