Date: 10.10.2024
Thanks to the tolling of VMT, LIBERTY Ostrava has managed to restore the more than 50 years of traditional production of bollards. These are bollards with a highly durable construction that can hold even a fully loaded 16-ton truck and thus ensure greater safety on Czech roads.
VMT from the CE Industries group has been financing production at LIBERTY Ostrava since August through a tolling project. In a short period of time, this cooperation has enabled the preservation of commercially viable and promising parts of the smelter, which are currently under the disposal of the insolvency administrator TP Insolvence. These plants are engaged, for example, in the production of pipes or girders.
Thanks to its financial backing, business connections and experienced team, VMT has secured the input material for the flat product mills and the production of girders could be resumed these days.
The gates produced in the Ostrava steelworks have a tradition of more than 50 years and are supplied to the market in a number of variants.
A successful type of H3 restraint level barrier is, for example, the OSNH4/H3 double-sided centre lane barrier, which in practice, thanks to its highly resistant construction, has already managed to restrain fully loaded trucks with a total weight of over 16 tonnes in the relevant lane on several occasions without endangering the property and lives of drivers. LIBERTY Ostrava's strategy has always been to develop passive safety products with high weight steel.
"Production was resumed at the beginning of October and we currently have orders until the end of the year with a good outlook for the following months. VMT, in cooperation with the insolvency administrator, has managed to maintain a team of experienced employees in the Ostrava smelter on the lines where high value-added products are produced. We are very pleased that we can support the continuity of the Czech manufacturer of shingles in this way " says VMT Director Tomáš Mischinger.
"Plants 15 and 16 are key parts of the company with significant potential for the future owner. According to the results of economic analyses, tolling is beneficial for the estate and ultimately for the creditors. At the same time, we can maintain jobs in production and service operations, " adds insolvency administrator Šimon Peták.
In recent years, the company has designed a number of new or upgraded containment systems. Ostrava's barriers also undergo demanding certification, real crash tests and are certified in accordance with the harmonised series of standards ČSN EN 1317, with technical conditions, installation instructions and other documentation required by legislation.
LIBERTY Ostrava manufactures a total of 33 separate restraint systems: single and double-sided route barriers, bridge and guardrail barriers or barriers with increased protection for motorcyclists.
"Our barriers are designed to be very effective in improving safety and also to be easy to install and replace - which is beneficial for both our customers and road users. It is great that thanks to VMT tolling we have been able to resume production, " says Pavel Šedivý, Managing Director of LIBERTY Ostrava.