Pöttinger’s fourth production plant was officially opened on June 11, 2021, when the company’s owners, the management team, employees and a small (due to Covid-19) gathering of invited guests attended the handover of the new facility at St Georgen, Austria, near the company’s head office at Grieskirchen (AT).
The first expansion phase was completed in just one year at an investment of 25 million euros. A very strong order book and limited space available at the company’s main plant meant that the groundbreaking ceremony for the next phase of the development was held at the same time.
When the master clockmaker and locksmith Franz Pöttinger founded the company in 1871, he would never have guessed that exactly 150 years later, the company’s fourth production plant would be opened under his name. In addition to the main plant in Grieskirchen that manufactures grassland implements, the firm has a seed drill plant at Bernburg in Germany and a tillage plant at Vodnany in the Czech Republic. Round balers and large rakes will be assembled at St Georgen.
The first phase at the new site has provided 6,300 square metres of production space on a site of 17ha, and once develpments there have been completed, the production area will be similar to that at Grieskirchen. The groundbreaking ceremony held during the official opening marked the start of construction on the second expansion phase. This expansion will add about twice the current production area and represents an investment of another 45 million euros.
As a family business and agricultural machinery manufacturer, Pöttinger focuses on people and the environment. In the development of its machines, the objective is not only the best working results, but also the maximum conservation of resources. Sustainability is also a priority in the construction of the new buildings. Wood has been used throughout as a renewable building material, a green roof reduces the effects of soil sealing to a minimum, underfloor heating has been implemented to make optimum use of the residual heat from the production processes, and energy-saving measures such as the use of LED technology, high-quality thermal insulation and heat recovery are also used as part of the philosophy at Pöttinger.
About 60 employees will start assembling the Impress round baler and Top large rakes at the site. The assembly line is an ergonomic workplace designed to the highest standards. Phase two will add another 30 to 40 high-quality jobs at the site.
