The site at P3 Bratislava park in Lozorno and the specification of all the technical equipment installed in it were specifically chosen to meet Volkswagen’s requirements. Fitting tyres is a difficult and physically intensive job because a single wheel can weigh up to 35 kg. Mechanical assistance significantly improves employees’ working conditions and speeds up production. The equipment and robotics in PTG’s new assembly hall reduces the amount of heavy work that employees have to do by as much as 80%. As a result, PTG is able to dispatch 30 lorries and supply wheels for 2,000 vehicles every day. Six Volkswagen vehicle models, including the VW Touareg, the Audi Q7 and the new Porsche Cayenne, will be on the roads with PTG wheels by June. The highlight is the production of 23” wheels for a new Lamborghini model, but VW’s small family cars will also be equipped with wheels made by PTG.

MAXIMUM AUTOMATION: Unique, made-to-measure technology PTG’s assembly facility is one of the most technically advanced in Europe in terms of the extent of automation and its use of state-of-the-art technologies. The assembly of wheels for VW at PTG is divided into two distinct areas. The first has special high-tech assembly lines for finishing the wheels according to the client’s requirements, which include strict quality criteria and specific characteristics for each make of car. The fully automated line can fit a tyre on a wheel in less than 18 seconds. The finished wheels are taken to the second part of the facility, the storage warehouse, which uses fully automated laser-guided systems to prepare sets of wheels for JUST IN TIME delivery.

JUST IN TIME: Deliveries in 360-minute cycles PTG has a direct link to the production software at the VW plant, which sends production plans for fixed periods. Deliveries are then made on a 360-minute cycle, which includes entry in the system, the preparation and assembly of the wheel and delivery direct to the plant.

THE MOST MODERN WAREHOUSE IN EUROPE: Laser-guided and heated with waste heat “Our buildings meet the precise requirements of the most demanding customers, both in this country and across Europe. Last year we completed a new logistics centre at P3 Niedersachsenpark in Germany for PSA Peugeot Citroën. At P3 Bratislava park we have built space for Faurecia, HBPO and Panasonic. Despite our long and varied work with the automotive industry, this was pilot project for PTG and we needed to achieve new standards of automation,” said Peter Jánoši, P3’s Country Head for Slovakia.

PTG Slovakia’s building includes several special features that are being put into use for the first time at a P3 park. One of PTG’s requirements was the construction of a special drive-through tunnel for side loading and unloading. The tunnel also speeds up the process of handling cargo. Because PTG works with finished sets of products and has strict temperature and hygiene requirements, the tunnel is closed.

Another requirement was that the floor must be absolutely flat. This applied in particular to the warehouse. To function correctly, the individual types of tyres must be placed in specific, calibrated locations and stored at a precisely specified height. This ultra-modern assembly hall also meets “eco-friendly” requirements. Up to 25% of the heating of the building comes from waste heat produced by three compressors used to inflate tyres. Other equipment includes a system for capturing rainwater, water-saving sensors, two-phase flushing, a dedicated transformer for the back-up electricity generator and insulating cladding meeting EU standards.

“With P3 we found the perfect partner to start the most innovative project in tyre/wheel assembly in Europe. The strong competent P3 team worked with us to develop with a tailor-made facility and complete it on time time. Throughout the construction phase it was a pleasure to work with P3 and they were even able to incorporate small changes,” said Dirk Gentgen, Executive Director of PTG Europe.

P3 PARK IN LOZORNO: PTG strengthens the automotive segment P3 Bratislava park serves the logistics triangle of Prague – Vienna – Budapest. Its strategic location includes a good connection to the D2 motorway. It is just 15 km from Bratislava and around 14 km from the Volkswagen plant, which has made it particularly interesting to customers in the automotive segment. Other automotive companies, including Faurecia, HBPO, Panasonic and Schnellecke Logistics, take up nearly half the park’s 215,000 m2 total area. The park is divided into seven separate buildings DC1 – DC7. PTG Slovakia’s assembly plant in DC1 has a total area of 17,000 m2.

PTG Slovakia in numbers:

  • Fully automated assembly lines
  • Fixed 360-minute delivery cycle
  • Assembly of one wheel in less than 18 seconds
  • 2,000 tyres fitted per day
  • Wheels equipped for six different Volkswagen group brands (VW, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Škoda, Seat)
  • Up 30 trucks dispatched per day
  • Warehouse designed to store up to 40,000 tyres
  • Employs 100 people
  • 25% of heating from waste heat
ABOUT PTG PTG (Pon Tire Group) has been supplying car tyres for more than half a century. Its parent is the Dutch family business PON Holdings, owned and managed by Fanja Pon.