A construction company in Békés has built a new headquarters and bought 12-storey piling machines with EU support

It invested five billion forints in developing its premises and purchased two state-of-the-art pile driving machines from Békés Drén Kft. The company, based in the town of Békés, won 2.44 billion forints from the EU's Economic Development and Innovation Operational Programme Plus, and contributed the same amount to the investment from its own resources and through loans.

The funds have been used to build a 3,900 square metre industrial centre on the site, where design, development, production, assembly and maintenance are integrated. In addition, two 42-metre-high piling machines worth HUF 1.3 billion each were purchased.

They are ahead of the competition

Sándor Barkász, Managing Director, said that these can be used in unfavourable soil conditions and in case of sudden hailstorms requiring intervention. The height of the machines is the same as a 12-storey building, but thanks to a Dutch innovation they weigh only 120 tonnes, compared to 200 tonnes for their western competitors.

He added that the machine has 1,298 horsepower, which was previously unthinkable in the earthmoving industry, and until now only mining machines assembled on site could achieve such a performance. With the machines acquired, the company will become the market leader in this premium category in Hungary and in neighbouring countries," said the managing director.

Hungarian company can enter new markets

He stressed that the machines will enable them to do tasks that they could not do before; and they will also increase exports. They have also acquired a mobile, folding container office that can be easily set up at work sites; and a security system to guard the machines.

Founded in 1996 as a 100% Hungarian-owned company, Békés Drén Kft. currently employs 180 people, mostly from Békés and Békés county, including contract workers and employees of partner companies. According to publicly available company data, the company achieved a net turnover of HUF 12.8 billion in 2023, up from HUF 8.8 billion in the previous year, with 100 percent of this coming from domestic sales. Its net profit after tax increased from HUF 1.1 billion to HUF 2.7 billion during this period.