On 5th October 2023, Japanese chemicals company Sekisui opened its first European production facility for synthetic sleepers made of fibre-reinforced foam urethane (FFU) in Roermond in the Netherlands. The FFU sleepers, whose development began in 1974, have a proven service life of over 40 years and are lighter than other materials. The first installation of Sekisui's FFU sleepers in Europe was on Vienna’s metro network in 2004. The new facility in Roermond, whose construction started in mid-2020 and was completed in early 2023 at a cost of €50 million, can produce up to 100,000 sleepers per year. The 4,400 m² plant, which is located next to a nature park and therefore operated in accordance with the highest environmental standards, is fully electric and can operate 24 hours per day.
