“Just so impressive”: a new chemical complex is being built on a 550,000 square meter site in Hungary

With over 27,000 employees, the Hungarian MOL Group is a leading international oil and gas company.

A company with plans to grow bigger: as part of its “Vision 2030” growth strategy, a vast new chemical complex is currently under construction in the northeast of Hungary. thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions is building the production plants on a turnkey basis on a roughly 550,000 square meter site. The schedule is challenging, but specialists like Ionut Stanciu, Andrea Argiolas and Marian Bolinu are working hard to ensure the 2021 commissioning deadline can be met.

In Tiszaújváros, a small town with a population of around 16,000 in the north of Hungary, the company is planning to produce polyols, a high-demand raw material for plastics used in numerous sectors. The foundation stone for the complex was laid on September 27, 2019. Production is to start in 2021.

Chemical complex to be built in just two years

The size and complexity of the project alone is awe-inspiring. Ionut Stanciu thinks so too. “For me, the sheer size of it is impressive”. Ionut has worked on the project from day one. The 29-year-old is responsible for testing coating quality. “I love supporting a project from the very beginning. It’s a very satisfying process which I definitely enjoy,” says the engineer.

“Compared with other projects I’ve been involved with, this project is special,” says Marian Bolinu, who works closely with the project’s suppliers and subcontractors. “The polyol project in Tiszaújváros is a huge project involving subcontractors from different countries under the direct supervision of thyssenkrupp personnel. Our goal is to finish this project on time and without any major incidents,” says Marian.

Special, gigantic, complex

The electrical engineer and quantity surveyor is mainly responsible for managing the site instructions. These are central documents containing instructions and guidelines for the subcontractors. Alongside the contract, they set out rules for cooperation on the construction site.

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions also relies on the support of subcontractors in a central and particularly important area of the project: in modern chemical plants such as this one in Tiszaújváros, nothing functions without piping. Piping systems are as vital to production plants as arteries to the human body. They supply the individual units with liquids, gases and solids.

Just as vital therefore is the job of Andrea Argiolas. Even as a four-year-old, Andrea loved to build 1,000 piece lego sets, today he supervises the complex piping works for the MOL project in Tiszaújváros. Among other things, the 40-year-old ensures that the subcontractors observe all occupational safety measures, rules and regulations.

“Like a big family”

No two days are the same. “Every day we have small challenges that once completed help us take a step forward with the project,” says Andrea.

To make the project a success, all involved have to work hand in hand and contribute “all their professional knowledge”, as Marian says. “No matter how well trained they are, one person alone cannot achieve this task without the help of others. We have to act like a big family and I think that this is the only way to reach our goals.”