Digital inauguration of Wilopark, the new headquarters of the Wilo Group

The Wilo Group invited its guests to the inauguration of the new head office in Dortmund, the Wilopark. More than 1.500 high-ranking international guests from business and politics as well as Wilo employees attended this digital event - due to the coronavirus pandemic. Among the distinguished guests, who sent a video message for the occasion, were German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel, Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia (RNW), Armin Laschet, Ministers of North Rhine- Westphalia Prof. Andreas Pinkwart and Karl-Josef Laumann, as well as Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar.

After a short welcome speech, Oliver Hermes, Chairman and CEO of the Wilo Group, explained why the opening of Wilopark in Dortmund represents an important milestone in the company's history: "With an investment of around 300 million euros, the redevelopment of the Wilo headquarters is not only the largest project in the history of our company, but also one of the largest industrial construction projects ever undertaken in North Rhine-Westphalia, indeed even in Germany ".

Wilopark - an exemplary flagship project

The state-of-the-art and highly technological production plant, "PioneerCube" administration offices, a customer service center and product development facilities cover an area of ​​almost 200 m².

Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Wilo on the opening of the Wilopark. She took the opportunity to highlight the impressive record of the Wilo Group in economic and environmental terms with its innovative pumps and pumping systems, for which the Group was awarded the German National Sustainable Development Prize 2021.

NRW Minister President Armin Laschet also sent his congratulations and complimented all Wilo collaborators: "They show with great success how to use smart ideas, creativity and innovations to make local production suitable for the future and at the same time secure jobs. We need all of this to ensure our prosperity, especially in the region. The Wilopark is a clear commitment to Dortmund and North Rhine-Westphalia. "

Andreas Pinkwart, Minister of State of North Rhine-Westphalia for Economy and Energy, and Karl-Josef Laumann, Minister of State of North Rhine-Westphalia for Labor, Health and social affairs, also conveyed their personal congratulations to the Wilo Group, also by video message, on the occasion of the official inauguration of the new headquarters in Dortmund.

Industry 4.0 - already climate-neutral production

The Wilo Group has implemented a forward-looking management concept and digital network construction technology for its new headquarters. This reduces energy consumption by almost 40%. At the same time, CO2 emissions are reduced by 3 tonnes per year, which corresponds to the maximum amount of CO500 absorbed by 2 trees.

“For us, as a company committed to climate protection, implementing a comprehensive concept of sustainability was very important from the start. We are proud to already produce climate neutral products at heart. Wilopark We want this to become standard practice at all major Wilo production sites by 2025 ", underlined Georg Weber, Member of the Executive Board and Technical Director of the Wilo Group.

Wilo has developed an explicit sustainability strategy on the basis of its corporate strategy "Ambition 2025". The group's objective is to provide clean water to a greater number of people while reducing its carbon footprint. "The Wilopark is one of our many contributions to help the Ruhr region, which has a proven track record of transformation, and thus North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany, on the path to a a sustainable and digital future, ”reiterated Oliver Hermes.

Enthusiasm from major customers and partners around the world

Leading customers and partners of the Wilo Group also participated in the live broadcast from all over the world. For example, congratulations were extended to Wilo's senior management from Kazakhstan by Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar, and from China by former Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Germany, Shi Mingde.

A guided tour of the factory as a conclusion

Before the event ended, guests got a glimpse of the centerpiece of the new Wilopark: the digital production site. Despite social distancing, guests were able to virtually experience the site and see up close that all stages of the process are networked. These are communicated transparently to the public in this state-of-the-art facility, and the various process components and machines are equipped to handle Industry 4.0.