The current two-member management of the plastic pipe manufacturer egeplast will be strengthened by another member from 1 September 2022. Joining the team will be Steffen Saur, an internationally experienced leader in the areas of sales, product management and marketing.
“With Steffen Saur, we are pleased to have gained a top-class manager who is in a position to consistently advance our growth strategy.” said Dr Ansgar Strumann, Managing Partner of the Grevener plastic pipe manufacturer. “We want to grow, open up new markets and make ourselves fit for the future. Mr Saur has repeatedly successfully implemented these tasks under complex conditions.” Strumann continued.
“egeplast is an outstanding and market-leading family business in many areas. One example is the current new construction of egeGigaFab, a state-of-the-art factory for microducts. As one of the leading suppliers, egeplast enables the rapid expansion of fibre
optics for broadband Internet in Germany. I am convinced of the further growth potential at egeplast.” Saur stated. “I am honoured to be able to further develop this traditional company together with my colleagues and a first-class team. I will do everything in my
power to make my contribution to the continuation of egeplast’s successful course and to the profitable growth of egeplast.” he said.
The 49-year-old Saur joins egeplast from the Saurer Group, an international mechanical engineering company. Previously, he held successful management positions at thyssenkrupp, Oerlikon, Hochtief and Vaillant, among others. Saur completed his academic
training at the University of Mainz and Harvard Business School.
The owner-managed family business, egeplast international is a highly innovative manufacturer of plastic pipe systems. System solutions from egeplast are used in drinking water and gas supply, cable protection for electricity and glass fibre, wastewater disposal, industry and irrigation in over 30 countries. At its headquarters in Greven, Westphalia, Germany egeplast employs around 450 people in production, logistics and administration/sales. The egeplast Group also includes two pipe production sites in Sweden (Extena) and England (Westwood).
DUCT EXPANSION
Further to the appointment of Steffen Saur, egeplast has also recently announced that it is building a New egeGigaFab at its headquarters in Greven, Germany, a new production facility for Microducts. The company will increase its capacity for manufacturing Microduct pipes which is needed for the envisioned Europe wide broadband expansion (FttH/FttB).
“The investment volume is by far the biggest one ever made in the 114 years of our company’s history.” said Dr Ansgar Strumann, egeplast Managing Director and Majority
Shareholder on the occasion of the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone for the new egeGigaFab. The new production facility will measure 11,000 m2 (118,403 ft2) and will be
complemented by approximately 40,000 m2 (430,556 ft2) of storage space. As a result of
removing Microducts production from the existing production hall, egeplast will set up
a completely new manufacturing logistic and well as expand its existing capacity and will
become one of the top 3 pipe suppliers for fibre-optic expansion in Europe.
egeplast Microducts are already supplied to all of the notable investors related to fibre
networks. Microducts made by egeplast grants investors long-lasting protection of the
fibre-optic cables. High-quality fibre-optic networks are their most important assets.
Ralf Utsch, the Division Manager of Cable Protection Systems at egeplast is well aware of this fact saying: “Nowadays, what our customers demand more than anything else is supply reliability and top-quality system solutions at competitive terms. Increasing our production capacity will improve delivery prospects and will result in greater flexibility.”
“The egeplast Microducts meet the high-quality specifications stipulated by the major network operators in Europe. The product range for pipes is supplemented by customised
accessories for any kind of construction project. For particularly challenging construction projects associated with additional safety requirements, e. g. projects involving flush
drilling, the Microduct Protec product range provides extra protection of the media pipes. The entire system has been designed for a useful life of 50 years minimum and has been
tested accordingly.”
Compared to current manufacturing conditions, the level of automation will be increased significantly, which in view of the general lack of skilled staff was a must in planning. This
step will allow for longer plant runtimes while at the same time effectively reducing set-up times and downtimes. The operational processes involved in the two-stage production were designed based on lean production principles by the engineering team led by Dr Tobias Hallmann. The manufacturing technology is state-of-the-art and also features numerous in-house innovations. As the Manager of Technical Procurement, Sonja Kloppenborg made sure that all planning complied with the most recent energetic standards.
Customers will be able to benefit from the larger capacity for premium-quality Microducts for the expansion of their networks from summer 2023.
