BENTELER celebrates 100th anniversary of its Schloss Neuhaus site
BENTELER celebrates 100th anniversary of its Schloss Neuhaus site
Paderborn, September 17, 2023. The Schloss Neuhaus site of the BENTELER Steel/Tube Division celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sunday, September 17, 2023. Around 4,300 guests attended the festivities at the Marienloher Strasse site in Schloss Neuhaus. The production site, where normally tubes are drawn, became a festive mile for employees and their families for the afternoon. Instead of the hustle and bustle of trucks and forklifts, attractions for the whole family were the focus of the colorful festivities.
Thomas Michels, member of the management board at BENTELER Steel/Tube, expressed his delight, saying: "100 years of BENTELER in Schloss Neuhaus is a milestone in the almost 150-year history of the BENTELER Group. We owe this long success story primarily to our employees." Over the past century and a half, they have repeatedly driven BENTELER forward, adapting to market needs and making changes as necessary. What began in the heart of East Westphalia has developed into a global metal processing specialist with two divisions, BENTELER Steel/Tube and BENTELER Automotive.
Consistent further development of the Schloss Neuhaus location through investment and innovation
"To continue our history of success, we focus on continual investment: We train people and develop our employees, strengthen our sites through efficient processes, and develop new products to serve our customers' needs. In this context, sustainability plays a crucial role in increasing the future viability of our company in a dynamic market," explained Thomas Michels.
100 years ago, hardly anyone would have believed that the investment by Eduard Benteler, son of company founder Carl Benteler, would grow into a company of this scale. In 1923, Eduard Benteler bought a former spinning mill and streetcar depot in Schloss Neuhaus to produce seamless and welded tubes. That was the starting signal for today's success as one of the leading suppliers of seamless precision steel tubes on the international market.
Today, the BENTELER site in Schloss Neuhaus is ultra-modern: Around 170,000 tons of tube are produced here every year by around 1,100 people – serving customers in the automotive, energy and industrial sectors. With continuous, extensive investments, BENTELER ensures that the site remains competitive in the international market. "We are well positioned," explains Daniel Thewes, plant manager at Schloss Neuhaus/Paderborn. For example, a new galvanizing line for hydraulic line tubes was commissioned at the end of 2022 at a cost of around €1.7 million. In 2023, cylinder tube production will be expanded at a cost of €1.6 million. Cylinder tubes are used, for example, in large agricultural and construction machinery. "We are constantly investing in existing plant and sustainably modernizing our machinery, for example our heating furnaces where we are currently investing €2 million," adds Thewes. It’s not only machinery and equipment that are the focus of investment, however. This year will see the introduction of a new, digital resource planning system for the production area as part of the "New Work" initiative. "With the new shift planning, we are significantly improving employee participation – and involving them even more in the planning of their shifts," says Thewes.
Sustainable products for increasing customer interest
The development of sustainable products is becoming increasingly important at BENTELER Steel/Tube. For example, the division has set itself the goal of continuously reducing its CO2 footprint in all parts of the supply and value chain and to have climate-neutral production by 2045.
"We have long since adapted our product and service portfolio to the increasing ecological interests of our customers and already offer products for sustainable applications, for example tubes for solar power plants, rotor shafts, and tubes with environmentally friendly coatings," explains Thomas Begemann, Director Strategy & Project Portfolio Management at BENTELER Steel/Tube, and who is responsible for sustainability issues in the division. A new addition to the portfolio are BENTELER HYRESIST® tubes for the safe distribution of hydrogen. These make it easier for companies in industry and the mobility sector, as well as energy producers, to set up hydrogen distribution networks tailored to their needs.
Our employees are our most valuable asset
Especially in times of a shortage of skilled workers, it is essential to develop young people into the skilled workers of tomorrow through qualified training. "We are focused on training and nurturing our future workforce from within our own ranks" explains Thomas Koch, head of training. That’s why BENTELER has expanded its training capacities this year: at the Paderborn site alone, more than 60 young people started their training or dual studies in August, and in East Westphalia Lippe there are more than 80 trainees. "Across Germany, we offer as many as 100 apprenticeships at our sites and offer a wide range of opportunities for a career at BENTELER," says Koch. New this year: All technical trainees were provided with a tablet when they started their careers. "In this way, our junior employees experience and train in digitalization and Industry 4.0 first-hand from the beginning," says Thomas Koch.
