Syntegon celebrates re-opening of key Netherlands Weert manufacturing site
German headquartered Syntegon equipment and systems business has made a key breakthrough in re-opening its expanded site in Weert, located within the Netherlands, writes Neill Barston.
As the company, which spoke to Confectionery Production at last week’s ProSweets event (see our exclusive video review of the event below, featuring the industry technology firm in the second interview), has inaugurated its core location with a new office building and additional production space.
The business used last week’s key manufacturing show for the sector to showcase its major high-speed SVX form fill and seal packaging line, and reported a strong level of interest from the event’s diverse international range of visitors.
As the company noted, its expansion allows for an increase in production and labour flexibility, a stronger customer focus, and support for the group’s overall sustainability goals. The conversion of the site began in mid-March 2023 and has now been officially completed. The ceremony was attended by Torsten Türling, Chief Executive Officer of the Syntegon Group, Ann Cuylaerts, Executive Vice President Food Vertical, and Paul Derckx from main contractor DGA Derckx BV.
“Process efficiency, a reduction of the carbon footprint, and modern working requirements were the main drivers of this project. We are looking forward to welcoming our customers in this new state-of-the-art environment,” says Managing Director Frank van Kuijk. “Furthermore, we now offer our employees a motivating workspace that fosters cross-functional collaboration and ideal conditions for personal growth,” van Kuijk adds. Syntegon CEO Torsten Türling, emphasizes: “This new building marks a milestone in Syntegon’s growth journey. It reflects our commitment to innovation and collaboration, and to creating the best experience for our customers and employees.”
As the business added, rethinking the use of existing buildings and reducing distances have been a key concern during the entire site conversion – all with the aim of creating seamless processes that meet customer requirements in the best possible way.
Crucially, from this point, Syntegon confirmed that it will manufacture, assemble as well as test and ship packaging equipment under one roof. To this effect, the company has invested in new warehouse and production facilities with a total surface area of 4,000 square meters, thus adding flexibility to the site’s manufacturing capacities. Part of the new production space can be used either for testing or manufacture of packaging solutions, thereby enabling a substantial increase in output. The production facility’s increased height of 11 metres offers ample space for large constructions.
Syntegon previously maintained three buildings for a variety of purposes in Weert. Two of them housed mechanical publication, a Customer Experience and Innovation Center, and office spaces in the north-west part of the site, near Weert’s main canal. A third building served as a final-assembly unit and warehouse in the south-east part of the site, close to a main transport route.
As the business added, another important aspect of the redesign is the site’s energy usage. Syntegon aims to reduce its overall carbon footprint by 50 percent over the period from 2019 to 2030.
The Weert site has identified important levers to help meet this goal, all of which were taken into consideration during the site expansion. “Thanks to the new site layout, we now have the potential to reduce our gas consumption by up to 60 percent. This would amount to an annual CO2 reduction of 240 tons,” van Kuijk explains. The gas currently used in the final-assembly building will be offset by the use of heat pumps to supply heating for the manufacturing and office buildings. On this basis, and in combination with LED lighting and a photovoltaic system, Syntegon plans to gradually increase the share of renewable energy consumed at the Weert site over the medium term and thereby ensure a sustainable future.
On a social level, the creation of a workspace that fosters cross-functional collaboration yields another benefit. “In this new setting, all employees will share a communal space next to our office complex and be able to meet colleagues from other departments. This will strengthen on-site exchange as well as collaboration, and help us grow as one team,” van Kuijk explains.
Syntegon has also invested in new offices totaling a further 1,500 square meters. Facing the canal, this modern building will include workspace for shared use. This addition provides staff with a welcoming area that meets contemporary workplace requirements, featuring glass walls, dedicated spaces for conferencing, and coffee lounges. The new office building will also help foster further interaction with customers, as it is connected to the existing Customer Experience and Innovation centre, underlining its focus on building industry relationships.
