Entering new dimensions

by Michael Duffhues

BREMER AG opens a new chapter in the company's history

The Paderborn-based company is building Germany's largest parcel centre on behalf of Deutsche Post DHL. Never before has a Deutsche Post DHL project been as large as the new parcel centre in Obertshausen, just 20 kilometres outside Frankfurt.

40.000 square metres will be the total area after completion. Not unusually large for BREMER, but this project, like so many others, also presented the planners and engineers from Paderborn with a number of challenges. In Obertshausen, 62 concrete trusses, each 56 metres long, were used for the self-supporting roof structure. Each of these trusses weighs 90 tonnes and was manufactured in BREMER's own production facility. They are the longest components ever produced at the Paderborn plant. Theoretically, the building material concrete sets no limits in terms of length, but production alone is not enough. After all, the concrete parts also had to be transported to Obertshausen, 280 kilometres away. Normally a task for specialised transport companies. However, the dilapidated condition of many motorway bridges made this plan difficult. The girders were therefore transported by rail to Frankfurt and only loaded onto lorries there. This saves long detours by lorry and protects the environment.

In Obertshausen, the trusses are assembled into a U-shaped building on the 150,000 square metre site. The length of each leg is 280 metres; both legs are completely column-free on the inside. There is no need for firewalls because a state-of-the-art deluge system is being installed. More than 330 loading gates are accommodated and, thanks to the innovative sorting technology, 50,000 parcels can be sorted in Obertshausen - every hour, mind you. This is an increase of almost 100 per cent compared to the usual parcel centres, of which Deutsche Post DHL currently has 33 in Germany. The parcel centre in Obertshausen is part of a total investment of 750 million euros with which Deutsche Post DHL is further expanding and modernising its parcel network.

As is so often the case, we are building the centre on a turnkey basis. With the exception of the state-of-the-art conveyor technology, which will take another twelve months to install, the building will be completely ready for occupancy in March 2014 after 11 months of construction. Including the driveways and delivery yards, which are also being constructed by BREMER AG - completely in concrete. In contrast to conventional asphalt, concrete is much more durable and resilient. 70.000 square metres will be used again for this.

BREMER has been on the market for more than 65 years. Founded in 1947 by Wilhelm Bremer, the company is characterised by continuous and organic growth. Today, we have established ourselves as one of the leading German companies in the commercial and industrial construction market. Particularly impressive: 80 per cent of the company's output results from construction projects for which we act as general contractor. Planning, production and construction are efficiently managed from the company headquarters in Paderborn. For the client, this means a high degree of cost-effectiveness and adherence to schedules - two key factors in the realisation of projects. This is also the case now in Obertshausen, where the work is right on schedule.

More than 2,500 successfully completed properties demonstrate the efficiency of this medium-sized company. Around 500 highly qualified employees, including more than 200 graduate engineers and architects for construction, statics and realisation, guarantee quality and on-time completion.

The scope of the projects has grown rapidly in recent years. In the meantime, BREMER has acquired a core competence in industrial and commercial construction, which many clients repeatedly fall back on. Last but not least, the development of our own patents and designs enables us to construct buildings up to any desired performance limit. Logistics buildings with a floor area of up to 130,000 square metres or furniture stores with up to 71,000 square metres are now part of "everyday business". Temperature-controlled logistics halls, factory buildings, car parks, warehouses, exhibition buildings, DIY stores and even stadiums round off the portfolio and form a useful addition. Always built to our quality standards: to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction. Reinforced concrete is one of the most durable building materials of our time. BREMER took the next step decades ago and turned it into one of the most flexible and efficient construction methods.

The company is headquartered in Paderborn, East Westphalia. There are further sites in Stuttgart, Ingolstadt, Krakow and Leipzig, where the precast concrete plant is also located. It is a matter of course for us to invest in our own young talent. This is not least a guarantee of the company's high quality standards. It is not uncommon for employees to stay with the company for several decades, always with the opportunity to advance their career within the company. The company is managed by Wolfgang BREMER (owner and Chairman of the Supervisory Board), Heinz Hillebrand (Chairman of the Management Board) as well as Michael Dufhues, Torsten Schuff (Management Board members) and Kristoff Steinke (Managing Director of BREMER Systembau GmbH Stuttgart). We expect turnover of around 420 million euros for 2014.