Sapa Building System opens prototype and test centre in Lodz, Poland
Sapa Building System is continuously testing and improving its windows and doors, sliding systems and curtain walls and developing new ones. As a consequence, research and development is very important. One of the Sapa Building System R&D centres is located in Lodz, Poland, and their new prototype and test centre allows Sapa’s R&D team to constantly design, improve and test on an even higher level so that our systems meet and surpass current and future building standards in all of Sapa’s served markets.
Sapa Building System has a central product development team for curtain walls located in Poland. The unit develops new curtain wall systems for the Sapa Building System group, as well as supporting customers throughout all markets by developing dedicated project solutions. The new test and prototype centre has been opened to speed up and strengthen product development activities. The new center was inaugurated in March and a number of product tests have already been carried out. One of the first tests was a new integrated photovoltaic façade element.
With the addition of a dedicated test centre the full development cycle will be covered within the unit. The test centre will be used for both internal product development testing as well as internal or official tests for systems and project solutions. Official performance tests will be carried out in collaboration with certified test institutes. In addition to a large test rig, additional machine centres and equipment to produce test specimen and prototype products have been installed. In the start up phase there will be three persons working in the unit.
‘This investment in both equipment and personnel will for sure improve not only the support we can give to large project customers, but also our internal product development programme. We already have a long list of tests to be carried out during the upcoming months and demand is still growing’ says Mariusz Buchnajzer, manager of Sapa Building System’s R&D unit in Poland.