Even Metal Can Be Washed: Tawesco Has a New Washing Machine That Weighs 22 Metric Tons and Cleans Stamped Parts Before Welding and Painting
Tawesco, a Kopřivnice-based company and member of the Promet Group, has commissioned a new washing machine designed to clean large metal stampings. It measures 17 meters, weighs 22 metric tons, and has replaced older equipment. The 13-million-koruna investment offers higher cleaning quality as well as energy and water savings. It is part of a five-year investment plan during which Tawesco intends to invest approximately one billion korunas in modernizing its production technologies.
Every day, this new technology produces hundreds of stamped parts for subsequent manufacturing operations. A clean surface is essential, for example, for welding, painting, and other surface treatments.
“Before pressing, the sheet metal is lubricated with special agents that facilitate forming. After pressing, however, we must remove these substances. Greasy parts would be difficult to weld or paint,” explains Jiří Horský, an investment engineer at Tawesco.
The 17-meter tunnel prepares the parts in a matter of minutes
The operating principle is similar to that of a car wash. The molded parts pass through a 17-meter tunnel, where they are washed from all sides by dozens of nozzles using a special cleaning solution. The entire process takes 10 to 15 minutes.
And just like in a car wash, surface protection—known as passivation—can also be part of the process. It increases the parts’ resistance to corrosion until they undergo further processing.
The new washing system is thus primarily designed for large steel stampings from hydraulic presses. Tawesco manufactures these, for example, for material-handling equipment from the Kion and Linde brands, as well as for agricultural machinery from Horst. The conveyor is 1.5 meters wide and has a clearance height of 60 centimeters. The length of the parts is practically unlimited and depends primarily on handling capabilities.
New Technology Will Save Over a Million Korunas a Year
The purchase of the new dishwasher was supported by a subsidy program from the Ministry of Industry and Trade focused on energy savings. Compared to the original machine, the new one significantly reduces consumption of electricity, water, and cleaning chemicals.
“We expect to save approximately 1.2 million crowns a year on electricity alone. The more modern design also allows for more efficient use of heat and better water management. Parts also come out of the machine significantly drier than before, which speeds up and simplifies further handling and subsequent production operations,” says Martin Krupa, Investment Director at Tawesco.
The installation of the new washer is part of Tawesco’s five-year investment plan. The company aims to invest approximately one billion crowns in modernizing its production technologies by 2029. This year, it is also preparing to install a new continuous blasting system, which will be used for the mechanical surface treatment of parts prior to further processing.
“The five-year investment plan will take us further technologically while ensuring more economical and environmentally friendly production. The washing machine is the first significant step; others are already in the works. All of this is aimed at strengthening our role and competitiveness in the European market for stamped and welded parts, where we rank among the most comprehensive manufacturers,” comments Margita Rejchrtová, CEO of Tawesco Industry.
For more information, please contact:
Pavel Barvík
Director of Marketing and Communications, Promet Group; Spokesperson
Tel. +420 602 266 815
Email: pavel.barvik@prometgroup.eu
Tawesco is part of the engineering division of the Promet Group. It specializes in the development and manufacture of stamping dies, as well as the stamping and welding of parts for the automotive industry and the agricultural, forestry, and material handling equipment sectors. In the field of stamping and welding, it has long been among the most technologically advanced companies in Europe. Its customers include, for example, Škoda Auto, the Volkswagen Group, Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, John Deere, Claas, and Doosan Bobcat.
Promet Group is a family-owned company that oversees a group of more than forty companies operating in the fields of machinery manufacturing, metallurgy, and engineering. These companies employ over four thousand people in the Czech Republic and abroad. The group is headquartered in Ostrava. Its plants are primarily located in Moravia, such as Tawesco in Kopřivnice. Others are located in Nový Jičín, Paskov, Petřvald, Vsetín, as well as in Úvaly near Prague and in Slavonski Brod, Croatia. The customers of the individual divisions include leading European automakers, manufacturers of material-handling and agricultural equipment, foundries, and steel mills. The group also co-owns the truck manufacturer Tatra Trucks and the Croatian manufacturer of freight railcars, Đuro Đaković.
28. 7. 2026 Facts,
