The supervisory board of Weinig group has approved an investment programme that will reposition the group and its headquarters in Tauberbischofsheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In total, more than €120 million will be invested over the next five years.
For the Voitsberg site in Austria, the production location of the subsidiary Holz-her, €15m has already been approved in advance and will be invested in assembly, production and logistics. The newly adopted programme focuses mainly on the solid wood division of the mechanical engineering company.
Weinig has set up a new site concept that will sustainably modernise production, optimise delivery capability for customers and improve the working environment for its employees. This will include a new logistics centre, a new manufacturing concept and new production facilities, as well as new exhibition and customer training rooms.
Around €70m will be invested in the infrastructure of the Tauberbischofsheim site alone.
The supervisory board and the management board emphasised how the upcoming investments will position the company for the future. Thomas Bach, chairman of the supervisory board of Weinig, pointed out that it is part of the Weinig DNA to see crises as opportunities, and that not least the COVID-19 pandemic has provided room for conceptual work: “We looked for, identified and seized an opportunity in the crisis. As a result, we can confidently say today: Weinig is fit for a successful future.”
Gregor Baumbusch, CEO of Weinig, explained that the wood processing industry is a growth sector that is getting an additional boost through sustainability and climate protection. The demand for machines and solutions that serve this market is correspondingly high and continues to rise. A further €40m will therefore be invested in expanding the product portfolio.
Baumbusch stated: “Today, we already have the broadest product portfolio of any supplier in the solid wood industry worldwide. Especially in the rapidly growing segment of timber construction, we will be able to offer our customers even better solutions from a single source, namely Weinig, in the future.”
Georg Hanrath, CTO of Weinig, added that the future belongs to the triad of sustainable production, sustainable machines and the sustainable products manufactured on them.
The workforce of Weinig is reportedly behind the planned measures and is looking forward to the improvements the investment will bring. Rainer Haag, works council chairman of Weinig, concluded: “It is a joint project. Only if we all work together can we succeed. We have been discussing what that looks like over the past few months. The most important thing is that no jobs are cut. On the contrary, we will grow.”
