The American company Solar Turbines held the grand opening of its new testing centre in the Žebrák industrial zone on Wednesday, 16 May 2018. This is the company’s third major location in the Czech Republic, after its repair centre in Žatec and administrative facility in Prague. In addition to the company’s American management, local partners and employees, the event was attended by Silvana Jirotková, CEO of CzechInvest, which supports the firm’s activities in the Czech Republic.
Solar Turbines’ testing centre in the Žebrák industrial zone will be responsible for assembly and testing of turbines. Fully functional components and partially assembled units from Žatec will be assembled into complete turbines, which will also be tested at the centre before being shipped to customers.
Solar Turbines has been operating a repair facility in Žatec since 2002. The Žatec plant currently employs 200 workers and is constantly being expanded. Solar Turbines EAME s.r.o. is a branch of the parent company Solar Turbines Inc., which is based in San Diego, California, and is wholly owned by the international machinery concern Caterpillar. Solar Turbines’ product portfolio, which contains turbines and compressors for gas transport, plays an important role in the oil, gas and energy industry around the world.