HENSOLDT Optronics builds new plant in Oberkochen

The sensor solutions provider HENSOLDT today broke ground for the construction of a new plant in Oberkochen. The new building is the HENSOLDT Group's response to the steadily growing demand for high-performance military equipment for the German Armed Forces and members of NATO, and to the ever-increasing demand from manufacturers of lithography systems for the semiconductor industry, who source high-precision optronic measuring equipment from HENSOLDT Optronics. The total investment volume is around 100 million euros. The company plans to move into the new location in 2025.

With the help of an innovative and sustainable energy concept, 70 percent of the electricity required in the new plant will be covered by the company's own renewable sources. This share is to increase to 100 per cent in the long term. The total energy demand (heating, cooling, electricity) will be covered by regenerative sources, but mainly by geothermal probes working as heat pumps and photovoltaic systems. With its advanced energy concept, HENSOLDT is aiming for sustainability certification from a renowned institute.

"The focus of our growth plans is to expand our capacities in order to be able to supply the German Armed Forces quickly and to the required extent. I am pleased that this new location will create highly qualified jobs for the entire Ostwürttemberg region and beyond. As we grow, we will continue to invest in our employees and the environment in which we operate," said HENSOLDT CEO Thomas Müller at the groundbreaking ceremony. "The new building will not only help us to handle the upcoming orders even better. It will also help us to better communicate the pride we as HENSOLDTians have in ourselves, our work and our service to the Federal Republic of Germany to the outside world."

"All work areas, from administration, research and development, to assembly and integration areas will be synergetically stacked in the new location and interconnected due to the structure of the building," explains Andreas Hülle, Division Manager Optronics & Land Solutions and Managing Director of HENSOLDT Optronics GmbH. "From 2025, around 850 employees will be able to take advantage of an innovative working environment in a "high-tech campus". Flexible expansion options for the building structure and internal design will enable further growth in the long term.

"With more than 800 employees in Oberkochen and Aalen, HENSOLDT stands for the development, construction and production of state-of-the-art optical and optronic devices, including the necessary processing of sensor data. The new construction of the ultra-modern and particularly sustainable HENSOLDT Optronics Campus and the associated investment of around 100 million euros are a clear commitment to the Ostalbkreis innovation location," said Dr Joachim Bläse, District Administrator of the Ostalbkreis. "The lessons learned from recent history show us that developments for security technology, civil and also military applications must be driven forward in equal measure. A beacon for this is being built in Oberkochen."