Panattoni Europe has completed the first Polish manufacturing facility for Kitron, the Norway-based provider of complex electronics for areas of expertise including defence, aviation, medical devices, automotive and telecommunications. The facility totalling in excess of 8,200 sqm was built on a 3.5-hectare site. The industrial section takes up 7,130 sqm, with 5,000 sqm of manufacturing space. The remaining 1,100 sqm are dedicated to office and staff facilities. The built-to-suit (BTS) plant has been fully tailored to the needs of Kitron’s technologies – with automated production and concepts of the fourth industrial revolution. It will manufacture components and electronic products for various industries. For this reason, the interior is more like a sleek laboratory than a typical manufacturing plant. For instance, the facility features systems for temperature and humidity control, provided by air handling units, an elaborate network of cable trays, a compressed air and vacuum system, and a dry room allowing for up to 75 °C inside. Additionally, the hall has an ESD antistatic resin flooring, which collects electric charges and carries them to ground, thus protecting the rooms from the effects of electrostatic discharges.
“Customised facilities require that developers use top-quality solutions and satisfy very specific and diverse customer requirements, both in terms of the building structure and the technological solutions in place. On the other hand, though, they have enormous potential, especially in manufacturing and e-commerce” emphasises Marek Foryński, Managing Director BTS Group at Panattoni Europe.
With the current investment in Grudziądz, Kitron will significantly boost its production capacity. “Our biggest plant is in Lithuania. But the growing customer demand has already exceeded its operational capacity, hence the decision to launch an additional production facility in Poland,” explains Mindaugas Sestokas (VP CEE), from Kitron. The group has a presence in Europe, China and the United States, and employs 1750 people worldwide. The 65-million-zloty investment by Kitron in the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone will provide jobs to 400 people at full build-out. Production is scheduled to start in the coming October.
BTS projects spring up like mushrooms. This is not the first BTS project by Panattoni Europe. To date, the company has delivered 2.4 million sqm in this formula, with more in the pipeline. BTS projects of various nature have been built among others for Amazon, BSH, DSV, DPD, Flextronics, GE, H&M, Kelloggs, K-flex, Knauff Industries, Leroy Merlin, Bombardier, Pilkington, Recticel Komfort Snu, Faurecia, Sauer Danfoss and Hydroline.
