Cornerstone ceremony at BENNINGHOVEN

After a short planning phase of less than a year, BENNINGHOVEN GmbH & Co. KG held the ground-breaking ceremony for its new main factory on 31 August 2016. The asphalt mixing plant construction specialist will move into the new production site in Wittlich in summer 2018.

This project is the largest single investment (approx. EUR 130m) in the history of the WIRTGEN GROUP, and is a clear commitment to Germany as a production location, to Rhineland-Palatinate, to the region and also to the town of Wittlich. The new factory is a logical and necessary step towards strengthening the company’s position as a global competitor. The company can no longer meet growing demand with its current production capacity.

The WIRTGEN GROUP is investing in a brand new factory at the Wittlich site to handle an increasing volume of orders as well as a long-term strategy that aims to make BENNINGHOVEN one of the world’s leading companies.

BENNINGHOVEN celebrated the laying of the cornerstone for the new factory in Wittlich Wengerohr on 11 April 2017. This marks the start of work for the second construction phase – the actual building. Despite poor weather during the first months of 2017, BENNINGHOVEN still aims to complete construction by summer 2018.

The time capsule made by company trainees includes contemporary items for future generations, such as a certificate, company brochures, blueprints and the latest issue of the daily newspaper ‘Tierischer Volksfreund’. The sealed capsule was then lowered into the foundation in a festive ceremony.

The aim is to establish a state-of-the-art factory, built around the very latest production systems featuring lean management approaches and Industrie 4.0 technologies, and with a particular emphasis on workplace quality, including the installation of ergonomic workstations in all units as well as modern ventilation systems and natural lighting, to name just a few aspects.

The 333,000 square meters of land at the site will be used to construct a 60,000 sqm production facility plus a five-floor office building covering 12,000 sqm of space. The generous dimensions of the new main factory will perfectly accommodate the component sizes of the asphalt mixing plants, which are up to 50 m tall. As a company focused on growth, BENNINGHOVEN has already included possible expansion phases in the planning.

BENNINGHOVEN has been a specialist manufacturer of asphalt mixing plants for over 50 years. As a company with a long tradition, BENNINGHOVEN prioritizes both quality and innovation. From standard designs to bespoke projects, BENNINGHOVEN can offer plant solutions suitable for any market requirements.

Work on the foundation is now 70% complete. An essential part of this was to create level, strong surfaces for the 60,000 m² production and logistics building, the 12,000 m² main building with offices, and on-site access roads. This required landscaping the entire building site.

The original height difference was up to 9 m: to even this out, around 400,000 m³ of soil had to be removed in one area and used for surfacing work in other parts of the site. Work on the foundation for the central building has just started. The first parts of the actual buildings will become visible over the next few months.

Mülheim/Wittlich, 11 April 2017