New Foaming Plant Shortens Delivery Times

Schmitz Cargobull AG opens new foaming plant for FERROPLAST panels in Vreden. The high demand for the S.KO series throughout Europe can be ful- filled more efficiently with larger production capacities.

The almost 30-year success story of semi-trailer containers with insulated FERRO- PLAST panels continues unabated. Due to the high demand for this top-quality product for transporting temperature-controlled cargoes, a further production line started operations on the Vreden site in May 2007. The new plant was commissioned within a design and planning period of just one year. This self-developed plant also includes the next technological step in the large-scale series production of entire "one-piece" walls. As has been the case up to now with the segmented production of panels with a metal covering layer, the advantages of a homogeneous foam core for perfect heat insulation are also unequalled in the wall "made in one piece". The new seaming technology used to connect the tried and tested coil coating materials provides expansion compensation for the wall surfaces with changing thermal loads, as it does with the segment panels. This prevents the foam core from becoming de- tached, thereby ensuring its long-term quality. The direct foaming process - protected at Schmitz Cargobull by the "FERROPLAST ThermoTechnology" trademark - provides the required degree of reliability in the cold chain and long-term value reten- tion based on the know-how accumulated over decades of production and use in insulated trailers.

The planned size and performance data of the plant required the development of solutions that differed considerably from previous production technology. The install- ation work began in January 2007. With the support of the Schmitz Cargobull engin- eering team, the construction partners created a plant of unique dimensions: The production line covers an area of 2,700 m2 over two levels. The maximum panel size is 15 meters in length, 3.5 meters high and has a wall thickness of 150 milli- metres. These dimensions create enough "reserves" for possible future requirements in different markets. Every five minutes an entire completed wall leaves the production line around-the-clock, with its surfaces fully treated and with the covering metal layer that is impermeable to vapour diffusion – providing non-stop precision and top quality. Our customers have decided: there is nothing better than FERROPLAST – its European market share and the number one ranking of the S.KO trailer speak for themselves.