WestfaliaSurge plans a new company headquarters

WestfaliaSurge, the dairy farm systems division of the GEA-Group of Bochum, will be erecting their new company headquarters in the industrial estate at Bönen, Northrhine-Westphalia. The production and logistics sectors as well as a new administration building, which have been planned using the most up-to-date layouts, will arise on an area of 80,000 m2 that is situated adjacent to the A2 motorway. The total investment will amount to around 25 million euros. The economic development association for the district of Unna will be erecting the new “bio-security” competence centre next door to, supported by the government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the EU. What is planned here is an active transfer of “know-how”. New jobs will also be created here.

It is anticipated that the approximately 500 employees who now work at the rather spread out Herdecke and Oelde company locations will transfer to the new joint location at Bönen in October 2004. The new headquarters is located just about in the middle of the two previous locations. This will then terminate the separation of the production and logistics operational sectors in Herdecke and the administration and development operations in Oelde.

The NRW “bio-security” competence centre will be the direct neighbour and in conjunction with other companies that have relocated in association with this centre of technology, the centre will give an additional push to the development of new technological solutions for improved production of high quality milk. Com-prehensive industrial know-how will be available there in order to work on future processes and systems for the safe and improved production of foodstuffs.  

Peter Schenk, chairman of the board of GEA AG said, “We do not have a compa-rable competence centre here in Germany. However, the market for quality food-stuffs is growing worldwide and therefore the decision regarding the location is very important for North-Rhine-Westphalia. The “bio-security” competence centre here in Bönen will also be the starting point for interested scientists and companies with regard to important future topics such as “green” bio-technology.

The new location will provide an important pulse with regard to guarding the future of the world’s second biggest manufacturer of dairy farm technology. Dr. An-ton Daubner, CEO of the WestfaliaSurge Group stated that: “With the new build-ing in the open countryside we will be able to provide the best conditions for our entire operations, especially with regard to optimising the logistical and material flows. We will be able to realise a closeness to the production and installation development departments, which will considerably simplify the quicker implemen-tation of new product ideas for our customers.” 

WestfaliaSurge, with around 1,600 employees throughout the world, realised a turnover of 348 million euros during the 2001/2002 business year. During the same period, the GEA-Group employed a total of about 14,400 people and re-alised a turnover of about 3,000 million euros.