After only twelve months of construction, in mid-October Kärcher Futuretech GmbH officially opened its new head offices, with a surface of 4,000 sq mts in the Schwaikheim industrial estate.
It has 150 office work places on five floors. In addition to the administration, development and sales departments, the new €4m building, located in Alfred-Schefenacker-Str. 1, also includes the Kärcher Futuretech Academy.
"Now, all the major departments are gathered in one location. This considerably improves, among other things, our product design processes", says Hartmut Jenner, Chairman of the Board of Management of Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG. "This investment offers Futuretech the best conditions with regard to space requirements for continued sustainable growth."
Mayor of Schwaikheim, Gerhard Häuser., commented: "We are glad that Kärcher Futuretech has settled here. It is a company that pursues innovative strategies and has confidence in its own economical strength as well as in that of our region."
The modern technology of the new office building is environmentally compatible. The building’s central heating is powered by a heat pump which can also be used for air-conditioning in summer. In combination with efficient external insulation, environmentally friendly geothermal energy reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 47t per year.
Kärcher purchased the former premises of the Schefenacker group with a surface area of 53,000 sq mts at the end of 2008. At first, the Futuretech departments for testing, repair and prototyping moved to the new location. Part of the land is rented out to Odelo.
Kärcher Futuretech is completely dedicated to the requirements of public customers such as armed forces, civil defence and disaster control organisations and fire-fighting services. Among other things, its product range includes mobile catering and field camp systems, drinking water purification systems and systems for the decontamination of vehicles, equipment and persons.