The JUMO group of companies officially launched the new "Sensilo" plant in Rodges on Wednesday. The traditional ground-breaking ceremony was attended by the Juchheim family, representatives from politics, business and administration, as well as numerous guests of honor and employees at Böcklerstrasse in the Fulda West Technology Park. The plant is a commitment to the economic region of Fulda and a long-term investment in the future of the group of companies.
This year, JUMO can look back on 75 years of company history. A 6-man company founded by Moritz Kurt Juchheim in Fulda in 1948 has grown into a globally active group of companies with locations in 24 countries. Partner Bernhard Juchheim recalled this entrepreneurial achievement of his father in his welcoming address. From the very beginning, the company founder focused on particularly high-quality instruments and the best possible customer service. It was always important to him that the customer came back - and not the product, as Bernhard Juchheim emphasized.
In Fulda, he said, the company had reached spatial limits after many successful expansions. "Today's groundbreaking ceremony is also something of a liberation blow for us, because if they look around here, they will quickly realize that there is still sufficient growth potential on this site in the coming years and decades," Bernhard Juchheim said.
In his view, the motto of the anniversary year "People and technology on the move" is particularly evident in this project.
"We have never stood still and have always changed in order to remain what we are at our core: A cutting-edge technology company with the set of values of a family business," said the JUMO shareholder.
"We are setting up a plant for the production of temperature and pressure sensors with a production area of around 13,000 square meters. These product areas have recently experienced above-average growth and we see great potential here in the coming years as well," explained Managing Director Dr. Steffen Hoßfeld. At 48 million euros, the new building is the largest investment in JUMO's history. "Of course, the topics of sustainability, digitalization, and smart factory are at the top of the agenda for our new plant," Hoßfeld continued.
"I am pleased that the plant will secure and create new jobs at the site and thus in Hesse. This enhances the Fulda economic region. Strengthening rural areas is also important to the Hessian state government, which is why we have also launched numerous support programs to achieve equal living conditions in Hesse," emphasized Digital State Secretary and CIO of the State of Hesse, Patrick Burghardt. Burghardt was particularly positive about the fact that many production processes at the new plant will be digital.
Fulda's Lord Mayor Dr. Heiko Wingenfeld and Daniel Schreiner, Fulda's municipal building inspector, expressed similar sentiments: "We are pleased that JUMO, as a Fulda company rich in tradition, is setting the course for the future with this significant investment in the Fulda-West Technology Park. Measurement and control technology is a key technology of the future. This construction project is a clear commitment to Fulda as a location, and the entire region will gain further attractiveness as a result," as the two confirmed in their joint greeting.
Stefan Reith, JUMO project manager, and architect Marco Schlothauer emphasized the current challenges in the construction industry. In addition to supply bottlenecks for materials, the shortage of skilled workers, and planning uncertainties due to political developments, they said, there was a timely need for optimal production space. While a comparable project has a duration of about four to five years, the clear order here was to be ready for production in three years.
Such challenges could not be solved with traditional working methods. It was therefore decided to implement integrated project management. This involves integrating the contractors into the project right from the start of the planning phase. This ensures that all project participants can work out an optimal solution right from the start. "This procedure is very innovative and absolutely new territory," says Reith. The approach is already showing its potential, he said, and the project is on schedule and within budget despite the current situation in the construction industry.
As project manager, Stefan Reith praised all those involved, especially the planning and execution companies, for their willingness to follow this new path. He also thanked his project team from JUMO for the good support and the management and shareholders for the trust they had placed in the project team and the new project method.
High praise was also given to the cooperation with the city of Fulda regarding the short decision-making processes. "The city of Fulda has supported us in the project from the very beginning and is always available to us as a competent contact," said Reith. If things continue as they are, there is nothing to prevent the ramp-up in the first quarter of 2025, he added. The building was blessed by the two pastors Markus Schneider (Catholic) and Stefan Bürger (Protestant).
According to current planning, JUMO will completely dispense with fossil fuels. A geothermal system will be used to support the heating system. This will cover the peak load, while the base load will be covered entirely by heat recovery from the production processes. A corresponding application for the geothermal plant is currently still under review. JUMO is confident that this review will be positive.
The electricity requirements of the production facilities will be largely covered by the company's own electricity. The cooling and ventilation systems of the new plant will be operated primarily with self-generated electricity from a photovoltaic system.
JUMO uses the complete potential for power generation and all energy-related processes are geared towards the goal of reducing the CO2 footprint to a minimum. Intelligent JUMO measurement and control technology ensures that the available energy can be fully utilized.
Production in the plant: temperature and pressure sensors
Total area of the building: approx. 13,000 m²
Production and logistics area: approx. 10,000 m²
Building dimensions: approx. 135 m x 65 m x 8 m
Property area: approx. 100,000 m²
