Ontex Group, Belgium, this past week officially opened its new incontinence products production site in Dourges, France. The new site will allow Ontex to optimize production processes, service its French and international customers better, and improve the working conditions of its staff. The project involves an investment of EUR 45 million.

The brand new factory is equipped with the latest production technologies as well as existing equipment used in the Arras and Wasquehal factories. The 330 workers employed at both existing factories will also move to Dourges. The new 7.2 ha factory site is located between the towns of Dourges and Noyelles-Godault in the Hauts de France region. The total area of the new buildings amounts to 29,467 sq. meters, 26,000 sq. meters of which is reserved for production facilities and warehouses. In all, the site has nine production lines with the most advanced machines and techniques. Ontex Dourges will produce a complete range of incontinence products.

The choice of Dourges was not a coincidence, said Xavier Lambrecht, GM of the Healthcare Division at Ontex: "Our aim was to minimize the impact for the production staff. The new production site is centrally located between the existing facilities of Lille and Arras and therefore easily accessible. Logistically, the site also has many advantages. The new site is located at the intersection of several motorways (A26 to Calais - Reims, A1 to Paris, A27 to Belgium, etc.) and Lille airport is also nearby." 

Xavier Lambrecht explains the strategy of centralizing the French production units. "To remain competitive, it is important to continue investing in productive capacity, to make sure it meets the strictest possible criteria and regulations and, most importantly, is up-to-date with new production techniques," he said. "The latest production installations have greater output than ever before, but they are also bigger and more cumbersome. The new production site in Dourges was specifically designed for this and offers us the space to develop our productive capacity and employment in France even further."

Sustainable development is key to the new production site. For instance, we invested in the latest techniques to limit noise pollution for staff and people living in the neighborhood, and to minimize the emission of fine particles. The building was also designed to utilize natural light as much as possible and is equipped with intelligent LED lighting and the latest techniques in the field of thermal insulation.

Arras' productive capacity has already moved to Dourges. By mid-2017, this should also be the case for the production in Wasquehal.