“The hall is finished, now we can get working”: Dr Wolfgang Wagner, managing partner of Frenzelit-Werke GmbH & Co. KG, welcomed the 400 employees, friends of the company and representatives of the local political community, who had come to Himmelkron on Friday afternoon for the opening of the new Frenzelit production hall, with these words. A modern planning, design and production hall with all the necessary facilities has been built in just under 11 months of intensive construction work. The capacity for the technically sophisticated development and production of expansion joints is being doubled by this new building. Expansion joints are complicated products that are needed to compensate for expansion in pipes as well as for flue gas ducts, e.g. in power stations. They increase safety in industrial plant manufacturing, reduce fire risks and increase the efficiency of the machines operated.

Decision in favour of a location in Upper Franconia
“We took a deliberate decision in favour of Upper Franconia and the employees there when we made this investment. We will be continuing to rely on the qualities of our location in future and will be supplying our customers reliable, innovative products of high technical quality”, Dr Wagner went on. “The specially designed products that are developed, manufactured and sold by Frenzelit have to compete on the world market. More than 45% of the expansion joints manufactured by Frenzelit are already exported directly all over the world from Himmelkron.”

Harald Reichel, head of the Frenzelit expansion joints division, was presented with the symbolic key to “his hall”: “We are combining the previous expansion joint division locations at a single facility. All the operations – from development and production to sales and logistics – are now under the same roof, because it is important that planners, production staff and the sales team are in close liaison and contact.”

Investment in technology and equipment
This investment of more than EUR 7 million is giving Frenzelit a larger amount of space for more effective production and for future growth. In addition to modern EDP-controlled warehouse technology, which provides a maximum of both flexibility and clarity, a crane system enables heavy and awkwardly shaped goods to be handled safely during production as well as during the loading process after the manufacturing operations have been completed.

Transparency and openness
The integrated unit that the company wanted to create is reflected in the design of the hall too. Jörg Horstmann, the hall architect, explains this: “The production space can be used flexibly. Modern glass elements separate off the office area, but make it possible for the staff to remain in direct visual contact and facilitate quick communication.” The spacious and bright production areas, which are only interrupted by a few supports, permit optimum arrangement of the production processes. Careful use is made of energy thanks to the installation of modern insulation systems and a heat pump for air-conditioning the offices and administration areas.

Local roots and innovation
The mayor Gerhard Schneider, the district administrator Klaus-Peter Söllner and the member of the state parliament Gudrun Brendel-Fischer expressed their delight that Frenzelit as a family company has invested in Upper Franconia. This is in their opinion a sign that the people in the region stand for high-quality work and reliability and that this fact is taken very seriously in corporate decision-making processes.

The ”hexagonal stelae” created by the sculptor Wolfgang Stefan have been set up as a work of art in the entrance to the hall. The Frenzelit corporate logo is interpreted in Fichtelgebirge granite and stainless steel: Upper Franconian roots – granite – and an innovative approach – stainless steel – are linked.

Frenzelit: a family company
The medium-sized family company Frenzelit-Werke GmbH & Co. KG is based in Bad Berneck / Germany and produces gaskets and gasket materials, technical textiles, insulation materials and expansion joints. The roughly 400 employees generate sales of EUR 70 million. Another 60 people work at the subsidiaries in the Czech Republic and the USA.