Another milestone for Erbe’s new production site

Last Friday in Rangendingen, Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH invited guests to the official topping-out ceremony for the “erbe 4.i – we continue to develop” construction project. The structural shell of the 25,000 m2 production plant has now been completed, marking the next project milestone. The project, in partnership with the consulting and planning company io, started in 2019. io is responsible as lead consultant for the building planning, process and logistics planning, and kitchen and clean room planning.

In future, medical technology instruments for customers all over the world will be manufactured in Rangendingen, with production and some development and logistics functions being located there. The topping-out ceremony, attended by senior Erbe staff, neighbors, and representatives from politics, business and the press, also featured a tour of the new premises by the design and construction team. When construction is completed in summer 2023, the building will accommodate state-of-the-art workplaces for hundreds of employees.

Focus on functionality and sustainability

“In line with our Lead Consulting // plus approach, we holistically combine functionality, design and sustainability in architecture as well as logistics, clean room and kitchen planning. That makes this industrial building a flagship project, both in terms of energy and architecture,” says Jeremy Hotchkiss, Partner and Design Lead at io.

The use of renewable energies is integral to the concept. The building is one of the first industrial buildings in Germany to meet the exacting requirements of the KfW Efficiency House Standard 40. Part of the energy demand is to be generated by the photovoltaic system mounted on the roof, with the remainder coming from a combined biogas heat and power plant. “Environmental sustainability is a core consideration for the new building, and fully consistent with our corporate strategy goals,” says Christian O. Erbe, Managing Director at Erbe.

Architecturally, the new building features a resource-saving and sustainable design with a minimalist use of materials. Wood and wooden materials used in the roof structure, façade and finishing create the character of the building. The interface between wood, concrete and precast elements poses a special planning challenge for the architects and engineers alike.