Schmalz Celebrates Topping-Out

09.03.2009

J. Schmalz GmbH has held a topping-out ceremony to celebrate the mid-point of the construction of the new 10,000 m2 production facility on its site. The construction project, which commenced in 2008, is the largest construction project in the history of the company and has seen Schmalz invest over 16 million euros in its Glatten location.

The traditional topping-out speech was given at dizzying height by Ulrich Bühler of construction company Bauunternehmen Bühler GmbH. Building supervisor and safety coordinator Thilo Baur followed, speaking about the individual construction phases and the product scheduling. Despite the harsh winter weather of the past weeks, construction work is on schedule. The delays to the construction of the foundations caused by the extremely cold weather were able to be kept to a minimum by setting up a ground heating system for winter construction. The facility is scheduled to be complete in August 2009. Thilo Baur thanked the companies involved in planning and construction their employees, the local authority, and the internal construction team for their hard work and cooperation.

The event then moved to the company cafeteria. Wolfgang Schmalz, managing director, welcomed the guests and gave a speech that concentrated on the topic of sustainable construction. In line with J. Schmalz GmbH’s company philosophy, ecological friendliness and the use of regenerative energies were fully incorporated in both the planning and the construction of the new facility. The construction plans aimed at long-term, generational thinking instead of the more common focus on quarterly figures.

Despite current difficult and unpredictable economic conditions, J. Schmalz GmbH expects business to develop positively over the long-term. The construction project is an important step in Schmalz's plans to become global market leader in the vacuum technology field. Process excellence in production and logistics are the basis for the success of the company, and are key factors to growing the company and remaining competitive in the long-term. The construction project is also a clear expression of the company management’s commitment to the Glatten location.

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