Ground-breaking ceremony for sustainable production plant with high automation

With the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony, the start of the new construction of the largest ever and most modern precast concrete plant of the Glatthaar Group was marked on November 9 in the Bavarian town of Günzburg. From November of 2024 onwards, precast concrete elements of the brand „Glatthaar Starwalls“ for infrastructure construction and garden and landscape construction as well as precast concrete elements for residential and commercial construction will be manufactured there. „In difficult economic times, this new building is an investment in safeguarding the future and the growth of our company,“ stated company founder Joachim Glatthaar. The Glatthaar Group headquartered in Schramberg-Waldmössingen (Baden-Wuertemberg) is operating at several locations in Germany and abroad.

On the property covering nearly 70,000 m² situated in the „Prinz-Eugen-Park“ (PEP) industrial park, a nearly 250 m long, up to 73 m wide and 14 m high production building will be erected in the first stage of construction. Precast concrete elements will be manufactured there on state-of-the-art equipment with a high degree of automation. In the southern part, a 30 m high mixing tower for the production of concrete will be installed. „Senior major, Gerhard Jauernig, and the local council of the city of Günzburg have endorsed our new construction project right from the beginning. We would like to express our cordial thanks for the generous support and backing through the unanimous resolution in favor of our project,“ pointed out Joachim Glatthaar.

The location situated next to the A8 Autobahn was chosen because the company will be able to deliver the customers, most of which are in Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Austria, from there conveniently. In addition, the construction of a 3.5-story office building for administration and sales is planned on the property, and it is moreover possible to extent the production capacities at a later stage. The Glatthaar Group would like to create up to 60 new jobs at the new location, according to Axel Schwarz, who will be head of the new factory.

An example in difficult times

„As the European market leader in prefabricated basements and our precast concrete systems, we set an example with this new building in currently difficult times for the construction industry and demonstrate that we believe in the future and are thinking in the long run. It is the biggest single investment of our company, so far,“ Joachim Glatthaar emphasized. Products of the Glatthaar Starwalls brand will be primarily produced in Günzburg. These are patented, concrete-based natural stone walls, predominantly used for the stabilization of slops in road construction and for flood protection.

The biggest advantage of this product is the saving of time at the construction site, that helps, in particular in road construction, to avoid lengthy traffic obstructions and congestions. Glatthaar Starwalls combine the advantages of precast concrete walls with the charm of a natural stone wall. During prefabrication in the factory, the wall elements are provided with natural stone cladding, thus achieving the effect of a stone wall. Interested parties will get the opportunity to view the products of Glatthaar Starwalls on an exhibition space open to the public at the new location.

Other precast concrete elements, manufactured in „Prinz-Eugen-Park“ mainly for multi-story residential construction and commercial construction, are hollow core walls, solid walls, precast floor slabs and special components.

Largest and most modern production site of the Glatthaar Group

In addition to Schramberg-Waldmössingen (Baden-Wuerttemberg), Neuwied (Rhineland-Palatinate) and Oranienbaum (Saxony-Anhalt), the new building in Günzburg is the fourth and, so far, largest production site of the Glatthaar Group. One of the most modern precast concrete plants in Europe is being built here, where the company has attached great importance to the topic of sustainability. Hence, for example, the interconnected production facility, as the first of its kind, can manufacture a fiber-reinforced concrete, developed by Glatthaar, in a fully automatic process, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the precast concrete elements considerably.

Furthermore, the roof of the new building will be provided with a photovoltaic system that generates up to 760,000 kWh of clean energy with a peak capacity of 750 kW, in the first step. Along with the production facility, the electricity generated in this way is to supply the office building, which is planned according to the latest sustainability standards and meets the highest requirements in terms of energy efficiency.

Senior major Gerhard Jauernig was pleased with the settlement of the Glatthaar Group. According to him, with the new production plant, the family-owned company with a workforce of about 640 people contributes to strengthen the business location of Günzburg and to create new jobs in a modern and sustainable working environment. „Today, we gain a family-owned company that is at home in Europe and commits to Günzburg in the heart of the Bavarian Swabia region. Every house needs a solid base on which it is placed. And this will be at our place in Günzburg in the future,“ stated Gerhard Jauernig.