Sennheiser has spent around 15m euros on the new centre, not including the costs involved in moving production from Burgdorf and transferring the engineering department. As part of the construction of the new building, all manufacturing processes were reorganised to create increased efficiency for the future.
"The meticulous planning and the intensive consultation process with ergonomists and manufacturing experts has paid off," concluded Volker Bartels, president of manufacturing and logistics. "From the beginning of this year our production and engineering staff have been working in a superbly well-organised and motivating environment." Since that time, Sennheiser has been enjoying the benefits of a highly modern production system concentrated on one site with optimum material flows and work processes.
Once the geological test pits had been completed, the first symbolic spade-full of earth was dug on 24 November 2008 in an official opening ceremony marking the start of construction on the new Production and Technology Centre. The topping-out ceremony was celebrated on 18 May 2009 and the building was completed at the end of 2009. The move from Burgdorf to Wennebostel took eight weeks, which involved moving 230 machines, the heaviest of which weighed around 10 tons. The new centre was built right next to the existing production building and the two sites linked together.
"We have to ensure that our processes are flexible enough to adapt to changing market demands. That's why one of our key priorities was the versatility of the building, " explained Volker Bartels. This has been achieved - the building covers around 4,200sq.m.
The centre houses mechanical manufacturing, production equipment construction, assembly stations, manual assembly, test areas and offices. Around 440 people are working there. The building also has a production technology lab, where the engineering and production departments work closely together to develop, test and optimise work stations, machinery and inspection equipment.
"By building this Production and Technology Centre at our German headquarters we have invested in the future", said Volker Bartels. "We will be able to use it to further increase our technical edge when it comes to advances in products and product processes."
(Jim Evans)
