Wacker and Finsterwalder plan logistics center for Nünchritz silicone production site
Munich, Germany – Wacker Chemie AG and the Finsterwalder Corporate Group intend to significantly expand their collaboration. The logistics service provider, based in the Allgäu region of southern Bavaria, is planning to build a 35,000 m2 logistics center in Saxony, eastern Germany, for storing and shipping silicone products. WACKER expects demand for storage and logistics services at its Nünchritz site to grow considerably over the next few years and will make use of nearly all the planned facility as a result. Finsterwalder anticipates that construction of the warehouse facility will require investments in the mid-double-digit euro million range. The logistics center will create 90 jobs over the long term, which will mostly be filled with skilled labor from the region.
The new base of logistics operations will be in the district of Meissen, just a few kilometers from the town of Nünchritz, where WACKER operates a silicone and polysilicon production site. This spring, the Finsterwalder Group purchased a site of nearly seven hectares in a commercial zone near the communities of Glaubitz and Zeithain.
14 meters tall, 240 meters long and 145 meters wide, the warehouse will provide more than 57,000 pallet bays, most of which will be used by WACKER. The company plans to store silicone sealants, pyro¬genic silica and building-protection agents. Hybrid polymers that will be produced in Nünchritz beginning in 2022 will be stored here as well. Finsterwalder will be responsible for delivering, storing and shipping the goods. “In recent years, we have consistently invested in expanding our production, which, besides increasing our output, has also boosted our demand for logistics and storage areas,” says Nünchritz Site Manager Jutta Matreux. “We have been using Finsterwalder’s services for years, and their new logistics center is a key component of our planning and an indispensable factor in the growth of the Nünchritz site going forward.”
The Finsterwalder Group maintains numerous logistics sites in Germany, with operations in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt. Until now, the company had lacked a base of operations in Saxony, but that will change with the warehouse in Zeithain. “The logistics center clearly has a lot of strategic value for us,” says General Manager Michael Finsterwalder. “This investment will allow us to greatly enhance our logistics presence in Saxony and tap into new growth opportunities.”
Headquartered in the Allgäu region of southern Germany and operating throughout Europe, the Group has for years provided shipping and warehousing services for WACKER’s Burghausen (Bavaria) and Nünchritz (Saxony) sites. Construction of the logistics center in Zeithain marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration. The Finsterwalder Group will store finished WACKER products at the high-tech facility and then ship these to customers, either via truck or shipping container. “Our philosophy is to grow with our customers,” says Finsterwalder. “The new logistics center in Zeithain now gives us an opportunity to move forward and grow our many years of successful collaboration with WACKER. We want to contribute to the success of WACKER within our long-lasting partnership.”
The building permit for the new logistics center is expected to be issued in fall. Construction work could begin in early 2022 pending approval from the authorities. In addition to the warehouse and truck parking, the site will include tree plantings along the B 98 highway between Glaubitz and Grossenhain. Plans also call for trees to be planted at an offset site in the Meissen district. “Environmental restoration work represents good practice for projects of this scale,” Finsterwalder emphasizes. “We’re planting more than 1,000 trees and shrubs to adequately compensate for the environmental impact of the facility.”
If everything goes according to plan, the logistics center could begin operations as early as the end of 2022. In order to ensure that the facility is appropriately staffed, the logistics company is planning a recruiting drive for next year at the latest. The goal will be to find well-trained, skilled employees both in business professions and in commercial trades. “Prospects for regional candidates will be particularly good,” says Finsterwalder, who anticipates 90 employees in Zeithain over the long term. “Despite having fully automated warehouse and material-handling technologies, we will be dependent on people who know something about this field – that means we need well-trained, skilled employees who really put their heart and soul into their work.”