Bonus of half a million euros
Bausch+Ströbel opens new assembly shop
The manufacturer of filling and closing machines for aseptic packaging of infusions and parenteral drugs, among other things, is positive about the future: one construction project has been completed, the next one is scheduled to start in the summer and there is a bonus of half a million euros for the employees.
Ilshofen. Even Bausch + Ströbel saw a drop in incoming orders in the fourth quarter of 2008 due to the economic crisis. "Since the beginning of the year, though, the order book has been more or less back to the previous year's level", says Director Siegfried Bullinger.
The dispute between the former shareholders at Bausch + Ströbel had caused a backlog of investment projects for the company. Since the reorganisation of the ownership structure and transfer of all the shares to the Ströbel and Bullinger families, that backlog is now being reduced. The opening of the new assembly hall this week was the start.
During the summer, work will get under way on the addition of another three stories to the engineering building, at a cost of two million euros. At the same time, plans are being laid for 2010. Providing the economy picks up, a new building is to be erected housing an assembly hall, order picking warehouse, training facilities and staff areas. The cost of this is estimated at several million euros.
Directors Siegfried Bullinger and Markus Ströbel are confident that the big project will go ahead as planned, given that Bausch + Ströbel currently has an order backlog of twelve months. The previous year the number of employees rose by over 50 to a current level of 880.
The Ilshofen firm is not putting all of its profit into buildings, however. The employees will enjoy an extraordinary bonus of half a million euros from 2008, which was a record year. "The employees did the work, the customers paid - so why shouldn't the employees share directly in our success?", Bullinger asks.
