Expansion of Fibre-Optic Network: egeplast increasing production capacity
Cornerstone Ceremony for new egeGigaFab
egeplast is building a new egeGigaFab at its headquarters in Greven, Germany — a new production facility for Microducts. The owner-managed family company will increase its capacity for manufacturing Microduct pipes which is needed for the envisioned Europe wide broadband expansion (FttH/FttB).
“The investment volume is by far the biggest one ever made in the 114 years of our company’s history,” Dr. Ansgar Strumann, egeplast Managing Director and Majority Shareholder commented on the occasion of the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone for the new egeGigaFab. The new production facility will measure 11,000 sqm (118,403 sqft) and will be complemented by approximately 40,000 sqm (430,556 sqft) of storage space. As a result of removing Microducts production from the existing production hall, egeplast will set up a completely new manufacturing logistic and well as expand its existing capacity and will become one of the top 3 pipe suppliers for fibre-optic expansion in Europe.
egeplast Microducts are already supplied to all of the notable investors related to fibre-glass networks. Microducts made by egeplast grants investors long-lasting protection of the fibre-optics cables. High-quality fibre-optic networks are their most important assets. Ralf Utsch, the Division Manager of Cable Protection Systems at egeplast is well aware of this fact: “Nowadays, what our customers demand more than anything else is supply reliability and top-quality system solutions at competitive terms. Increasing our production capacity will improve delivery prospects and will result in greater flexibility. The egeplast Microducts meet the high quality specifications stipulated by the major network operators in Europe. The product range for pipes is supplemented by customised accessories for any kind of construction project. For particularly challenging construction projects associated with additional safety requirements, e. g. projects involving flush drilling, the Microduct Protec product range provides extra protection of the media pipes. The entire system has been designed for a useful life of 50 years minimum and has been tested accordingly.”
Compared to current manufacturing conditions, the level of automation will be increased significantly, which in view of the general lack of skilled staff was a must in planning. This step will allow for longer plant runtimes while at the same time effectively reducing set-up times and downtimes. The operational processes involved in the two-stage production were designed based on lean production principles by the engineering team led by Dr. Tobias Hallmann. The manufacturing technology is state-of-the-art and also features numerous in-house innovations. As the Manager of Technical Procurement, Sonja Kloppenborg made sure that all planning complied with the most recent energetic standards. Customers will be able to benefit from the larger capacity for premium-quality Microducts for the expansion of their networks from summer 2023.
Steffen Saur is the new egeplast Managing Director for Sales, Product Management and Marketing.