“Despite the general economic downturn, we were able to keep our production output stable. Now, we are ramping it up again in order to meet the increasing demand for cross-laminated timber,” Sebastian Eggel, plant manager in Schlitz, tells us. The advantages of timber construction – from short construction times to the ability to store CO2 – are contributing to the increasing importance of this building material. “The future belongs to wood, especially in urban construction, densification and renovation,” Eggel is convinced.
The expansion of production is accompanied by a significant increase in personnel. Pfeifer plans to raise the number of employees in production by a third to around 90. In addition to this, protecting residents remains a key concern of the site. In recent years, Pfeifer has worked intensively to reduce noise and dust emissions. Soundproofing measures have made it possible to sustainably improve critical systems and processes – for example by installing soundproof housings, moving the truck loading station inside the hall and by using electric forklifts and roller conveyors.
The timber construction boom is also reflected in the diverse projects for which Pfeifer CLT has been used. Recently, the manufacturer supplied around 1,500 m³ of CLT for a new gastronomic highlight in the Main-Taunus Zentrum open-air shopping center: the “Food Garden”. On an area of around 9,000 m², five restaurant buildings with partly covered terraces are being built entirely in wood. The opening is scheduled for spring 2025. Furthermore, a five-story wooden parking garage in Wendlingen am Neckar was recently officially inaugurated. Pfeifer supplied around 1,100 m³ of CLT for this pioneering project. Apart from the stairwells and road surfaces, the entire building is made of wood and can be easily dismantled and recycled in the future. The Fuchshofstraße primary school in Ludwigsburg, which was built with Pfeifer CLT, is an example of how well sophisticated architecture and resource-efficient construction go together. This project won the Baden-Württemberg Timber Construction Award in 2024.
