The Follmann Chemie Group is investing in a modern technology and knowledge centre at its company site in Minden, Westphalia. The laying of the foundation stone took place on 9 October 2020 – due to the current situation and the associated distance and hygiene rules in a small circle. In addition to the management and some employees of the Follmann Chemie Group, representatives from politics as well as the responsible architectural office Dälken (Georgsmarienhütte) and the construction company Hartmann (Minden) were present.

A modern, multifunctional training and event centre will be built on a total of 12,000 square metres by the end of 2021, where customer training courses, information events for visitor groups and employee events will take place. The two-storey entrance building is accessible via the central foyer for both visitor groups and employees of the Follmann Chemie Group. A staircase leads to a gallery with meeting rooms. This part of the building also houses a large auditorium with an adjoining catering area, which can accommodate over 140 people.

The adjacent single-storey building is connected to the entrance building and provides rooms for theoretical and practical customer training as well as for the application technology of the two companies Follmann and Triflex. In future, product tests and customer trials of adhesives and water-based printing inks on wood, paper and film as well as of construction chemical waterproofing and marking products will be carried out here.

A roof garden with a football pitch is also planned above the training building, where employees can take part in sports as part of the Follmann Chemie Group’s company health management system. The building also attaches great importance to sustainability. For example, a photovoltaic system generates the necessary electricity, and the building materials have been selected accordingly.

The company is investing around 15 million euros in the attractive complex: “Partnership-based cooperation with our customers, service providers and suppliers is very important to us,” emphasises Dr. Henrik Follmann, managing partner of the Follmann Chemie Gruppe. “The new technology and knowledge centre clearly shows the solutions we are working on together and also offers many opportunities for information and further training”.

The construction of the Technology and Knowledge Centre is also a further milestone with which the Follmann Chemie Group is continuing its expansion at the Minden site: The last construction project – the expansion of the construction chemicals production for Triflex – started in April 2016 and went into operation in 2018.