Linde's Merthyr factory

Linde has opened a new facility at its Merthyr Tydfil plant to capitalise on the increase in demand for heavy trucks.

The GBP1.5 million (USD2.18 million) Giraffe House 2 will enable Linde to meet an increase in demand and assist new product development.

Giraffe House 2 will be used to finish the construction of vehicles that are capable of stacking up to eight 9-foot high freight containers.

Roland Hartwig, managing director of Linde Heavy Truck Division (LHTD), says 2008 was a productive year for the business unit, with a 40% increase in its largest truck output. "However, due to the vast rise we have seen in the demand for our trucks over the years, our existing facilities were showing a bottleneck in production.

"The new Giraffe House is part of the plan we announced in October last year to effectively double our output and provide for the increase in demand in the industry and for LHTD's future plans for growth."