Groundbreaking ceremony for new Swisslog technology center in Eberstalzell, Upper Austria

Eberstalzell - 14 July 2022: After a lead time of three years, the time has come: Mr. Julian Hödlmayr, developer and owner of JH Immobilien GmbH, Mr. Manuel Wolfsteiner from the real estate agent PROJEKTAS Feistritzer Hinz GmbH & Co OG, Architect Mr Mathias Haas from the architectural office Kaufmann Haas & Partner ZT KG, representatives of the local authorities as well as Swisslog, represented by Dr. Andreas Werner, CTO and Norbert Gaissmaier, Managing Director of the Light Goods Technology Center, gave the starting signal for the new technology center in Eberstalzell on 14 July.

Norbert Gaissmaier, who has been with Swisslog for five years, is looking forward to the next few months: "We are immensely excited about the move to a modern, new building. The growing demand for our technologies has increasingly pushed capacity at our old location in Sipbachzell to its limits. Our employees can look forward to an attractive location!"

Dr. Andreas Werner emphasizing the strategic importance of the new property and looking to the future said: "Swisslog is on a growth trajectory and is building on Austria as a location for the long term. As a leading company in intralogistics, we can further increase our innovation potential and be an attractive employer in the region thanks to the move to Eberstalzell."

The newly constructed office building will be connected to four production or development halls, which will allow for higher capacity and an optimized design of a modern manufacturing area. The sustainable construction of the building, which is mainly due to the use of large amounts of wood in the construction as well as the connection to the biomass heating system of the neighboring property, saves a considerable amount of CO2 compared to a conventional gas heating system. The new building with a modern office environment goes hand in hand with Swisslog's "Smart Working" model, which focuses on a balance between classic face-to-face and virtual or hybrid collaboration. The project, led by Peter Stockreiter, Head of Quality & Facility Manager at Swisslog, will take place in two stages and is scheduled for completion in September 2023.

Headquartered in Switzerland, Swisslog has been present in Austria since 2009 and is one of the leading logistics automation companies worldwide.

"Our company offers data- and robot-controlled intralogistics solutions for the retail and food industries, among others. Customers include companies such as REWE, Nestlé or dm-drogerie markt, to name but a few," explains Dr. Andreas Werner, CTO of Swisslog. "Our intralogistics solutions automate the operation warehouses and accelerate processes in goods receiving, order processing and goods dispatch. They are an essential part of a functioning flow of goods. Our location in Austria (Swisslog Technology Center Austria GmbH), with its many years of expertise in light goods technology, plays a decisive role in our overall solutions and the strategic direction of the company."

Julian Hödlmayr explains: "We are very proud to be able to support Swisslog in the planning and implementation of this great office building. This will provide approximately 2,000 m2 of office space and around 8,000 m2 of space for development and manufacturing at a growing industrial location." 

After the morning's celebrations and groundbreaking ceremony, the afternoon continued in similar style for all Swisslog employees.

"It was a great event for us to invite our colleagues to a summer party after the Corona situation had improved and to toast our successes. There is nothing like personal contact, which we have all missed for so long," says Norbert Gaissmaier. The party’s program was colorful and varied. In addition to team-building activities, there were delicacies from Sweden, the Netherlands and Switzerland to celebrate the diversity of a global Swisslog.