Ostrava gains a cutting-edge new development centre
A brand-new development and production centre has recently been opened on Ostrava's Výstavní Street by the Danish company Struers, previously based at the Science and Technology Park in Ostrava-Poruba. The company's 50 employees in Ostrava have all relocated to the new site, and the company plans to recruit a further 30 staff in the upcoming period.
A look at the Struers new premises.
Struers produces specialist equipment for surface preparation of samples used in metallographic testing. Key customers include aviation giants Boeing and Airbus, the American space agency NASA, and prestigious auto manufacturers BMW and Ferrari. The new centre at Výstavní Street was built by the developer Contera on a previously derelict brownfield site; construction took less than a year and came in at a total cost of 128 million CZK (around 4.7 million EUR). Contera is currently building up a portfolio of industrial parks as part of the Green Square brand, specializing in redeveloping brownfield locations. Contera also operates the Ostrava Business Park in the city's Kunčičky district.
Struers develops and produces equipment and consumables for metallographic surface preparation of solid materials. The company is a global leader in this market, and the products developed and produced at the new Ostrava centre will be sold to customers throughout the world. The head of Struers' Czech operation Josef Vondráček explains why the company chose Ostrava as the location for its expansion: "Our main customers are leading manufacturers of aircraft, cars, and a range of specialist equipment and tools, as well as the NASA space agency and numerous research laboratories at universities. Our production involves a high degree of added value, and we make products to individual specifications for many of our customers. Ostrava is an established industrial region with a renowned technical university, so it offers strong potential in terms of its workforce. Another decisive factor was the very supportive attitude shown by the City of Ostrava."
The company plans to recruit 30 new employees, focusing on product designers with an excellent knowledge of English and skilled assembly workers who will make high-precision laboratory equipment.
The total built-up area of the centre is 3 500 m2. Around two-thirds of the ground plan is taken up by a single-storey hall divided into production premises, testing labs, and storage space. The remaining third of the building is a two-storey office block.
Struers is internationally renowned for the knowledge and innovation the company brings to its development and production of metallographic equipment and consumables. The company operates in 23 countries throughout the world.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfN7IPXF2Yw&feature=player_embedded