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Sennheiser Expands its Wedemark, Germany Site
Sennheiser is expanding its corporate headquarters in Germany. Sennheiser, one of the region's largest employers, plans to extend the site by the addition of a production and technology centre as well as a customer centre. A total sum of more than €20 million (approximately $32 million USD) is to be invested by 2011. This expansion represents a clear commitment by the internationally-active family company to its base in Wedemark, near Hanover.
"The continuous increase in our activities, and the resulting growth in our workforce make it necessary for us to expand our company headquarters," explained Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser, chairman of the supervisory board, at Sennheiser's annual press conference. "This strengthening of the Wedemark site will support the positive development of the global Sennheiser Group and will further increase our customer orientation."
A structural plan for the company site was developed in cooperation with Essen-based architect Jürgen Reichardt, and is to be implemented over the next few years. Construction will begin this November with the building of a new production and technology centre at a cost of around €10 million (approximately $16 million USD). This will be followed, at a later date, by the construction of an international customer centre.
"The expansion of the corporate headquarters is a clear indication of the Sennheiser family's commitment to Wedemark as a manufacturing location," said Volker Bartels, speaker of the executive team and president, manufacturing and logistics, commenting on the construction project.
The new technology and production centre will provide around 5,000 square metres (over 53,800 square-feet) of production area on two levels, which can be flexibly used according to requirements and order volumes. The surrounding offices can be freely assigned as required. "This flexible use of facilities corresponds to the state-of-the-art in factory planning," Bartels explained. "In addition to the company management and the works council, Sennheiser employees from various departments were also involved in planning the initial layout. This allowed experience and knowledge from the most varied disciplines to be integrated into the designs." The new production and technology centre will be used primarily for the manufacture of wireless systems and microphones, as well as for developing and testing new technologies.
The new building project is at the same time the prerequisite for the relocation of the almost 200 employees currently working at the Burgdorf site. Combining the two factories in Wedemark will improve efficiency by streamlining the production processes. What's more, the close proximity to the development facilities will bring significant advantages in ramping up production of new products. The relocation of employees from Burgdorf will probably take place at the end of 2009.
After completion of the production and technology centre, a customer centre will be built at the entrance to the site. It will create a representative environment that will enable visitors and customers to experience the Sennheiser brand at its headquarters. The initial design ideas for the customer centre include 'sound islands' that introduce visitors to the subject of acoustics and a Sennheiser stage that allows products to be tested in practical application.
"The expansion of the existing architecture in Wedemark will enable all corporate functions at the company headquarters to work more closely together and to communicate more efficiently," Bartels said. Not least, of course, the aim is also to provide both Sennheiser employees and international visitors with a future-oriented and attractive environment.
In picture: the new technology and production centre.
13th August 2008
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