By Jaroslaw Adamowski
Most, Czech Republic — A fire that broke out at Recticel International’s Most, Czech Republic, factory last week has forced French PSA Group to halt the production of the Peugeot 3008 compact crossover at its plant in Sochaux, France.
Brussels-based Recticel decided to declare force majeure following the 22 January fire at one of the Czech factory’s production halls. To re-launch production activities disrupted by the fire in Most, PSA management aims to launch deliveries of PU foam surfaces from other suppliers, with particular focus on manufacturers from China, a spokesperson for PSA Sochaux told local news agency AFP.
Located in eastern France, the factory in Sochaux is operated by a workforce of close to 10,000, according to figures from PSA.
A representative of Recticel told Urethanes Technology International that the company did not want to comment on the situation at the Czech production facility.
The plant in Most specialises in producing surfaces of interior car components, including instrument panels and door panels. In addition to PSA, Recticel’s Czech plant supplies its products to various automotive industry players. These include Johnson Controls, Magna, Faurecia, Visteon, IAC, PVT, Grupo Antolin and Decoma, according to data released by the Belgian group.
Recticel says its interiors division is the sole worldwide supplier of patented polyurethane sprayed skins for automotive interiors.
Most is located 87 km from the Czech Republic’s capital Prague, in the country’s north-west.
