Expansion work in Zeulenroda

Theory turns into action: in September, groundbreaking will take place for the Energy Center in Zeulenroda. It’s the prerequisite for expanding the Bauerfeind site in the long term. 

New access road to the Waikiki property 

The first diggers arrived in July to create a new access road to the property of Waikiki, which is currently closed. The reason being: the current road to the fun and adventure pool has been earmarked as a part of the expanded Bauerfeind site.      

Employees in Zeulenroda will have to get used to seeing diggers around. After the groundbreaking for the Energy Center, planned for September, diggers will start work close to the emergency access road to Hall 4. Visible construction work will last until about the end of 2026. After that, the existing buildings will have to be gradually connected to the Energy Center. This will probably take until Spring 2027. Saying “Nothing happens without energy”, Chief Executive Officer Rainer Berthan recently emphasized how important this first step is. For the construction of the Energy Center, an investment of ten million Euros has been budgeted. 

More diggers for the new central warehouse 

The planning application for the expansion of the central warehouse has now been approved. The plan is to build in two phases by Spring/Summer 2028. First, a new building will be constructed behind the old central warehouse. Then the old and the new buildings will be connected – with both remaining in operation. This year, medium-voltage power lines will have to be laid first because truck ramps have been planned for the new building.   

Extensive expansion plans underway 

After the Energy Center and the central warehouse, further construction measures may follow over the coming years: together with a main contractor, specific plans and measures are currently being developed to work out what Bauerfeind’s Zeulenroda site might look like in the future. The objective is to have a draft by the end of 2025. Discussions include a production hall with space for a new raw materials warehouse and the BIC as well as another building (“Community Center”/”Casino”). An indication of how big the Bauerfeind site (“Campus”) may become is given by the fact that the current access road to Waikiki will be incorporated.