Gerhard Schubert begins major €38 million project extending production facilities
pic: Schubert
A major investment from German-based packaging machinery group Gerhard Schubert has begun, with €38 million being placed into creating a final extended assembly hall at its Crailsheim site, reports Neill Barston.
The venture, which is projected to be completed by June 2023, is anticipated to notably expand its manufacturing capacity, with global demand for its systems remaining buoyant, despite challenging market conditions in many global territories.
As the business explained, works on the 12,000 square metre additional new facility are now fully under way, and have involved relocating the state road between Crailsheim and Dinkelsbühl to deliver the additional building for the company.
“The expansion will open up space for 300 employees,” noted Peter Schubert, who, as assistant to his father Ralf Schubert, Managing Partner at the company, is also involved in the project’s technical organisation in addition to engineering and design.
According to the company, the project is being delivered in collaboration with Fessel architects, as well as several specialist planners to create a contemporary and the office wing offering a flexible working environment.
Agile work is made possible by providing the best working conditions for teams that are constantly regrouping on a project-by-project basis. As the business explained, an important factor in its creation is that employees feel comfortable in the new building. As the company added, sustainability also played a major role in planning the facility.
“We want to produce and manufacture in an entirely CO2-neutral way by the end of 2023, so the building will be equipped with a sustainable energy concept,” explains Ralf Schubert. After the geothermal energy already installed on the company premises was no longer approved at the site due to new regulations, the packaging machine manufacturer decided to use ice storage technology for heating and cooling.
A photovoltaic system with an output of roughly 400 kWp (kilowatts-peak) will also be installed on the roof of the new building. “The objective is for the new hall to be operated in a climate-neutral manner,” he continues.
Another significant factor in its development is that it has been designed with employee comfort as a central principle, offering a range of facilities for its operations.
“Lunch breaks can be spent on the green roof terrace with a far-reaching view over the fields just as well as in the comfortably designed break rooms,” says Ralf Schubert, who revealed that the expansion had been driven by a growth in demand for its top-loading packaging (TLM) packaging machinery.
Furthermore, as the business noted, facilities at the additional site will also include visitor rooms on the ground floor, where customers will also be welcomed. A flexible meeting room system will enable events for up to 140 people.
Jörg Steuler, Crailsheim’s planning officer, believed that the key project represented a strong investment in the region. He said: “We are very pleased that a large family-owned company like Schubert is investing in this location and providing many new jobs in our city with the new building.”
