The premises in Panattoni Park Ostrov North have been taken over by the new tenant CONEC Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH, a sister company of Amphenol Tuchel Industrial. Amphenol has been operating in Ostrov for almost 30 years and this year found new production space in Ostrov. The entire building has an area of 20,000 square metres and, in addition to Amphenol and CONEC, one quarter of it is also used by the Kokiska online shop. The hall with many sustainable elements was built on the former brownfield site of Škoda Ostrov.
CONEC develops, manufactures and markets high-quality connectors, patch cable and single ended cable as well as enclosure technology. The connectivity solutions from CONEC are used in automation, telecommunications and energy technology, machine manufacturing, agriculture and medical technology, transportation and the aviation industry. The Amphenol Group is a major employer in Ostrov. Currently, 300 people work here, mostly from Ostrov. The expansion of production and the development centre will create up to 50 new jobs at the new facility, including for highly qualified professionals.
“The relocation of the shipping department to Ostrov was made in order to better meet the needs of our growing customer base. Ostrov is located in the heart of Europe and in close proximity to our customers, which reduces delivery times and enables a more efficient logistics,” said Sven Holtgrewe, General Manager of CONEC.
With this relocation, CONEC strengthens its position as a reliable partner for customers in the connector industry and remains committed to providing innovative solutions and excellent customer service.
"I am very pleased with the completion of the first building at Panattoni Park Ostrov and its full occupancy by tenants with long-term operations in the Karlovy Vary region. We are fulfilling our promise to return industry and life to long-dead brownfield sites and bring new jobs to the region. We are already constructing a second building on the site, which will target an Exellent rating in the international BREEAM New Construction environmental certification," says Klára Sobotková, Regional Development Director, Panattoni.
Panattoni Park Ostrov North was created by revitalising the site of the Škoda Ostrov plant, one of the largest brownfield sites in the Czech Republic. During the remediation process, 12,700 tonnes of hazardous waste were separated for environmental disposal on site, depending on the type of contamination. During the revitalisation of the Ostrov site, Panattoni managed to sort and recycle a record 98.7% of the demolition waste, which did not have to be taken to landfill. The developer reused 103,000 tonnes of recyclate in the construction of the industrial zone, replacing primary natural raw materials. This saved approximately 10,300 lorry journeys outside the site.
An investment of CZK 5 million also went towards the construction of a cycle path around the industrial park. The building materials used and the implementation of the latest technologies ensure that the buildings on the site aspire to one of the highest sustainability certification awards under BREEAM New Construction, the Excellent level. The construction of a second hall is currently underway in the industrial park.
"Historically, in the 1950s and 1960s, many companies operated in Ostrov, originally they were linked to the uranium industry, but gradually companies mainly in the light industry operated here, employing entire families of Ostrov residents. On behalf of the town of Ostrov, I am therefore pleased that a new modern industrial hall is to be built on the site of the former Škoda Ostrov manufacturing plant, which produced trolleybuses. This will create another opportunity for people in Ostrov to work in modern premises with modern technology. The development of the industrial zone in Ostrov is of great importance not only for the town itself, but also for the Karlovy Vary Region, which is one of the structurally disadvantaged regions of the Czech Republic", says Pavel Čekan, Deputy Mayor of Ostrov
Škoda's original island plant was built in the late 1950s, and from 1960 trolleybuses were produced here, up to 350 cars a year. After 1989, an independent company Škoda Ostrov was established there, owned by Škoda Plzeň. However, the company gradually shifted the production centre to Plzeň and closed its operations in Ostrov in 2004.
