Corteva Agriscience modernizes Austrian seed plant

Corteva Agriscience has announced capital investment of almost €5 million at its Austrian production plant to make the processing of seeds safer and more efficient.

The investment has allowed for the creation of a new workshop and the implementation of a ‘backdumping’ project, which will enable workers to unload seed corn cobs more safely and efficiently.

The modernized facility, which produces corn seeds, is already operational following a three-year project. Parndorf is a critical site for hybrid seed production in Austria and other countries. It also includes a research station, a regional corn testing laboratory and a sales team for Austria and Switzerland.

Francisco Lynch,  Europe Seed Production & Supply Chain Director, Corteva Agriscience, said: “This investment reflects our continuous commitment to expanding our footprint and facilitating quality seed production in Europe. The further expansion and modernisation of the seed plant is good news for innovation in the region.

“The backdumping project aligns with one of our Corteva Agriscience core values – to Live Safely – and will better protect our employees from workplace hazards. Taking into consideration the COVID-19 pandemic and all the necessary protective measures, the team has done a great job implementing this project while ensuring safety remains a top priority.”

The investment allowed for the new workshop to update one built in 1983, which had to be removed to make space for the backdumping area. The new workshop is fully outfitted with an integrated storage system to help continually improve reliability of the critical seed production equipment and new workshop machines that meet modern day standards in terms of both precision and safety.

The 12-hectare Parndorf site began seed production operations almost 40 years ago and is located approximately 40km from the centre of Vienna. It is a fully integrated facility with more than 100 full time Corteva Agriscience personnel, supported through seasonal peaks with up to 200 additional temporary and contract personnel.