Richard Higgs
EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS
Published: December 23, 2013 9:38 am ET
Updated: December 23, 2013 9:40 am ET
Hungarian vinyl flooring manufacturer Graboplast Zrt. is set to achieve a major production cost saving after the recent launch of its new �2.72 million PVC recycling plant in Tatabánya, Hungary.
Thanks to the 1,000 metric ton per year recycling facility, the firm now aims to reduce the raw material requirement at its flooring plants in Tatabánya and Györ by 6-8 percent without any change in the product characteristics, media reports say.
The 600 square meter processing hall, which makes use of technology patented by Graboplast, has created 10 new jobs and was constructed with the help of EU and Hungarian government funds worth almost �800,000.
The technology employs a special grinding process that breaks PVC flooring into small pieces and then cools it to minus 100°C. The resulting glass-like material is vaporized allowing it to be reused for production of new products, according to the firm.
Meanwhile, the Györ-based company has begun work on a further expansion project. It has started building a new �20 million PVC floor coverings unit, also in Tatabánya, for the production of luxury vinyl tile flooring. This market is growing at an annual rate of 15 percent and in developed countries accounts for a volume of around 100 million square meters, according to the firm. | 
