Certech Group launches a €14 million investment programme

Plans include expansion of the Casalgrande site, modernisation of the Eurorubber facility and installation of photovoltaic roofs at all of the group’s plants in Italy.

Following strong growth in recent years, the Certech Group has approved an approximately €14 million investment programme aimed at driving further growth in accordance with economic, social and environmental sustainability.

The first project that will soon reach completion involves the installation of photovoltaic systems on the roofs of the group’s three production facilities: Certech and Vibrotech in Casalgrande (Reggio Emilia), Rubbertech in Bagnacavallo (Ravenna) and Eurorubber in the province of Parma.

In total, the plant will produce more than 2 MW of electricity, enough to cover 100% of the needs of the Casalgrande and Bagnacavallo plants and 30% of Eurorubber’s power consumption.

The planned building work at the historic site in Casalgrande will take longer to complete. The site will be extended by incorporating an adjoining 3,600 square metre industrial building, which will be partially demolished and rebuilt to create a new structure that will meet the highest energy efficiency standards (class A).

“The new construction will house a modern office building, a production department and an area designed to promote socialisation and the well-being of our employees,” explains chairman Alberto Palladini. “We will build a company gym and a multifunctional room that can be used for training courses and company events but also for hosting private functions for employees and their families.”

The work has already begun and is expected to be completed towards the end of 2024.

The final project is the modernisation of the Eurorubber plant (acquired in January 2020) for which approximately €9 million has been allocated. An outdated existing production line will be replaced with a new rubber compound production plant, which will allow for a significant increase in productivity and energy efficiency combined with more user-friendly technology and higher levels of employee safety. Moreover, a third rubber compound production line will be added, meeting all Industry 4.0 standards.

“All of these projects had been in the pipeline for some time but had been delayed in part by the pandemic,” explains Palladini. “The time has finally come to make a concrete contribution both to protecting the environment and to ensuring better working conditions for the more than 200 employees who have enabled our group to grow over the years.”