Planning & realization of a “factory of the future” in Offenbach, Germany

SAMSON, the global valve manufacturer, has been headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, since 1916 and employs around 2,000 people in an area of approximately 150,000 m². SAMSON produces valves, positioners, signal converters, and sensors and offers digital solutions and services that are used in chemical plants, power plants, district heating distribution, food production, and building automation, among others. SAMSON employs around 5,000 people in more than 60 subsidiaries on six continents.

In March 2021, SAMSON decided to relocate the company's headquarters from Frankfurt to neighboring Offenbach am Main by the end of 2026, thus launching the MainChange project. A well-considered move, which the Board of Management justified because the requirements for state-of-the-art production could no longer be met in future on the site in Frankfurt, which is crisscrossed by three public roads.

With the MainChange project, SAMSON is setting new standards for the working environment of the future and for Germany as a production location

On June 20, ground was broken on the site of the former Clariant factory in Offenbach am Main for SAMSON's new production site, one of the largest privately financed innovation projects in the history of German industrial production.

Dr. Andreas Widl, CEO of SAMSON, said in his speech,

We have been working towards this day for a long time. For SAMSON, this is not a relocation but a unique opportunity to drive the future of our company as well as Germany and the Rhine-Main region as an industrial location - from and with Offenbach am Main. This is why we at SAMSON call this the MainChange project; we want to set an example for positive change in our country and create a beacon for sustainable growth and working environments of the future."

Experts for the comprehensive planning & realization of the factory of the future in Offenbach

From the very beginning, Miebach has been supporting SAMSON in this forward-looking MainChange project. For rough planning & investment estimation, Miebach first conducted a master plan study together with SAMSON. The result: a measurable argument for decision-making and investment protection of the project. With the subsequent approval of this investment project by the supervisory board, the planning and design of one of the most modern material flow systems, the factory of the future at the Offenbach site, began. The results were subsequently tested in parts by means of simulation and then visually processed. The aim was to determine the most efficient dimensioning and design of the systems and processes.

In addition, Miebach supports SAMSON with coaching in the planning & realization of the manufacturing and assembly areas. In parallel, Miebach will also support the relocation planning and realization of the project during ongoing operations, which poses special challenges to personnel, infrastructure, material, inventories, machinery, etc. at the existing site. With the internal change management, SAMSON ensures that best-in-class processes, a suitable IT landscape, and a process-oriented organization are implemented and will be supported by employees in the future.

Latest updates on progress on the Samson construction site!

Currently, 85 out of a total of 478 piles for the first component have already been completed. Following the successful detonation of a monolithic foundation on 26th March 2024, carried out by Robert Zeller GmbH, the initiation of the second detonation in construction area 5 has started as of right now. The third detonation will take place on 10th April 2024.

Samsons therefore aims to achieve significant time savings in the process of clearing the heavy soil debris.

In the tender process for components 4 (including the recycling yard) and 5, the company Klebl GmbH was awarded the contract. Moreover, the tender documents for component 2 (Mobility Center) will be send out to potential bidders.

A project at record speed - first production area to go into operation as early as 2024

Christian Wibbe, Member of the Management Board at Miebach Consulting, said, "We are delighted with the trust SAMSON has placed in us. With the MainChange project, SAMSON is sending an important signal for the future viability of Germany as a business and production location – and this in record time. A state-of-the-art factory on a contiguous site area of 143,000 m² will secure SAMSON's growth for decades to come. Optimal material and information flows significantly increase process efficiency. For example, the internal distances covered by valves in the production and logistics processes can be reduced to less than one tenth of the original distance."

Positioner production is to be the first area to be commissioned, as early as during 2024. The sequential, partly parallel completion of all other functional areas and the associated relocation of the company are scheduled for completion at the end of 2026.

More information on SAMSON's MainChainge project can be found at the following link:
https://mainchange.samsongroup.com/de/