VGP, the European owner and developer of semi-industrial and logistics real estate has completed the construction of its largest site in Northern Bohemia. VGP Park Hrádek nad Nisou comprises five halls with a total lettable area of more than 122,000 sqm. All the halls were tailor-made for a single tenant – Drylock Technologies, a leading global manufacturer of baby diapers and hygiene products. The cooperation started in 2011 with the construction of the first hall. Today, upon delivery of the last hall of more than 30,000 sqm, the company uses a total of 116,000 sqm of production, logistics, and office space with the possibility of further expansion by a remaining 6,000 sqm.
“From the very beginning of our cooperation, the halls were built with an emphasis on very high operational and cost efficiency, but in addition, they also meet demanding design and functional parameters. The newly approved hall includes, among other things, a conveyor tunnel under the I/35 road connecting it to an already existing hall. This underground transport and communication corridor will significantly help to reduce traffic congestion both in the vicinity of the project and within the site itself,” comments David Plzák, VGP Country Manager for the Czech Republic.
The construction of all halls was carried out with sustainability and environmental considerations in mind. On the roof of this final building, preparations already have been completed for the placement of photovoltaic panels with a total capacity of 2,812 KWp. Their installation is scheduled for the 3rd quarter of this year. “We also have taken a whole range of steps within the site to support the local ecosystem. These include, for example, establishing a flowering meadow within which we have placed bee hives, stone walls for reptiles and an insect hotel. We have also modified the rainwater retention basin to maintain a constant water level. This has created a natural pond, complete with stone paving around the edges, a biotope which fits in with the local landscape,” David Plzák adds.
Drylock has established its flagship production plant in Hrádek nad Nisou. It is now a fast-growing company with headquarters in Belgium and additional plants in Italy, Spain, the USA and Brazil. Through innovation and sustainable production solutions, the company satisfies the highest consumer expectations for hygienic products while being environmentally friendly.
“Drylock Technologies is an important business partner for us. We are very pleased to be able to offer our client new storage capacity as part of the expansion, to do so in a relatively short time, and while including the requirement to supply electricity from renewable energy sources,” adds Ondřej Titz, VGP’s Commercial Director for the Czech Republic.
“I very much appreciate the very professional cooperation with VGP, which reflects our often very specific needs, especially in the area of production halls. From this perspective, the just-completed warehouse hall was a rather standard project (apart from the very specific tunnel connection under the 1st class road I/35). On the other hand, VGP is currently converting the existing warehouse hall into a production hall, which involves a number of construction and technological modifications such as the construction of mezzanines, construction of a new transformer station and compressed air compressor station and many other technical installations necessary for the expansion of the production of baby hygiene products,” comments Jiří Lukeš, director of Drylock’s production plant in Hrádek nad Nisou.
