Prefabrication is the future of construction

In Jánossomorján and Pinnyé, Leier Hungária Kft. built its own hall with prefabricated elements in 2023. We asked Gábor Takács, the business unit manager of Leier precast reinforced concrete structures, about the experiences and future plans.

Difficult years

2023 was not an easy year either. After years of boom in the construction industry, this year saw a very difficult market environment for the sector, as did other players, such as Leier Hungária Kft.. Unpredictable energy price increases, inflation, rising interest rates, the phasing out of government subsidies and the end of renovation incentives are not among the drivers of economic growth. With this in mind, it is particularly noteworthy that Leier was able to grow in 2023 because it recognised that

"such market situations always present opportunities, so we have used this year to strengthen our leading position with extensive investments and innovations", the business unit head emphasized.

The largest in the country

The Jánosmorja development project launched in the summer of 2022 was completed in less than a year, in the spring of 2023. The two-storey hall building, with a floor area of more than 3,300 m², houses the TMK warehouse and workshop, as well as the new central procurement warehouse. The workshop houses the locksmith and electrical maintenance team, as well as the vehicle repair department, so it was important that lorries could enter the building with their trailers. This required the installation of 24-metre-long tensioned beams manufactured in-house. The different functions of the building also required the installation of fire barriers, for which the use of Leier bark walls, which can provide up to 240 minutes of fire resistance, was the perfect solution.

"Our maintenance colleagues - Gábor Takács detailed - can work in the 1200 m² building section with a 5-ton crane, our mechanics in an 880 m² building section with a 4 shaft crane.

The building also includes a state-of-the-art automatic car wash with two stations and a four-station fuel filling station with AdBlue dispensers with filling guns. Also an essential part of the project for environmental sustainability is the Leier LOL oil separator, which treats the oily water generated in the truck wash and the surface of the petrol station.

With this development, the 11 production halls of the 33-hectare Jánossomorja plant are not only the Leier Hungária, but also the largest and most complex concrete element factory in Hungary.

Progress also in pallet production

The construction of the pallet manufacturing hall and sawmill in Pinnye pallet manufacturing hall and sawmill in Pinnye will also be completed by the end of 2023. The investment, which started this spring, is being built at an exceptional pace by Leier, and is now ready to receive the manufacturing technology and production line. Similar to the investment in Jánossomorja, the halls in Pinnye were also constructed with Leier shell walls with internal thermal insulation. The main advantage of this technology over sandwich panel construction is that reinforced concrete walls have an exceptionally high heat storage capacity, meaning that the halls can be operated with lower energy consumption than traditional construction.

Green energy in Leier plants

Several important elements have ensured the sustainable and environmentally friendly operation of Leier's plants using renewable energies: solar power plants and biomass plants support Leier Hungária's commitment to sustainable production processes. The installation of solar PV systems at all the Group's production sites in Hungary started in 2022, resulting in a total electricity production of more than 6 MWh, with solar power now providing a significant part of the plants' electricity needs.

In addition to the solar panel investments, the Jánossomorja site also uses biomass boilers capable of producing renewable energy, the larger of which has a capacity of 700 kW and the smaller 450 kW, so that the wood waste generated during production can be fully recycled.

A secure future ahead

Although 2024 promises to be at least as difficult and challenging as this year, the company's developments and the major projects already planned for 2023 should help them through the difficult period. As the head of the business stressed:

„Previous road construction projects of national significance, such as the M0 and M83 projects, another significant installation of Durisol hangar shielding is expected, but we will report on this in 2024.”