Opening of the new Heraeus Medical production building in Wehrheim

We did it! After only a 2-year construction period, the new Heraeus Medical production building in Wehrheim is finished. Distinguished several times with the TOP 100 Innovation Award as one of Germany's most innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, Heraeus Medical celebrated the inauguration of new production facility on 18 August. Over 400 visitors, employees with their families, as well as invited guests, attended the opening ceremony.

"Bone cement for orthopaedics has been produced at the Wehrheim site for over 60 years now", Nicole Petermann, Heraeus Medical Management Board Member, sums up, "and today were are opening a new chapter".

The company looks back at annual double-digit growth over the past 14 years and also has ambitious plans for the future. Innovative product portfolios will be produced in the new production facility which make working with bone cement even easier and faster for surgeons and the teams in the operating room. Products that help improve the quality of life for people with degenerative joint diseases. The new production building provides the required capacities over an area of 2,800 m2. The machines will be qualified and finishing touches applied in the coming months. Marketable products are set to roll off the production lines by next year already.

Thanks to the two project managers Dr. Britta Bär, Production Manager at Heraeus Medical, and Alan Gubeljic, Heraeus Site Operations, the building project could be completed on time and within budget. Together they optimally coordinated all the trades involved with constructing the production facility. Britta Bär drew the analogy with a relay team: "Success in a relay race depends on the perfect coordination between all the team members. Because everyone was highly concentrated and motivated, we managed to complete the new building in such good time", Bär praised. "On conclusion of the second interior construction phase, we will have invested 27 mil. € in total at the Wehrheim site", Petermann added.

Not only the products are innovative that are manufactured in the new production building. The building concept is too. As early as in the planning phase, attention was paid to keeping transport routes short and the latest air conditioning technology was installed. This ensures the necessary climatic conditions in the 1,600 m2 cleanroom and allows heat recovery of up to 70 percent.

Emphasis is also placed on transparency in the new building. The architects have included a large expanses of glass in the facade and interior. This lets plenty of light into the inner rooms, which has a positive impact on the working conditions. Transparency and openness are also paramount for the 32 newly created office workplaces. This is where cross-functional and interdisciplinary project teams will develop new products in future. This is also in line with Petermann's aspiration: "Now it is up to us to infuse life into this new building and to put it into operation. After all, it is the Heraeus Medical employees and their ideas that will transform this building into a successful investment.”