A new industrial complex – Panattoni Park Karlovy Vary - with a planned area of over 23,000 square metres will be built on the eastern outskirts of Karlovy Vary. The first tenant will be the company WACKER, which intends to establish a manufacturing site for silicone elastomers. The new production plant also includes laboratories and testing facilities. Construction is expected to begin during the second quarter of 2024.
This is the second similar operation in the Czech Republic for the German company WACKER, which is already operating a site in Pilsen since 2007. The Group focuses on the production of state-of-the-art specialty products for use in countless high-growth end-user markets, including photovoltaics, electronics, automotive, construction, electrical engineering, renewable energy sources, pharmaceuticals and household & personal-care. In Karlovy Vary, the company will specifically deal with the treatment of silicone mixtures for further processing into final products such as insulating elements for electric car batteries, sealing components for electronic components, as well as silicones for medical and health care applications. By processing compounds for the production of final components in all of the above areas, the company will actively contribute to the Net Zero Industry Act of the European Union's Green Deal for Europe industrial plan.
In the first step of the project, WACKER will create up to 200 jobs in the new production, research and development facility. “The new Karlovy Vary site will be an important pillar for our silicone activities in Europe. It gives us the opportunity to further optimize our production processes and to strengthen the flexibility of our silicone production network in Europe. Our customers will benefit a great deal from the specific product solutions produced in Karlovy Vary. Today, silicones have become indispensable for megatrends such as electromobility, renewable energy sources and the expansion of power grids. Customized silicone elastomers are needed wherever conventional materials cannot, or can no longer, meet high industry requirements, which are constantly getting ever more rigorous. We see Karlovy Vary as a city with great potential and we are happy to have the privilege to build up our production here,” says Dr. Thomas Koini, President WACKER SILICONES, Wacker Chemie AG.
The new building will aspire to achieve one of the highest ratings in the international sustainability certification BREEAM New Construction 2016, at the Excellent level. It will be equipped with modern technologies that reduce energy consumption and ensure a high level of environmental friendliness. These include heat pumps, photovoltaics, on-site rainwater harvesting and water leak detection.
"I very much appreciate the fact that production is coming to the region, directly to the regional town, which will offer additional jobs for the region's residents. We strive to bring companies that bring significant added value to the region, which is exactly the case here. The good news is that people with a high school diploma and a university degree are finding employment here in higher numbers, which once again puts our region ahead of the game in terms of employment opportunities for high school and university graduates," commenting on the project Ing. Petr Kulhánek, Governor of the Karlovy Vary Region.
"The town has been working on the development of business opportunities for a long time, and one such project is the cooperation with Accolade on the site near Main Street in Bohatice. We certainly welcome the intention to build here not a logistics hall, but a production facility with higher added value. We also appreciate the new job opportunities for our fellow citizens," says Andrea Pfeffer Ferklová (ANO), Mayor of Karlovy Vary.
Development of a modern industrial zone in Karlovy Vary
Panattoni has been focusing on the implementation of industrial complexes in the Karlovy Vary Region for a long time. Over the last ten years, investments have been made in nearly 300,000 sqm of manufacturing, e-commerce and logistics space. The value of completed and handed over projects exceeds CZK 7.5 billion and properties worth approximately CZK 9 billion are currently under construction.
"I am very pleased with the cooperation with the local government. Both the city and the region support the project in view of the need to diversify and increase the sources of employment opportunities for the citizens of the city, which is now mostly dependent on the service sector. The entire Panattoni Park Karlovy Vary, which will welcome a top tenant, will thus help the economic transformation of the Karlovy Vary Region," says Klára Sobotková, Regional Development Director, Panattoni.
The great advantage of the whole location is excellent transport connections. Easy access to the D6 motorway (Exit 125) offers a fast connection between the Czech Republic and Germany. The main railway station is just two kilometres away. The proximity of two important towns in the region - Sokolov and Cheb - is also strategic.
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