Škoda is building a new, energy-efficient press shop at its main factory in Mladá Boleslav. Construction has now begun on the M4 hall. In spring 2016, the VW Group automaker will install a servo press line in the new hall that will be able to press aluminium body panels for the first time. The new facility is expected to go into operation in February 2017 at a cost of EUR86m (US$93.47m).
Škoda launched the PXL 1 servo press line at Mladá Boleslav two years ago. This new line PXL 2 will be able to compress large aluminium parts extremely energy-efficiently while also being easy to operate. By recovering the energy released during pressing, the new press line consumes up to 15% less energy compared to conventional systems in continuous operation.
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"The new press shop will be making our production a great deal more environmentally friendly, efficient and forward looking," said Michael Oeljeklaus, Škoda's head of production and logistics.
Ahead of installation, the old M4 building has been demolished and construction of the new 11,600sq m M4 hall is expected to be complete by mid-2016. This has accounted for EUR19.5m of the cost. Construction of the new line begins in spring 2016 with commissioning scheduled for February 2017.
The automaker claims the new facility will be one of the most modern of its kind in central Europe. Fourteen decentralised servomotors will ensure the whole line runs smoothly. The individual processes on the PXL-line can be adjusted much more flexibly than previously, by means of a large motor-driven press system. The changeover times are also impressive: tools can be changed in just three minutes. By comparison, even at end of the 1990s, it took around 15 minutes for a tool change.
