A central highlight of the ceremony was the traditional topping-out speech delivered by Hans-Joachim Kreß, Project Manager at BREMER, who symbolically blessed the new building. The official program concluded with an invitation from Dr. Matthias Schopp for guests to enjoy the buffet and spend the remainder of the day together. The City of Vlotho was represented by Michael Fißmer, Head of Planning, Building and Environment.
The new hall is being constructed in close proximity to the existing buildings at the company headquarters. It will cover approximately 6,000 square meters of production space along with additional office areas and is designed for energy-efficient operations: photovoltaic systems on the roof and construction based on modern efficiency standards will significantly reduce resource consumption.
“With the expansion in Vlotho, we are creating space for further growth while also improving our internal processes,” explains owner Tina Kannegiesser. “It is a clear signal of our commitment to continued investment at this location and to strengthen our long-term position.” While others are shifting production capacities abroad, Kannegiesser continues to focus on its sites in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, advancing their development in a targeted manner.
Kannegiesser employs more than 2,000 people worldwide, around 1,000 of them at the headquarters in Vlotho. This makes the company one of the region’s major employers, and it continues to grow. Kannegiesser already offers a wide range of technically demanding and future-oriented careers in areas such as development, software engineering and production. The expansion will create additional opportunities to further advance modern technologies, robotics and digitally networked manufacturing processes.
“With the new hall, we are creating the conditions to integrate development, design and production even more closely,” says Dr. Matthias Schopp, Managing Director of Technology. “This physical proximity will make processes more efficient and accelerate the implementation of our projects.”
Completion of the hall is scheduled for the fourth quarter. The move-in will then take place in stages. For Kannegiesser, the topping-out ceremony represents more than just construction progress: it is a clear commitment to the region and to its long-term focus on innovation and quality.