Topping-out ceremony at our headquarters in Kirchdorf/Germany

On Friday the 17th of June 2011, the employees of DT-Diesel Technic AG in Kirchdorf, together with the team of architects and craftsmen involved in the building, celebrated a hearty topping–out ceremony. 

In this traditional ceremony, the origins of which date back to the 14th century, the roof is adorned with a wreath by carpenters after completion of the shell of the building. As a tribute to the architects and the owners of the building, a carpenter makes a speech, drinks a schnapps and throws the bottle off the roof. If the glass breaks on the ground, all will be well.

In his brief speech, Dr.-Ing. Steffen Vondran, Managing Director (CEO), thanked all the construction companies involved, who mostly come from the immediate area, and also all the employees, whose commitment meant that after only 4 years a further expansion of the headquarters of the Diesel Technic Group was urgently needed. Since the last expansion in 2007, it has been possible to create around 120 new jobs.

After the roofing-off ceremony, the guests were heartily invited to be served at the barbeque buffet and drinks stand in the storage tent, which had been converted and tastefully decorated at short notice. The rustical bier tent furniture provided the setting for an informal get-together and lively exchange among the guests. Musical entertainment was also provided and so the guests danced merrily into the night.

The good mood is justified for as, in spite of the imponderables of a major construction site with a lot of dust and noise, business continues to develop very positively, so that currently there are still many newly created positions to be filled. 16 new apprentices and dual-system students are also expected at the start of training on 1 August. For this reason the completion of the new building is eagerly awaited. 

Approximately 70 new jobs have been created in the 1,350 m² office building, which has been raised by 2 floors, and a further 20 office jobs in the despatch department of the new 3-storey logistics centre. After completion of the building work, the despatch department will have an available area of 1,100 m², as well as 4 loading bays. The new small-parts warehouse will be almost doubled with 17,000 linear metres of modular shelving. In the high-bay warehouse, which is 18.5 metres high and covers an area of 2,500 m², a narrow-aisle warehouse will be set up, with space for around 7,000 additional pallet positions.

A working environment with modern equipment and complete new pallet and container handling technology awaits the staff. After the completion of the structural, roof and facade work, the completion of interior work in the various stages of construction will go on until the last quarter of 2011.