Ten days after the Tangier fire, Purflux prepares a plant almost twice as large
Ten days after the fire that severely damaged its plant in Tangier, Purflux is preparing a new site almost twice as large. Its capacity could reach 180% of that of the former facility.
The September 11 fire could have durably paralyzed Purflux’s Moroccan operations. The French automotive supplier is ultimately preparing a much more ambitious reconstruction, according to information published on September 21 by Zepros.
The group is studying several buildings whose floor area would be close to twice that of its Tanger Automotive City plant. The damaged site covered 12 000 m², according to official data from Purflux Group. The future facility could above all reach 180% of its historical capacity.
The first orders for strategic equipment have already been placed in order to speed up the restart. Purflux has nevertheless specified neither the address of the future building, nor the reconstruction schedule, nor the amount of the investment.
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This project confirms the importance acquired by Tangier in the automotive industry, as foreign automotive suppliers are multiplying their facilities in northern Morocco.
83% of volumes transferred in less than a week
Purflux has simultaneously organized the transfer of its production to its other plants. Less than a week after the fire, 83% of the volumes previously manufactured in Tangier had already been reassigned. Securing the entirety of production was scheduled for September 21, but its completion has not yet been publicly confirmed.
Access to the damaged plant was restored on September 15. Teams have since been examining the molds and equipment to determine which can be repaired or transferred to other sites. For the aftermarket, deliveries are continuing thanks to stocks kept at the Laronxe logistics platform, near Nancy.
No casualties were recorded in the fire. Purflux also says it will maintain the 370 jobs, employees and temporary workers, attached to the Tangier site.
In its first official statement, published on September 14, the group stated that the production facilities had been “very severely damaged” and that an immediate resumption of operations was impossible. An investigation is still underway to determine the origin of the incident.
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Purflux CEO Julien Grange now says he wants to rebuild in Tangier a site that is “more modern, more efficient” and capable of supporting the group’s growth.
Filter Systems Maroc manufactured engine oil, air, fuel, cabin and transmission filters at its Tangier plant for automotive manufacturers and the aftermarket.
