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[Sep 2005]
Wienerberger Invests in Roof Tile Production in France
Wienerberger AG (Vienna, Austria) is to invest around 30 million at its Lantenne plant in France to construct a new production line for clay roof tiles and convert an existing line to accessories.
The use of modern H-cassette technology will allow Wienerberger to significantly expand its capacity in the premium clay roof tile segment. "The demands on clay roof tiles are increasing in France," explained Member of the Managing Board, Helmo Scheuch. "In addition to top quality, customers expect a wide selection of colors and shapes. These new production lines will give us greater flexibility to react to the needs of customers and meet even the most complex technical product requirements - such as dark, shining engobes - without difficulty.
"After the modernization of our plant in the French city of Seltz, which will be completed shortly, the expansion of our most important location in France represents the next logical step. France is the only major West European country to show significant population growth. The strong trend towards single family houses and increasing volume of roof renovation leads to a promising outlook for the coming years."
Construction in Lantenne is about to commence. The new line will increase capacity by 11 million large-sized roof tiles and the accessories line will able to manufacture roughly 4 million pieces. Roof tile production is scheduled to start in September 2006, while the accessories line should open in January 2007.
In addition to the roof tile plants in Lantenne and Seltz, Wienerberger also operates production sites in Bouxwiller and Pontigny. Wienerberger has been active in France for 10 years, following acquisition of the French Strum Group in 1995. Today the company operates three hollow brick, four roof tile and five facing brick plants in France and generated revenues of 170 million with 1,100 employees in 2004.
ENDS