October 31, 2007

Building Boom at Bürkert

By Barbara Griesinger

INGELFINGEN As recently as this past May Bürkert inaugurated the new Systemhaus in Criesbach. Now the next construction project is already pending. Faster than anticipated - even for the management board. "If we had already known last year, we would have done it last year as well ", CEO Heribert Rohrbeck admitted. He met with the Ingelfingen town council to provide some initial information on the new building project, which is supposed to enter the planning stage after Christmas.

Plans are to present the building application to the city fathers and mothers still in this year. The background of the new building project is the "high level of order volume", as Rohrbeck diplomatically paraphrases why Bürkert is currently buzzing. The new construction is thus intended to provide "normal yet to us very important production space", he explained the plans to Ingelfingen's town councils. Overall this means an additional 2,710 square meters for production.

The entire building project is divided into two subprojects: a two-story building for office space and a machine shop plus an additional one are planned in Criesbach in the vicinity of the Systemhaus and Bürkert factory 6. Although, as Rohrbeck says, the new building is "not entirely on par with the Systemhaus in terms of its architectural level", the functional building will blend in well with the structural ensemble. New jobs in Criesbach will not be created. Parts of the Ingelfingen production will be relocated to Criesbach because "that is where we are growing strongly", says Rohrbeck. The town council's question whether new jobs could be anticipated at the Ingelfingen facility was left unanswered by Rohrbeck. " We have to stay well grounded, even if it has been going great for a couple of years in a row now", says Rohrbeck. First and foremost it is about securing jobs for the long term. After all, the growing competition in Asia and making sure jobs are safe here are factors which one has to get ready for.  Once the market slows down further growth will be imperative for safeguarding jobs. The new production space is intended to help Bürkert prepare for just that.

Rohrbeck acknowledges that the extensions will change the traffic situation along the Kocher. Although traffic will increase, heavy goods transport however won't. Deliveries to the factory will be effected by light trucks. The safety issue on the Keltenstraße, which is frequently used by cyclists and skaters, will be settled in a professional and cooperative way. Simultaneously, a development of the Criesbach premises via a ring-like routing of roads is being considered. In its course the dirt road in the back of the premises would have to be extended. This way delivery traffic could be directed on an access road to the logistics center, which is planned to be placed between the Systemhaus and factory 6, and smoothly leave without having to turn around. Moreover, two additional rows of parking spaces are planned to be added to the already existing parking lot in order to accommodate the growing demand. Additional flood protection for the construction project will not be required as it is located within the designated construction zone for which flood control areas have already been identified in 2004.

 

Source: Hohenloher Zeitung
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