Harder relocates BRITA production from Taunusstein to Bad Camberg

BRITA GmbH, one of the internationally leading experts in drinking water optimization and customization, has relocated its production facilities from Taunusstein and Neudorf (Switzerland) to Bad Camberg. The move of the state-of-the-art manufacturing, including the associated laboratories and workplaces, took nine months and was planned and implemented in collaboration with the relocation specialist Harder Logistics from Neu-Ulm.

(Neu-Ulm/Bad Camberg) “We were able to complete the project, the initial planning of which began in mid-2019, exactly according to the schedule. Thanks to the close and good cooperation with BRITA, we managed to keep the timelines even under pandemic conditions,” summarizes Hermann Allgaier, Managing Director of Harder Logistics.

Overall, the relocation specialist dismantled 15 manufacturing and production lines in Taunusstein, transported them to Bad Camberg, 25 km away, and then reassembled them at the new production site. The facility dismantled in Switzerland was temporarily stored at Harder Logistics in Neu-Ulm and delivered just-in-time to the new location. The actual challenge of the project for Allgaier was that the relocation took place during ongoing production, with only the affected manufacturing or production line being shut down at a time.

“The planning effort was enormous. For over a year, we worked closely with BRITA to precisely schedule each individual step down to the calendar week. All parties involved were coordinated in such a way that the production downtime was minimized. This meant very short time windows for the various actors,” specifies Allgaier.

The new production facility of BRITA is located in the industrial area “Im Gründchen II” near the highway connection to the A3. On the 38,000 m² site, a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility has been established, including the associated laboratories with around 100 workplaces.

At least five employees on-site at all times

The stages of the relocation lasted between four and 30 days, depending on the size and complexity of the respective production line. The first relocations began shortly after the completion of the shell construction, and the work on-site proceeded hand in hand with various other trades. The team from Harder Logistics present in Bad Camberg consistently consisted of at least five employees. In addition, the company’s own fleet with semi-trailers, vans, forklifts, and special equipment was utilized.

Photo: © Harder