Today, window and external door manufacturer DOVISTA officially opened a factory in Marijampole Free economic zone (FEZ). During the first stage of the construction, the company invested 45 million euros and recruited more than 100 employees. In the future, DOVISTA is planning to employ up to 1000 people.
Marijampole is part of a long-term strategy
After establishing a new factory in Marijampole, DOVISTA will be operating in a total of eight countries. Lithuania, and specifically Marijampole, was chosen due to the strong support of the government and municipality, as well as other organisations, and the availability of a qualified workforce.
The company has already employed more than 100 people from Marijampole and the surrounding area. The company provides transportation to these employees. Next year, the company is planning to hire additional 150 people. Although the first employees have received training at the DOVISTA factory in Poland, the new employees will be trained in Lithuania. It is expected that the total number of employees will reach up to 1000.
“We have now raised the first buildings, started the first machines and manufactured the first windows – and first and foremost, we have welcomed our first 100 Lithuanian colleagues as members of the DOVISTA family. We are pleased that you will be working with us, and we hope that our cooperation will be long lasting,” said Allan Lindhard Jorgensen, DOVISTA A/S CEO, at the opening ceremony.The establishment of this site has been thoroughly analysed and is a carefully planned decision, which will include Lithuania and Marijampole as natural elements in our long-term investment strategy, with the aim to make DOVISTA the leading supplier of windows and doors in Europe.”
Wood-aluminium windows will be produced
At the DOVISTA factory, several main processes are performed: the production of wooden window frames, aluminium sashes and glazing, and the final assembly with the necessary hardware. In the factory, 60 windows will be manufactured each hour and the yearly production volume will reach 330,000 items. These products will be exported to the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Germany.
Some of the latest technologies have been installed at the DOVISTA factory, which will improve both the quality of the products and the overall production efficiency. The 5 aluminium preparation and 2 wood profiling lines are equipped with innovative automatic vision quality control systems. Other processes include 4 painting lines, 5 glazing lines, 5 frame assembly and 10 final assembly stations.
After implementing the first stage of the company’s investment, the factory has been established in a 17.9 hectare area with the building area reaching around 22 800 m2. Since the beginning of the construction in May 2017, DOVISTA has finished building two 10,800 m2structures. One of these is used for window manufacturing; while the other stores raw materials and manufactured products. In addition, there is a 1200 m2 boiler house that will provide heating for both buildings, and supply the manufacturing processes with thermal energy. It is expected that DOVISTA factory complex will cover almost all the territory of the Marijampole FEZ.
High ranking politicians participated in the opening ceremony of the factory, including Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania, Saulius Skvernelis; Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania, Virginijus Sinkevicius; Danish Ambassador to the Republic of Lithuania, Dan Edie Frederiksen; and Mayor of Marijampole Municipality, Irena Lunskiene.
“Direct foreign investment in Lithuania is very significant as it not only contributes to the economic well-being of the country, but also decreases the impact of an important issue – which is emigration. I am glad and want to congratulate DOVISTA on the start of their business here, and would like to invite other Danish investors to visit our country as well. We are ready to provide all the support needed for a successful start and for further business work,” said Saulius Skvernelis, the Prime Minister of Lithuania.
“This year, Lithuania reached a new record. At the moment, we have 12 new production and development projects underway, excluding Lithuanian capital companies. The growth of these factories in our country is waking up the regions by creating new places for work and improvement. We hope that this new factory will help DOVISTA to be the main window and door manufacturer in the European market, and it will become the biggest greenfield investment project in the history of Lithuania,” said Virginijus Sinkevicius, the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania.
About DOVISTA:
DOVISTA is one of the leading manufacturers of windows and external doors in Northern Europe and owns well-known brands including “VELFAC” and “Rationel”. At the moment, around 4800 employees work in the company and its subdivisions in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, German, Ireland and Poland.
The company belongs to the Danish capital group “VKR Holding” that has more than 15,000 employees in 40 countries. “VKR Holding” manages the window manufacturer “VELUX Group”. It began operating in 1941, when engineer Villum Kann Rasmussen created and patented the world-renowned “VELUX” roof window.
