This area will in future be used to manufacture electronic components for plants such as those in Herbolzheim and Hungary. Around 80 employees from the main office St. Georgen have been working in the new premises since February. This has freed up space at the main office which is currently being converted and expanded for research and development. Dirk Schallock, managing director of ebm-papst at St. Georgen: "These new buildings will mean that ebm-papst has a promising outlook and excellent future growth potential over the long-term. These expansions will provide us with the capacity needed to achieve our growth objectives." The event not only celebrated the completion of the first construction stage but also the laying of the foundation stone for the second stage of construction worth €15m. With this investment, ebm-papst St. Georgen has increased its floor space at Hagenmoos by another 10,5000 m2. The construction work will serve to increase the production capacity of the automobile and drive technology divisions and will also create space for logistics and administration. A major highlight of the overall building project is a modern energy concept that blends seamlessly into the environmental and sustainability strategy that has been pursued by ebm-papst for a number of years. It includes an "ice storage unit" with 400 m3 of volume capacity which will be the buildings' source of heat and cooling. Rainer Hundsdörfer, chair of the board of directors of the ebm-papst Group: "Our site in St. Georgen has experienced a great number of positive developments. Within our group of companies, this sister company in the Black Forest forms a major foundation block which we will continue to strengthen and expand through investment."