This is where industrial craftsmanship, technological know-how and sustainability are practiced on a daily basis: at the production site in Linz, Solmax draws on the very roots of Austrian geotextile history with a modern-day focus on customer proximity and a diverse portfolio mix.
Where the Austrian geotextile industry began…
“It all started in Linz”: more than 50 years ago, the development of the geotextile industry in Austria began at the production site in Linz. In 1971, the very first plant for the production of nonwovens made of polypropylene went into operation. This marked the first historic step in the company’s development.
In the 1980s, the company then succeeded in converting to polyfelt technology: the new production plant made it possible to manufacture geotextiles which, for the first time, met geomechanical requirements such as a high strength, stability and water permeability. Success followed – with expansion steps to France and Malaysia.
Today, the site in Linz is one of Solmax’s four production locations in Europe, along with Bezons (France), Rechlin (Germany) and Hengelo (Netherlands), and scores points with competitors in this field thanks to numerous certifications, highly qualified employees and excellent site conditions.
Continuous fiber nonwovens – know-how, expertise, pride and lifeblood
And even today, Linz continues to be home to a high level of know-how and expertise, but also to a great deal of heart and soul in geotextile production. The team, which has many years of experience, with different specialties and cultural backgrounds, goes to work every day to practice their skills with pride and joy. The flat hierarchies enable real teamwork and the excellent infrastructure around the plant, which is embedded in the Industrial Park in Linz, enriches the daily working routine.
The broad production spectrum at Europe’s largest Solmax site mirrors the decades of experience. With its extensive portfolio ranging from hydraulically optimized filter fleeces to mechanically bonded protective fleeces, the plant in Linz embraces the entire product range of geotextiles. The production volume that rolls off the pile each year already represents a considerable volume, and a further increase can be expected. Production takes place in two production lines, which differ in their technology: Using water jet technology (Aquajet) or needling processes, the material is compacted by felting or needling into high tensile nonwovens with a three-dimensional structure.
At the site in Linz we benefit from an industry-friendly environment, a high culture of industrial craftsmanship and technological know-how, and high competitiveness thanks to our warehouse space.
Gundolf Sabathiel, Plant Manager Linz
Unrivaled technology in the geotextile industry
With the Aquajet line, the Linz site has unrivaled, state-of-the-art technology that is unique in the entire industry and ideally suited to the production of lightweight nonwovens ensuring the particularly economical use of materials.
Some of the continuous fiber nonwovens are used directly as rolls in infrastructure construction or are further processed in the production hall in Linz. In four finishing lines, smaller nonwoven rolls for home and garden applications are produced by sewing, cutting, folding and paneling, as well as the Toptex® product line used for covering agricultural products such as straw or beets.
High product stability for reinforcement in the construction industry
For reinforcement applications in the construction industry, nonwovens are reinforced with reinforcing yarns on our grid lines to form geocomposites or processed into high-tensile geogrids. The raw materials used meet strict criteria with regard to their mechanical properties, such as stability and processability, and allow service lives of up to 120 years.
From Linz to the whole of Europe, Middle East and Africa
The production facility in Linz caters for the product functions of separation, filtration and drainage, protection, reinforcement, and erosion control. In addition to the on-site storage area, it has several external warehouses in Europe and supplies the building materials trade and construction companies throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Sustainability: regranulation of residues from production
The site in Linz also makes a significant contribution towards sustainability in the geosynthetics industry. Production residues from the sites in Linz, Bezons (France) and Hengelo (Netherlands) are redirected into the site’s own recycling plant. Some of these are recycled back into the company’s own production.
A modern technology base with a diverse product range and a motivated and expert team, the site in Linz is also ideally equipped for the future of the geotextile industry.
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Gundolf Sabathiel, Plant Manager Linz