Gallery: €14-million BLRT iron foundry cornerstone laid in Kohila
Work has started on a €14 million iron foundry in Kohila, Rapla County.
Operated by shipbuilders BLRT Grupp, the foundry will employ 70 people and will be one of the largest investments in the foundry industry in the Baltic and Finnish region. It is set to start working next year, and is seen as of strategic importance to Estonia's economy.
BLRT Valukoda, a subsidiary of the BLRT Grupp, inked the construction agreement with the contractor NOBE, and a cornerstone laying ceremony was held.
"This modern new facility represents one of the largest foundry-related investments in the Baltic States and Finland. It will not only enable us to meet customer expectations more effectively, but also contribute to regional development, with the foundry set to provide employment for around 70 people," BLRT Valukoda CEO Paul Gross said via a press release.
Kohila was chosen due to its proximity to Tallinn, a supportive attitude from the local government, the planned Rail Baltica station, BLRT said.
BLRT Group board member Algerd Andruškevitšus noted that the foundry industry has been in decline in the region, but the new plant will help turn things around.
"Everything related to the machinery industry and even the defense industry requires foundry products — whether various casings, gearbox housings, engine blocks, and so on," he said.
Priit Nigols, Board Member and Construction Director at NOBE, building the plant, said, "It has been several decades since a foundry of this scale and complexity was built in Estonia."
The new foundry will enable the production of cast iron parts weighing up to three tons. It will triple Estonia's production output — from one million to three million kilograms of castings per year, and will also be able to deliver heat-treated products.
"The plan is to find workers right here in Kohila municipality, and we also hope that our current employees will come to work in this plant. The planned production volume should be three times higher than today — that is, 3,000 tons per year," Gross told "Aktuaalne kaamera."
The foundry is expected to be completed by July 2026, with commissioning scheduled for late summer that year.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Johanna Alvin
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera,'reporter
