Ishida Europe has expanded its Centre of Excellence in Prague, Czech Republic, to better serve food producers and packers in Europe in response to growing demand for automation solutions for weighing, packing and inspection in the region.
The new facility, located in the municipality of Čestlice and spanning over 1,000 square metres, will help Ishida to better meet customer demand for training, Pre-Delivery Inspections (PDIs), demonstrations and product trials. Its opening marks a significant advancement for the company in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region, where Ishida has been active for over 20 years.
Previously, customers in Central Europe that required Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDIs) of tailor-made solutions for their projects would have to travel to Ishida's manufacturing centre in Birmingham, UK or even travel to Ishida in Kyoto, Japan. These activities can now be carried out within the region by visiting the Ishida Prague site.
“The opening of this new facility will enable Ishida to better serve our European customers, reaching a market of 200 million consumers within a day's travel from Prague,” says Wim Hermans, Regional General Manager for North-East Europe. “The expanded facility will allow us to provide faster and better support while enabling ‘close-to-home’ PDIs. This further underlines our commitment to providing exceptional service to our customers in the CEE region while helping them to even better respond to industry challenges and ultimately grow their businesses.
“These customers will now have an easier journey to see new solutions or undergo bespoke training in person ahead of installation or as part of a continuous upskilling programme. Ishida's commitment to in-depth, practical training at our new Centre of Excellence aims to ensure a smooth installation process, equipment operation and maintenance.”
The new facility is equipped to support PDI activities, product trials, testing, logistics planning and customisation initiatives for large installations. It is strategically positioned next to Ishida’s existing Prague site and close to the motorway.
The site caters for the full array of Ishida’s extensive product portfolio, including multihead weighers, filling and distribution systems, snack food bagmakers, batchers and graders, tray sealers, X-ray-inspection systems, seal testers, checkweighers and ancillary equipment.
In addition to the extended facility, Ishida has expanded its team in the region to provide a wide variety of services, including X-ray product testing, proof of concept testing, machine demonstrations, PDIs and repairs – all under the management of site leader, Petr König.
"We have developed this site with a focus on providing a welcoming space for customers,” Petr explains. “There is ample parking space and meeting rooms to discuss specific business needs so that we can offer the best service possible. This also extends to the factory floor, where the new facility includes an industrial washing facility for our machines, flexible feed systems to simulate production and specially designed support gantries for testing various types of multihead weighers.
“The expanded site is the result of a thorough renovation such as a refurbished epoxy flooring, new cabling, hydraulic lifts and non-standard size pallet storage. Everything has been designed with the customer in mind, so we can provide market-leading demonstrations, tests and training. We look forward to welcoming our customers and partners to our new location.”
For more information about Ishida Europe, visit ishidaeurope.com/en/