German technology company Continental has expanded its Trutnov plant in the north-east of the Czech Republic to meet increasing demand for nitrogen oxide (NOx) sensors. The sensors are used to measure the NOx content in exhaust emissions and provide data for its effective conversion into harmless substances.
Among the features of the enlarged factory are intelligent material flow units used for monitoring and controlling the movement of vehicles delivering parts to the line and predictive maintenance based on continuous data collection from individual pieces of equipment.
The new hall has nine production lines, including two surface-mount technology (SMT) lines to produce printed circuit boards. The company has installed extra storage space to support the increase in production.
“Linking the existing production and storage areas to the new construction plant has been a great challenge,” said Jiří Barvínek, head of the plant’s technical department. “Despite the tight schedule, we focused on maximum functionality and energy efficiency of the building, as well as the most effective solution for new automated production.”
Continental said the production unit and storage area were a showcase of modern robotics and automation, following the industry 4.0 model with fully consistent data flows. The company has also created 200 jobs, taking staff numbers at the plant to 2,000.
