The sealing specialist focuses on sustainability and a future-proof working environment.
The medium-sized company Wallstabe & Schneider has expanded its production and office space at its headquarters in Niederwinkling by building a new hall. The official inauguration marks the completion of a project in which the family-owned company has invested around 12.8 million euros. The new injection molding hall meets the requirements of a future-oriented working environment and combines modern production with a sustainable construction concept.
“Despite all the difficulties in the automotive supply industry, we see the investment as a powerful commitment to our home location,” emphasizes Managing Partner Christian Wallstabe.
The new injection molding hall, designed by the architects of the Straubinger Koch Group, was built on an existing factory site. It serves both as an extension and as a replacement for halls, some of which have existed since the 1960s and no longer met the current energy, construction and production requirements. The construction project shows that industrial expansion is also possible without additional land consumption by making efficient use of existing space.
A special feature of the new building is the innovative timber construction, which reduces the use of concrete and steel elements to a minimum. By opting for a production hall with a wooden roof, which is mainly made of wood, it was possible to save around 1,350 tons of CO2 compared to a comparable reinforced concrete and steel structure. “We had good experiences with our logistics hall ten years ago. And because we want to make a contribution to sustainability in construction, we have again opted for this more environmentally friendly construction method,” explains Wallstabe.
The new injection molding hall by Wallstabe & Schneider was built in timber construction.
In recent months, the production facilities have been gradually relocated to the new hall. In the meantime, around 80 injection molding machines have found their place there. With the commissioning of the hall, a new logistics concept was also implemented: Five autonomous transport robots will take over the internal material flow in the future. They pick up the crates with finished seals directly from the production machines and bring them independently to the pick-up point for storage in the logistics center. With the new hall, we are taking the next evolutionary step towards automated production,” explains plant manager Wolfgang Zisler.
The new building also offers noticeable improvements in production and the working environment inside. On a production area of around 4,000 square meters, advanced air conditioning and ventilation technology ensures optimal ventilation and improved temperature control. At the same time, the waste heat generated during production can be used in the future to cover large parts of the heat demand at the Niederwinkling site. On the upper floor, new office space was also created for areas such as supply chain, quality engineering, production optimization and production management.
The external features of the new injection molding hall also pick up on the sustainable overall concept. The large-scale green roof, which is not only visually appealing, but also offers functional advantages, is worth mentioning. The planting stores rainwater and thus improves the roof drainage capacity. “Especially in the event of heavy rainfall, this is an important contribution to disaster prevention,” adds Wallstabe. In addition, the greening improves building insulation at extreme temperatures. It is also planned to equip the hall with a photovoltaic system in the future in order to cover part of the energy demand directly on site.
The project was coordinated by maintenance manager Christian Schauer and his team, who had to coordinate numerous trades and internal processes during the construction and relocation phase.
With this project, the sealing specialist from Niederwinkling combines growth with the responsible use of resources. Despite the continuing challenging conditions in the automotive and supplier industry, the company is looking to the future with confidence. The investment in the new hall is a clear sign of Wallstabe & Schneider’s commitment to strengthening the Niederwinkling site and at the same time implementing sustainable and future-proof solutions.
