Doka opens new €40m powder coating plant

Doka commissions the new environmentally friendly powder coating plant in St. Martin near Amstetten, Austria. ©Doka

Formwork specialist Doka has opened a new “environmentally friendly” powder coating plant in Austria.

Located in St. Martin, north of the company’s headquarters in Amstetten, the new €40 million facility uses 80% less water than Doka’s previous plant and will enable it to produce formwork systems “more quickly and efficiently”.

Peter Pöchacker, director of Doka production, said, “Doka has always put great emphasis on sustainability. This issue is now more topical than ever because customers are actively asking about it.”

The company, which is aiming to become more sustainable, said the powder coatings produced at the plant – which is equipped with energy saving furnaces – will be made from “environmentally friendly chemicals” and any excess powder produced will be recycled.

Automatic, digital and flexible: the new powder coating plant selects the right powder application method, such as the robot hand, to suit the set requirements. © Doka

Described as “one of the most modern” of its kind, the facility’s production processes at the incorporate new digital systems that allow the powder coating process to be highly automated.

Doka said, “A major new feature is that even the larger components of the Doka Framax product range can be powder coated in the near future.

“This also means that small series, in addition to large-scale series, can now be produced quickly and economically. The new powder coating plant adds a real touch of colour, with frame elements able to be painted according to individual customers wishes.”

Christian Mayr, vice president of Doka production, added, “The plant design was inspired by the notion of maximum flexibility.”

With this in mind, Doka is also planning to make the plant available for contract manufacturing. Although not due to happen for some time, the company said it was already in discussions with potential partners.

The powder coating extends the life of the formwork’s metal frames, which are subject to varied and often hard weather conditions. Doka’s new plant is designed to coat frames of all sizes. © Doka