From garage company to global player. The success story of the Rheinau-based Zimmer Group can be described in one way or another. However, with the slight difference that the garage was a converted cowshed. Founded in 1980, the company is now one of the world's leading manufacturers of automation, machine and furniture damping components. The technology areas in which the group of companies operates range from handling technology, damping technology, linear technology and process technology to machine technology and systems technology.

All signs point to growth at Zimmer: brothers Günther and Martin Zimmer, owners of the Zimmer Group, employ almost 1,200 people worldwide. Around 100 are currently being added each year. Due to the continuing good order intake and the development of new business areas in the field of robot cells and robot systems, the company now intends to further expand its capacities at the Rheinau site. In total, a new production and assembly hall is planned at both Rheinau sites "Im Salmenkopf" and "Am Glockenloch". According to the management, these should be ready for occupancy in the course of 2019.

The future two-storey building at the "Im Salmenkopf" site has an area of 4,673 square meters and will house assembly, incoming and outgoing goods and the testing department. This will create additional space for production and the training workshop in the existing assembly and storage hall. The new building will give the testing department significantly more space in a better working environment. The production hall to be built at the "Am Glockenloch" site, which will cover around 2000 square meters, will mainly be used by the machine technology product area for the assembly of larger plants, systems and electrospindles.

"With investments of over 15 million euros in buildings, machinery and equipment, we will continue to expand the Rheinau site over the next 18 months and secure our ongoing positive business development," says Günther Zimmer, Partner and Managing Director of Zimmer.

In addition to spatial growth, turnover has also been growing at double-digit rates for years. It currently stands at over 150 million euros per year. as