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Hempel Opens
Manufacturing Site in Poland

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Hempel, the Denmark-based producer of protective, marine, and decorative coatings, announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility near Buk, Poland. The company said the plant will help meet increasing coatings demand across Europe.

The plant, at Niepreuszewo in the Poznan area, was formally opened in ceremonies presided over by Hempel CEO Pierre-Yves Jullien. Guests included the Danish ambassador to Poland Hans Michael Kofoed-Hansen, members of the Hempel board, and other Hempel representatives. The 25-million-euro project was completed in nine months.

The plant is capable of producing Hempel’s full range of coatings, has a total capacity of 40 million liters a year, and can be expanded to supply 60 million liters a year if needed, the company said. The facility was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Innovative Economy Operational Programme. As part of the deal, Hempel will create at least 100 new jobs.

Jacob Gulmann, Hempel’s group vice president for Europe, said Buk makes an ideal location for the plant, offering infrastructure and a location facilitating delivery of coatings “quickly to customers throughout Europe,”

“We received excellent local support for the project, and we’re very pleased with the speed that it was completed,” Gulmann said. “The factory means we’re in an even better position to provide our protective, marine, decorative, and yacht customers in Europe with high-quality coatings.”

The company said the site complies fully with all EU legislation on health, safety, and the environment. Systems designed to keep the working environment healthy for employees include ventilation that ensures the building is supplied with fresh air and an automatic materials-handling system that eliminates much of the strenuous manual work normally seen in the coatings industry, the company said.

The factory also is reported to feature a design that will have minimal impact on the environment, with no industrial wastewater generation and minimal release of emissions.