Visiting Wacker Neuson

Getting to know the world of Wacker Neuson–that was the goal of an event week, which had just been successfully completed. At the Reichertshofen site, which was recently expanded to include a new research and development center, customers and dealers from all over Europe and the Middle East were able to extensively test products and exchange ideas with colleagues and experts. On Saturday, visitors from Reichertshofen and the surrounding area could then visit Wacker Neuson on the open house day.

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"With the Wacker Neuson Universe event, we want to bring the Wacker Neuson brand to life and make it a tangible experience for our customers and dealers. The idea behind it: We want to show the added value that we offer our customers–with the reliability and performance of our products, but also with important features that make their everyday work life much easier–in a practical and fun way," says Alexander Greschner, CSO of the Wacker Neuson Group. "This week is of great importance to us, because the direct exchange with our dealers and customers is a central concern. We were able to welcome almost all European dealers and more than 400 key customers and generate enthusiasm for the company."

The open house on Saturday, 13 May 2017 was a great success: Around 5,000 visitors came to the Wacker Neuson site, which was open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition to employees, relatives and friends of the company, many people who live close by joined the event. The visitors were enthusiastic about the program, such as the guided tours, the visit of the new test facilities and the product tests, among others.

"We were expecting many visitors but the number of people was really overwhelming!", says Helmut Bauer, Managing Director of Wacker Neuson Produktion GmbH & Co. KG in Reichertshofen. "This was a huge opportunity to present Wacker Neuson in the region and to draw attention to the company as an employer and as a training organization." At the same time as the open house, Wacker Neuson held a Training Day in order to provide information to young people about the company's training opportunities. Current apprentices, employees and trainers were happy to provide information and share their experience.

Expansion of the Reichertshofen location

The Wacker Neuson Universe event took place at the Reichertshofen location for a reason. This is where Wacker Neuson built a new research and development center for construction equipment. Production at the location is now also being expanded: From this year on, "Made in Germany" will apply to all rammer models and the more than 30 vibratory plates that are developed and manufactured in Reichertshofen. "By bundling the design, development and production here in this location, we have a central center of expertise for compaction with a global responsibility. We are also the leading plant for our sister location in Manila and the production facility that is being built up in China," says Helmut Bauer.

The Wacker Neuson location in Reichertshofen has existed for more than 50 years. The plant was opened in 1964 and has since then continuously been expanded to meet the steadily increasing demand for innovative, high-quality construction equipment. Today, all vibratory plates and rammers for compaction, internal and external vibrators as well as inverters from the area of concrete technology are designed, developed and produced here, as are demolition breakers, floor saws and light balloons. All products from Reichertshofen meet the highest quality standards. The development activities are focused on the expansion of the pioneering role in product safety as well as in operator and environmental protection.

A highlight at the location is the unique training center, which was built in 2008. Here, dealers, customers and employees from all over Europe and beyond take part in training courses. The "Wacker Neuson Academy" has a building with several seminar rooms, service training workshops and a 2,200 square meter testing hall where the participants can use and test all products, even in bad weather conditions or in the winter time.

In 2016, in addition to the existing production facilities, a new four-story office building and a research and development center for construction equipment have been built on the more than 10-hectare area. On nearly 3,500 square meters, working areas primarily oriented to research and development were created. The state-of-the-art test facility covers almost 3,000 square meters and is used to extensively test construction equipment during its development phase, but also to continuously test and develop currently produced models. Overall, the Wacker Neuson Group has invested around EUR 10 million in the new building.