The official opening of the new assembly hall (Hall E) took place on Friday with invited guests and employees at the WOLL Maschinenbau site in Gersweiler.

In her welcoming address, Managing Director Christina Woll underlined the importance of the investment for the future of the company: “The Woll Group has invested 20 million euros in the new building at the Saarbrücken site. Our main focus was on creating additional assembly space in order to be able to set up larger production plants and thus secure the company’s competitiveness and existing jobs in the long term.”

The construction period lasted from 2021 to January 2024. 50 % of the assembly areas and offices were already operational in summer 2023, and the building has been in full use since January 2024.

Saarland Minister of Economic Affairs Jürgen Barke was delighted: “Mechanical engineering is part of Saarland’s industrial powerhouse: With significant shares of jobs and total industrial turnover, it is one of the structurally significant sectors of the Saar economy. Innovative employers such as Woll Maschinenbau GmbH make an important contribution to structural change in Saarland. The construction of the new production hall is a clear commitment to our location.”

Mayor Uwe Conradt also expressed his congratulations to the company. “We are very pleased about the expansion of the Woll Group’s headquarters. This is a clear signal for Saarbrücken as a business location and secures jobs in the region. In the spirit of partnership-based communication, the state capital has worked together with Woll to find a solution that combines economic and ecological interests. The measures taken show that values such as innovation and environmental awareness define Woll’s corporate culture and the values of the city of Saarbrücken. I wish the company every success for its future development.”

The planned hall size was already reduced in advance during project development so that 5,000 m² of forest could be preserved. Special attention was paid to environmental protection measures in the new building. Architect Oliver Brünjes explained: “The environmental measures that we implemented go far beyond the normal legal requirements. In addition to the creation of compensation areas, the planting of new woodland areas, insect-friendly lighting and nesting boxes for birds and bats, the company also implemented a green roof, façade greening and an owl nesting box.” In addition, the WOLL Group is now the owner of an extensive section of forest and is responsible for its maintenance. By reducing the usual distance to the edge of the forest from 30 m to the legal minimum of 15 m, another 3,000 m² of forest was preserved.
The installation of a large-scale photovoltaic system is planned for 2025.

An investment of this size needs to be carefully considered. It is a visible sign of the company’s positive development and a clear commitment to the location.

Advisory Board member of the WOLL family foundation, Uwe Johmann, assessed it positively: “Thanks to the high quality density, the performance and the skills of the employees, the customers thank us with orders that go far into the future. This is nice, but quickly leads to the realization of the space required for this. This economically sensible decision was supported by the foundation’s advisory board.”

The speeches were followed by a tour of the newly built hall, a presentation of current projects and a barbecue with the all the guests.