On 14 April 2023, Pöttinger officially opened the second hall at the new rake and baler plant in St. Georgen near Grieskirchen, Austria.

Following almost 1.5 years of construction, the agricultural machinery manufacturer has started up a modern cathodic dip priming (CDP) and powder coating line in this second expansion phase. 

With an investment of EUR 25 million, the first expansion phase of the St. Georgen plant was completed and production began in June 2021. The company says the good order situation, combined with a large number of new products and the resulting need for increased capacity made the next step necessary: an additional hall for a sustainable priming and coating line.

The additional building with an area of 7,900 m2 including the new paint shop represents an investment volume of approximately EUR 33 million. The total production area has therefore been more than doubled. 

The new priming and coating line now gives the parts for rakes and round balers their colourful coat of paint. These parts were previously delivered from the painting line at the headquarters in Grieskirchen. In addition, state-of-the-art methods attract contract orders from external firms requiring high-quality coatings. Industrial customers in particular, who have the same high corrosion protection specifications as Pöttinger, for example. Due to the advanced layout of the paint line, orders can be carried out in black CDP with high wall thicknesses and heavy unit weights. The maximum suspended load is 1,200 kg.

The manufacturer says the automotive quality paint finish using cathodic dip priming (CDP) and powder coating is an environmentally friendly process. No solvent is used in the mixing and application of the coatings. The painting process achieves excellent hardness and therefore a longer service life.