Managers must make decisions to secure the future of the company, even unpopular ones. SAMSON AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT has been headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany for over 105 years. Yet, the valve engineering and process automation specialist cannot expand its operations any further at the current 13 ha production site on Weismüllerstraße. The site does not offer the capacity for modern production made in Germany with a high level of in-house manufacturing and high-precision machining capabilities. Moreover, a modern work environment for future generations and improved sustainability with the target to reach net-zero emissions cannot be achieved there either.
To secure the future of the company and its workforce, the Executive Board and Supervisory Board took an unprecedented decision: SAMSON, which generated EUR 700 million euro in sales in 2021, will relocate its headquarters to Offenbach on the opposite banks of the Main river. The new headquarters will be built on an integral piece of land with all buildings on one site. The CEO of SAMSON AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, Dr. Andreas Widl is convinced that MainChange clearly demonstrates SAMSON's commitment to Germany and the Rhine-Main region as a center of industry. In his opinion, the relocation from Frankfurt's east end to Offenbach is an investment in SAMSON's future and a clear signal to the workforce currently working in the Rhine-Main region that their jobs are safe. Dr. Widl continues: "The MainChange project will bring us profitable growth to retain our competitive edge and create an attractive work environment for decades to come."
Sufficient space is required for the modern factory in the city to implement higher levels of digitalization, a suitable infrastructure including complex transportation and logistics networks and, right now, the need for an autonomous energy supply. SAMSON has found this space on a 15 ha plot of disused industrial land just four kilometers away as the crow flies from the present site. Dr. Widl explains that the MainChange project basically has three corporate goals. First: achieve the optimal operational value stream. Second: construct the new site with an optimized carbon footprint and make SAMSON the first valve manufacturer worldwide with a close-to-carbon-neutral production. Third: create an optimal meeting point for staff and customers alike. Fortunately for SAMSON, an integral piece of land for the biggest investment in the history of the company was found nearby. Offenbach and the entire Rhine-Main region will also reap the benefits from the relocation. "We will not fully abandon the city of Frankfurt. Our state-of-the-art ROLF SANDVOSS INNOVATION CENTER (RSIC), which is one of its kind the world over, will remain at the existing site in Frankfurt where we will continue to develop and test the latest generations of our valves and control solutions for the process industry," stresses Dr. Widl. According to him, SAMSON is currently working on new ideas and concepts for industrial settlements and an attractive workplace on those areas on the SAMSON site that will become vacant.
The first construction stage of the MainChange project focuses on the electronics manufacturing unit and the associated expansion of the positioner business. Operations are scheduled to start at the end of 2024. In the two years that follow, mechanical machining and all administrative units are to be moved to the new site. According to the CEO, the plans are ambitious but realistic in light of the highly motivated workforce and dedicated relocation project team.