Vacant industrial hall becomes a secure customs and air freight warehouse

The modernization of industrial buildings is usually considerably more demanding than a new build. The conversion is often carried out while the halls are still in operation, the project planning and execution involves the same steps, and the depth of expertise is just as important as for a new building. Last but not least, decisions have to be made about how high-quality the buildings need to be equipped for the future. When the Hügenell family acquired a vacant industrial hall complex from printing press manufacturer König und Bauer AG ten years ago, the technical facilities of the 10,500 square meter production building were largely neglected and the property could only be used to a limited extent by third parties. Extensive repair and modernization measures preceded the successful revitalization of the thirty-year-old industrial property, to which Efaflex contributed significantly with eleven high-speed spiral doors.

Extensive security requirements to protect sensitive freight

"Originally, folding doors were planned for the halls," explain entrepreneurs Dennis and Marco Hügenell. When Siemens Real Estate rented the halls for the Berlin gas turbine plant four years ago, the brothers were forced to modernize the structural facilities of their property and adapt the rental space to the extensive performance and safety requirements of the new tenant.

"Literally every square millimetre was worked on day and night to enable Siemens to set up a customs and air freight warehouse for power plant components as well as the logistics and pre-assembly of gas turbines". Dennis Hügenell's creative energy is still evident when he describes the measures that were necessary to properly secure the sensitive freight: "Spare parts for Siemens power plants in the high double-digit millions are already stored here. They are packed in wooden crates in every conceivable size and are shipped directly from here to the country of destination without any further official checks.

Owners invest 200,000 euros in gate systems

The security measures are considerable. "We promised Siemens new door systems in the air freight and customs warehouse area, as the existing steel folding doors no longer met the safety requirements due to their age. There was undoubtedly a need for action here. Although only three of the eleven external doors were to be replaced as part of the lease, the Hügenells replaced all the existing doors with modern high-speed spiral doors from Efaflex at their own expense. The investment for this amounted to 200,000 euros.

"Doors are an integral part of the façade"

Marco Hügenell is visibly enthusiastic about his brother's design and adds countless advantages of the new door systems: "High-speed spiral doors are superior to other operator technologies in all respects. Even though other manufacturers are now imitating Efaflex and offering comparable roller doors, the originals are virtually unrivaled in categories such as sound and heat insulation, opening speed, workmanship and door leaf guidance, various safety devices and individual door leaf design. Dennis Hügenell explains how the latter aspect in particular was the downfall for other suppliers: "We see the door systems as an integral part of the façade, which is to be redesigned this year in order to present the industrial property as a whole to the outside world in a high-quality manner". As a result, the contractors had their doors coated in RAL 9011 - graphite black as a precautionary measure in order to best realize their idea of a modern and timeless façade design. "For technical reasons, however, the competition was unable to do this, as their black door curtains regularly deformed at high temperatures."

"The doors are really developed and produced with love at Efaflex."

Marco Hügenell & Dennis Hügenell, job-park GmbH

"Of course, all this has its price. Quality costs, but a lack of quality costs more. And we can't afford that". The brothers are in agreement. Dennis Hügenell seamlessly complements his brother's commitment with the compulsion to act: "We are in direct competition with new buildings, the latest state of the art. In order to offer our tenants the best possible conditions, only the best is good enough. That is our obligation".

Exchange within 15 minutes

In addition to the best products, service in the form of impeccable service is also in demand. One of the tenant's requirements was that the doors had to be open again after 15 minutes during the replacement, says Dennis Hügenell. "That was madness! For us, this meant that we had to precisely coordinate and restrict the installation areas in advance in order to be able to set up the construction sites properly. In order to be able to do all this on time, we spent many nights using hammers and chisels ourselves and, after dismantling the old sectional doors, we also refurbished and painted the supports next to the door ourselves. And we did this for all eleven gates! Unfortunately, we didn't have a fairy with golden curls and a magic wand."

It was very remarkable that the Efaflex fitters recognized and appreciated the time-consuming preliminary work of the night shift by working extremely flexibly, cleanly and reliably themselves." Marco Hügenell emphasizes another aspect that makes working with Efaflex worthwhile for the contractors: "Quality also means doing the right thing when nobody is watching! That's the case here. We don't have to keep a constant eye on the fitters to prevent botched work. That's incredibly relaxing". Over the course of the collaboration, Efaflex has further enhanced the products. Cables no longer run alongside the doors, but have disappeared into the frame.

Ariane Müller