A new industrial complex Panattoni Park Karlovy Vary with a planned area of over 23,000 square metres will be built on the western outskirts of Karlovy Vary. The tenant will be the German manufacturing company WACKER, which focuses on the refinement of silicone compounds. The new production plant will also include laboratories and testing facilities. Construction is expected to start during the second quarter of 2024. The project developer is Panattoni, the investor is Accolade Group.
This is the second plant in the Czech Republic for the German company WACKER, which has been operating in Pilsen since 2007. The group focuses on the manufacture of state-of-the-art specialty products for use in a range of high-growth markets, including photovoltaics, electronics, automotive, construction, electrical engineering, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and household and personal care products. Specifically, in Carlsbad, WACKER will be processing silicone compounds for further processing into final products such as insulating elements for electric vehicle batteries, sealing elements for electronic components, as well as silicones for medical and healthcare applications. By processing compounds for the production of final components in all of the above areas, the company will actively contribute to the Net Zero Industry Act of the European Union’s Green Deal for Europe industrial plan.
In the first phase of the project, WACKER will create up to 200 jobs in the new production, research and development facility. “The new plant in Karlovy Vary will be very important for our silicon activities on the Old Continent. It gives us the opportunity to further optimize our production processes and strengthen the flexibility of our silicone network in Europe. Customers will benefit greatly from the specific product solutions produced in Karlovy Vary. Silicones have today become indispensable materials for crucial areas such as electro-mobility, renewable energies and the expansion of energy grids. Tailor-made silicone elastomers are needed wherever conventional materials can no longer meet the ever-increasing demands of industries. We see Karlovy Vary as a city with great potential and are pleased to have the honour of building our production facility here,” says Dr. Thomas Koini, President of WACKER SILICONES, Wacker Chemie AG.
The new project will aspire to one of the highest ratings in the international sustainability certification BREEAM New Construction, at the Excellent level. The building will be equipped with modern technologies that reduce energy consumption and ensure a high level of environmental friendliness. These include heat pumps, photovoltaics, heat recovery and rainwater harvesting.
“I very much appreciate the fact that production is coming to the region, directly to the regional city, which will offer additional jobs for the region’s residents. We strive to bring companies that bring significant added value to the region, which is exactly the case here. The good news is that people with a high school diploma and a university degree will find employment here to a greater extent, which will once again move our region forward in terms of employment opportunities for high school and university graduates,” says Ing. Petr Kulhánek, Governor of the Karlovy Vary Region.
“The city has long been working to develop business opportunities. One such project is the cooperation with Accolade on the site near Main Street in Bohatice. We certainly welcome the intention to build here not a logistics hall, but a production plant with higher added value. We also appreciate the new job opportunities for our fellow citizens,” adds Andrea Pfeffer Ferklová (ANO), Mayor of Karlovy Vary.
The Accolade investment group in cooperation with the Panattoni development company has been focusing on the implementation of industrial complexes in the Karlovy Vary Region for a long time. Over the last ten years, investments have been made in nearly 300,000 sqm of manufacturing, e-commerce and logistics space. The value of completed and handed over projects exceeds CZK 7.5 billion and properties worth approximately CZK 9 billion are currently under construction.
“The Karlovy Vary Region was one of the locations where we started investing in the construction of industrial complexes. However, in Karlovy Vary this type of complex was missing for a long time, so this is our first venture here. I am very pleased that after years of negotiations with WACKER we have managed to attract sophisticated production to the town, which will give a great economic boost to the whole region. I also greatly appreciate the excellent cooperation at the city and regional level, without our joint efforts it would not have been possible to achieve this good news,” said Milan Kratina, CEO of Accolade, adding that the group has been working with the city for a long time and will now also implement the access road to the industrial area, which is one of the cornerstones of the entire project and the further development of the city.
“I am very pleased with the cooperation with the local government. Both the city and the region support the project in view of the need to diversify and increase the sources of employment opportunities for the citizens of the city, which is now mostly dependent on the service sector. The entire park, which will welcome a top tenant, will thus help the economic transformation of the Karlovy Vary Region,” says Klára Sobotková, Regional Development Director, Panattoni.
The great advantage of the whole location is its excellent transport connections. Easy access to the D6 motorway (Exit 125) offers a fast connection between the Czech Republic and Germany. The main railway station is only two kilometres away. The proximity of two important towns in the region – Sokolov and Cheb – is also strategic.
