The Polish construction market is undergoing rapid changes, with a shift towards a more balanced ratio of labor costs to materials, where labor comprises a significant portion of investment costs. Xella Polska is addressing this shift by offering large-size construction products and mechanized solutions to reduce labor requirements and construction time, helping combat the ongoing labor shortage in Poland.

”The future of construction in Poland is prefabrication plus large-size wall, floor and roof elements. With this in mind, we are constantly expanding our offer in this segment. And despite the current economic situation, high inflation, and difficulties with obtaining investment loans, we enjoy a steady increase in sales of our large-size systems. For this reason, we’ve decided to start production of two types of Ytong panels in Poland. Producing them locally will allow us to lower the price and increase the competitiveness of our solutions for fast and effective construction,“ says Robert Turski, CEO of Xella Polska.

Investment in the oldest Ytong plant in Poland
The production of those Ytong panels is implemented in Ostrołęka, at Xella’s first and longest-operating plant in Poland. Privatized and modernized in 1995, it started to turn out the first Ytong blocks as early as in April 1996. The plant has won the International AAC Quality Competition nine times.

Preparing for the project
At the preliminary design stage, the Xella team realized that the existing cutter was not suitable to produce long elements with smooth surfaces. And it was the need to modernize this device that led to choosing the partner for the entire project.

”We cooperated with the Dutch company STORK, the predecessor of today’s Aircrete Europe team, 20 years ago when a cutting line had to be installed at the Ostrołęka plant. Their device still works flawlessly,“ says Tomasz Wiśniewski, CTO Xella Polska.

Intensive work has been going on in programming, fine-tuning, and testing the equipment. A brand-new line for reinforcement preparation has been set up in Ostrołęka with three stations where workers will manually prepare reinforcements on a mobile frame suspended from a special frame.

Modernization of the existing cutting line
The main challenge in the project was to upgrade the cutting line by replacing the core system to accommodate high-frequency vibrations for cutting using the Aircrete High-Speed-Cutting-Frame (HSCF). This modification involves pushing the AAC mass through the wire section, which now has double wires for cutting and smoothing. Additionally, the new setup improves cleanliness as everything collects in one place, simplifying the removal of overgrowth and maintaining cleanliness in that plant section.

New packaging line
Another crucial part of the project is an entirely new packaging line. The process of packing panels could not be performed at the station that handles small Ytong blocks. Here, too, Aircrete is the main technology supplier and integrator.

Robert Turski, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Xella Polska, points out: “This no ordinary launch of another new variety of AAC blocks. This is a technological revolution that takes Xella Polska’s production to a higher level. We are becoming a virtually unrivaled supplier of large-size AAC panels in Poland. And despite the economic hardships in the country and Europe, this major undertaking allows us to look at the future with greater optimism.”

Open ceremony in September 2023
The ceremonial opening of the new production line took place at the end of September 2023. The event was attended by representatives of the Executive Committee of the Xella Group, the Starost of Ostrołęka Stanisław Kubeł and employees of Xella Polska.