In April, just over three and a half years since the project began, AMAZONE opened the doors to it new state-of-the-art painting facility in Hude-Altmoorhausen.
The KTL paint facility, which has been built in a covered area of approximately 8,000 m², has been designed with a capacity to paint up to 750,000 m² of surface area per year. KTL is the abbreviation for cathodic dip painting, a process which ensures a high-class corrosion protection similar to that widely used in the automotive industry.
The plant is digitally controlled and is divided into several different functional areas. This includes 'hanging up' and 'taking off' stations, a pre-treatment and primer coating hall, three curing ovens and a dip paint and powder coating area. All three areas are connected via a 2.3 km long overhead track system. Via this system, all the parts to be painted are automatically transported via 140 carriages from station to station.
The official opening party was an upbeat affair held in early April. In attendance were many guests of honour from the district and the community, among them the county commissioner of the district of Oldenburg, Carsten Harings, and Hude’s mayor Holger Lebedinzew, as well as many employees and executives from AMAZONE.
Dr. Stephan Evers, a member of the AMAZONE general management team who is responsible for the plant management in Hude, welcomed the guests and thanked all those involved in this major project.
Dr. Evers recalled, that it was more than three and a half years ago that the investment was approved by the general management of Amazonen-Werke and it was in March 2014 that the contract was signed to allow work to begin. From then on, the AMAZONE and Eisselmann project teams collectively did a great job to ensure the successful delivery of the project. “Now Amazone machinery is being painted utilising this state of the art technology which meets the highest environmental standards and so, at the same time, we have created far reaching growth opportunities for the production in Altmoorhausen“, Dr. Evers said.
“The new paint facility is an important milestone for the Hude-Altmoorhausen factory“, AMAZONE Director, Christian Dreyer, gladly reported. In total, the new paint facility has cost an estimated 20 million Euros ($30m) and is the biggest individual investment in the company history of Amazonen-Werke, so far. "This investment is worthwhile because we now have one of the most up-to-date painting facilities in the agricultural industry. In this way we strengthen our position to compete and thus safeguard the jobs of our employees”, Christian Dreyer continued.