Eppendorf expands high-tech site in Jülich and celebrates topping-out ceremony for multifunctional building

news 16. September 2022

The globally positioned Eppendorf Group is expanding its bioprocess site in Jülich, Germany with the construction of a new state-of-the-art multifunctional building. The topping-out ceremony on September 16 marked the start of the final construction phase for the new building, which sets standards in sustainability and digitalization.

Kickoff of final construction phase for the new bioprocess building
Site’s multifunctional space now 3,600 m²
New construction receives platinum sustainability certificate from the German Sustainable Building Council

Jülich/Hamburg, September 16, 2022. The globally positioned Eppendorf Group is expanding its bioprocess site in Jülich, Germany with the construction of a new state-of-the-art multifunctional building. The topping-out ceremony on September 15 marked the start of the final construction phase for the new building, which sets standards in sustainability and digitalization. Once completed, the additional space will enable DASGIP Information and Process Technology GmbH, a wholly owned Eppendorf subsidiary developing and producing innovative bioprocess solutions in Jülich for the international market, to boost its production capacity by up to 20 percent.

“The innovative bioprocess products manufactured by Eppendorf in Jülich are seeing steady global growth in demand, and the current worldwide battle against the coronavirus has further strengthened this trend,” says Eva van Pelt, Co-CEO of the Eppendorf Group. “We’re responding to this ongoing development by expanding the Jülich site and adding the new multifunctional building. This construction project also demonstrates Eppendorf’s clear commitment to our production location in Jülich for the long term.”

Doubling the space at the site creates ideal basis for further growth

The three-story building with around 3,600 m² of floor space significantly expands the company’s logistics and production spaces while also offering an abundance of additional modern, light-flooded office and meeting rooms. The new building will more than double the available space at the site, significantly increasing production capacity.

“The state-of-the-art, multifunctional building creates an ideal basis for further growth of Eppendorf’s bioprocess business,” adds René Hess, DASGIP Managing Director and head of the Jülich site. “It also represents a quantum leap for DASGIP and the quality of our production in Jülich. I’m particularly proud that all the operational division colleagues involved in the construction project are working together closely as one big team. This has made it possible for us to implement our construction planning optimally and in a very short time. I’m also pleased that we’re setting standards in sustainability and digitalization within the Eppendorf Group with the new building.”

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Particular focus: Exceptional sustainability standards

With the new building, the Jülich site is supporting the implementation of Eppendorf’s ambitious sustainability strategy, which calls for the Group to achieve climate neutrality for its worldwide operations by 2028. Accordingly, the company is placing a particular focus on maximizing the sustainability of the new property. The building is being constructed in accordance with the KfW building efficiency standard Effizienzhaus 40 Plus and has been certified platinum by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).To receive this top-quality seal for sustainable and climate-conscious construction, Eppendorf is using recycled building materials and high-quality insulation, among other things. Heat pumps from the highest efficiency class provide optimal room temperatures. A green roof fosters a pleasant building climate and helps reduce energy costs. In addition, a photovoltaic system generates more energy on sunny days than the building consumes. A rainwater retention system provides water for toilet flushing when levels are sufficient. The outdoor areas were also designed following sustainability criteria.

Fully digitalized production

The new building also sets standards when it comes to technical building equipment: Planning and production processes and building control systems will operate completely digitalized; traditional paper documentation for production processes will be a thing of the past. Work orders and work steps will be electronically initiated and confirmed, enabling greater efficiency in production processes and real-time transparency in the status of each construction step. Industrial robots that transport components from the internal storage areas to production are another technical highlight. Providing centimeter-precise transport to the workbenches saves employees a significant amount of walking.
The state-of-the-art bioprocess building’s technical equipment lays the groundwork for the high-tech site Jülich to remain a leader in developing and manufacturing bioprocess products and bioprocess software solutions.

“Fully digitalizing and adapting all production processes enables us to leverage potential in terms of efficiency and quality as well as to shorten production processes – and this is something we can do with our existing staff,” Hess explains. The employees at the site are excited and you sense the anticipation, the managing director reports: “The mood is comparable to Christmas when the presents finally appear.”

About Eppendorf

Eppendorf is a leading life science company that develops and sells instruments, consumables and services for liquid, sample and cell handling in laboratories worldwide. Divided into the business units Liquid Handling, Consumables, Separation & Instrumentation, Bioprocess and Workflow Solutions, the product portfolio includes, for example, pipettes, pipette tips, centrifuges, mixers and ultra-low temperature equipment. In addition, Eppendorf offers a wide range of high-quality consumables.

Eppendorf products are most broadly used in academic and commercial research laboratories, e.g., in companies from the pharmaceutical and biotechnological as well as the chemical and food industries. They are also used in laboratories that perform clinical or environmental analysis, in forensic laboratories and in industrial laboratories where process analysis, production and quality assurance are performed.

Eppendorf has been active since 1945, is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, and employs about 5,000 employees worldwide. The Group has subsidiaries in 33 countries and is represented in all other continents and important markets by distributors.

DASGIP Information and Process Technology GmbH

Eppendorf DASGIP Information and Process Technology GmbH was founded in 1991 and has been part of the Eppendorf Group since 2012. At the site in Jülich, Germany, employees produce bioreactor systems and software solutions. The reactor systems are largely custom-made according to customer requests and needs and deliver compelling features such as scalability and user-friendly operation.

As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of small-scale and benchtop bioreactor systems, DASGIP principally serves customers in the life science, food and feed, biotechnology, and chemical industries. The pharmaceutical industry is a significant growth sector where DASGIP’s individually configurable products and software solutions are used for developing stem-cell therapies and vaccines, for example.

To meet increasing demand, DASGIP is constantly expanding its product portfolio, which thus also includes large-format bioprocess reactors.