Interview: “Secured the largest contract in BFL’s corporate history right from the start”

B+F Beton- und Fertigteilgesellschaft mbH Lauchhammer (BFL for short) set the course for the future on January 1, 2026: Managing Director Hermann Stenzhorn stepped down to enjoy a well-deserved retirement after many successful years. However, he will remain connected to the company in an advisory capacity as managing director and will continue to support BFL with his experience in this role.

Stefan Rühle took over as the new managing director (see also the report in BFT 01/2026). Together with Harald Robl, forms the management team of BFL going forward. The company manufactures a wide range of precast reinforced concrete elements in southern Brandenburg for various applications, such as in the railway industry, in supply and waste management, or in infrastructure. At the end of April, the new and former managing directors sat down for an interview with BFT Editor-in-Chief Silvio Schade.

BFT International: Mr. Rühle, since the beginning of the year, you have been the new managing director of B+F Beton- und Fertigteilgesellschaft mbH Lauchhammer. Please introduce yourself briefly and tell us how your first few months in the new position have been.

Stefan Rühle: That’s right, I’m Stefan Rühle, 46 years old, and I live here in Lauchhammer—right on site, which is very important to me. I joined BFL seven years ago—initially as project manager for the construction of our new mixing plant, while also working in purchasing. Before that, I held management positions in companies across various industries: waste management, pipeline construction, and rail vehicle manufacturing. This diversity gave me a broad foundation that still benefits me today.

The transition into my new role as Managing Director of BFL went surprisingly smoothly. Since I already know the company, the processes, and, of course, my colleagues very well, I was able to dive right into day-to-day operations - without the usual onboarding period that an external successor would have needed. I particularly appreciate that Mr. Stenzhorn, as the former Managing Director, is supporting me in an advisory capacity during the first six months. This continuity is a real asset - both for me personally and for the entire company.

A particular highlight of the first few months: We were able to secure the largest contract in BFL’s corporate history. This is, of course, a great start and fills us all with pride. However, I would like to emphasize that the groundwork for this was already laid in previous years - it is the result of consistent work by the entire team over an extended period. I have now had the privilege of bringing this success home. The real challenge now lies in executing this contract efficiently, on time, and to the full satisfaction of our client - this is how we will be judged, and I am convinced that our team is up to the task.

I look forward to the tasks ahead and am convinced that together we can still achieve a great deal for BFL.

BFT International: What are your goals and plans for the company, and what makes BFL special?

Stefan Rühle: What makes BFL special is flexibility and versatility. We manufacture our products largely according to individual customer requirements - essentially on a made-to-order basis, much like in a custom workshop. We do not have fixed, automated production or conveyor systems that only allow for specific products or dimensions and must be kept at full capacity. This gives us a freedom that many of our competitors do not have.

In addition, we provide the entire value chain from a single source: starting with planning, including structural analysis, through mold making in our own fully equipped carpentry shop, all the way to production - and, if needed, on-site installation as well. While we have clear core areas of expertise, we also like to think outside the box. A good example of this is the manufacture of prefabricated architectural components, which place entirely different demands on design and surface quality.

What further sets us apart are our employees. We have a competent team that works with genuine team spirit and a strong sense of camaraderie. The work environment at BFL is something we can truly be proud of - and I believe our customers sense that too. When the successes we achieve together become visible, it brings joy to everyone and confirms that we are on the right track. Success is simply the best confirmation of the effectiveness of our joint efforts.

As for my plans and goals: I am convinced that precast concrete elements will continue to gain importance in the construction industry in the future - and for good reason. Precast elements make construction sites more predictable, faster, and virtually weather-independent. In addition, under controlled production conditions at the factory, a consistently higher quality can be achieved than with on-site production - regardless of weather, temperature fluctuations, or other external influences. This saves money and time - and by that I mean not only the actual construction time, but also the duration of road closures or other disruptions for people and nature. This is a decisive advantage, especially in sensitive areas such as infrastructure construction. Furthermore, it should be noted that our precast components have long been used in more than just traditional construction. Our products also find their place in entirely different industries and fields of application - anywhere where custom-made solutions are required that must meet the highest quality standards. We view this versatility of application as a major opportunity and intend to leverage it even more strategically in the future.

That is precisely why it is not just a nice-to-have for us, but a clear strategic necessity to consistently maintain and further expand our versatility and flexibility, to always keep our eyes open, and to leverage the advantages of precast components. Combined with a well-developed infrastructure, this is our unique selling point - and we intend to strengthen it.

BFT International: Just under three years ago, B+F Beton- und Fertigteilgesellschaft mbH in Lauchhammer opened a new concrete mixing plant - one of the most modern in Germany. You managed that project at the time; how satisfied have you been with the plant since then?

Stefan Rühle: Exactly - I had the privilege of overseeing and managing this project from start to finish: from the regulatory application process through the planning and construction phases all the way to commissioning. It was a very exciting time during which I personally learned an enormous amount - both professionally and in terms of the company and its potential.

And how satisfied am I with the plant? Very! The plant has met all expectations - I would even say it has exceeded them. After commissioning, we first had to learn to fully exploit the diverse possibilities this modern plant offers us - and to be honest, we’re still doing that. But that’s meant in a positive sense: it shows just how capable and forward-looking this investment was.

With the new mixing plant, our product range has become significantly more versatile. Today, we can produce new types of concrete that were previously unavailable to us, and we do so with a very high and consistent concrete quality. This directly strengthens our versatility and flexibility—which we’ve mentioned several times—and is thus another building block in positioning ourselves as a high-performing and innovative partner for our customers.

BFT International: Have there been noticeable improvements in production volume, manufacturing costs, product quality, or other positive effects resulting from the new concrete mixing plant?

Stefan Rühle: Yes, there are certainly several positive effects to mention - and I’m pleased to be able to do so in detail, because the new plant has truly helped us advance in many areas.

Let’s start with the mixing process itself: We rely on an Eirich mixer, which is among the most powerful and efficient mixer types available. Thanks to the Eirich mixer’s intensive, homogeneous mixing process, less cement is needed to achieve the same concrete quality - this saves costs and conserves resources at the same time. Furthermore, the mixer enables us to use clinker-reduced cements without having to compromise, for example, on the required early strength - a real step forward both economically and ecologically.

Other concrete improvements we have noticed since commissioning include:

Shorter concrete pouring times thanks to batches of up to 1.9 m³

Use of new admixtures that can be precisely dosed with the modern plant

Increased storage capacity for raw materials

Less rework thanks to consistent and reproducible concrete quality - another advantage of the Eirich mixer, which produces a particularly homogeneous concrete structure through its intensive mixing action

Elimination of scraping times, which makes the production process significantly smoother

Automatic cleaning system that significantly reduces cleaning times at the end of the shift

Noticeable improvements in occupational safety and health due to the higher degree of automation and reduced manual intervention in the mixing process

Production of various types of concrete, versatile concrete range.

Regarding production volume: This has not increased due to the new mixing plant - but I would like to explicitly put this into the proper context. This is primarily due to the decline in sales of heavy components with a high concrete content. The capacity and performance of the mixing plant are certainly there—and we are very well positioned with it.

BFT International: Let’s take a look back at the past fiscal year. How satisfied are you with the performance in 2025, and which projects or deliveries were particularly noteworthy for BFL?

Stefan Rühle: I am very satisfied - the 2025 fiscal year was successfully concluded with a positive result. The years of improvements, investments, and innovations, as well as the experience we’ve gained, continue to bear fruit. This is the result of consistent work over many years.

Particularly noteworthy is the diversity of the projects we completed last year - to name just a few examples:

Precast concrete components for an air defense system

BMW Leipzig escape tunnel

Multi-section prefabricated building for substations

Exterior cleaning facility for rail vehicles

WHG areas at Infineon in Dresden

Prefabricated building for the Berlin–Hamburg high-speed corridor

Shafts for a data center

Foundations and buildings for GDRMA Lauchhammer.

BFT International: The product range of B+F Beton- und Fertigteilgesellschaft mbH Lauchhammer is very diverse. What products do you generally offer, and which ones are currently in highest demand on the market?

Stefan Rühle: As I mentioned earlier, our product diversity stems primarily from the wide variety of different projects we undertake. I wouldn’t even attempt to list all our products here. That’s because our focus isn’t on a fixed catalog product, but rather on providing a customized solution for each client and their specific requirements.

I’m deliberately not going to speculate here on what’s generally in highest demand on the market - that depends heavily on the specific industry, the region, and current construction projects, and it’s difficult to answer in general terms.

But what I can say with conviction is this: We are constantly finding new markets for our products. This is no coincidence, but rather the result of consistent quality work and satisfied customers who recommend us to others and keep coming back to us with new requirements.

BFT International: In Europe, numerous countries are currently investing in infrastructure expansion. Are you noticing increased general demand or increased demand in specific product areas or regions?

Stefan Rühle: We can certainly confirm this. Infrastructure projects that are particularly relevant to us include the expansion of DB’s high-speed corridors, data centers, gas network expansion, the construction or expansion of railway workshops, and in Poland, the expansion or construction of new railway lines. For all these projects, we supply track slabs, prefabricated buildings, and work pits.

BFT International: BFL will once again be represented at InnoTrans in Berlin this year. How important is this leading trade fair to you, and what can visitors expect at the B+F booth?

Stefan Rühle: Both the railways and private utility companies will continue to invest heavily in the expansion and new construction of their infrastructure in the coming years. For us, this makes them a key customer for our products. InnoTrans offers us the opportunity to showcase our products in the field of railway infrastructure. This primarily includes track support slabs, track support troughs, rail work pits and prefabricated buildings.

BFT International: Finally, are there any plans for the further development of the Lauchhammer site or for the company’s continued growth that you can share with us?

Stefan Rühle: Yes, there are certainly ideas and concrete plans for the further development of our Lauchhammer site.

We are currently laying the groundwork for future investments and are in the process of drawing up a development plan. An expansion of the site in the form of additional production halls as well as overhead storage space in the area of the mixing plant is a concrete possibility.

Of course, these plans are still in the early stages, and we will approach them carefully and with foresight. But I am confident that we will make tangible progress here in the coming years—for the benefit of the company, our employees, and the Lauchhammer site as a whole.

BFT International: I would like to leave the “final word” to your outgoing predecessor, Hermann Stenzhorn. Mr. Stenzhorn, from your personal perspective, what were the biggest highlights of your time as B+F Managing Director?

Hermann Stenzhorn: My esteemed colleague Stefan Rühle has already mentioned a few flagship projects from the past year. From my personal perspective, the major order at the fair grounds of Gdansk stands out, for which we shipped 250 trucks with rail support plates and intermediate slabs to Poland.

The second highlight - which Mr. Rühle also mentioned - is the new Eirich mixing plant, which has now been in operation for almost three years to our complete satisfaction. And last but not least, the most important factor is our fantastic employees, without whom none of the successes mentioned would have been possible.

BFT International: That sounds exciting, so we’d love to hear more about the major project in Gdansk.

Hermann Stenzhorn: Of cause, as I said, this is one of the largest projects in BFL’s corporate history. When the exhibition grounds in Gdansk, Poland, were expanded in 2021, we supplied numerous precast concrete elements for the outdoor area of the fairgrounds. This area features a rail connection so that rail vehicles can be exhibited outdoors on the AmberExpo exhibition grounds during trade shows. For this purpose, a total of 469 track support slabs and 710 intermediate slabs were delivered, which were connected to form a level surface. This allows people to move easily between the tracks during the trade show. BFL’s track support slabs have proven themselves in this application as a safe, resilient, and durable solution.

BFT International: Mr. Rühle, Mr. Stenzhorn, thank you very much for the interview, and all the best for the future!