Official Opening of the brand new factory BZBP in the Czech Republic

On 12 September 2000 “Bekaert-ZDB Building Products (BZBP)” officially opened a brand new factory at Petrovice u Karviné in the Czech Republic.  The joint venture to produce building products in general, and Dramix® fibres in particular, has been incorporated in 1998.

Significantly increasing demand for new concrete reinforcing material, the economical growth in Central Europe, good qualified people and extensive trading experience in the Czech Republic have led to construct a specialised plant for reinforcement fibres.  Bekaert has today the leading position in this field on a world-wide scale.  The plant has been built at the industrial zone of Petrovice on a surface area of 68 000 m2 and has the potential to increase the capacity of fibres from 10 000 tons actually up to 40 000 tons.  The new plant offers 70 new jobs in addition to some 20 jobs indirectly through services by third parties and will help to reduce the extremely high unemployment in the Karvina and Ostrava region.

More than 100 distinguished guests as the Prime Minister, the Minister of the industry department, the Belgian Ambassador and other state and local government officials, including the company delegates and important customers and suppliers were present to celebrate the opening of the new facility.