New building, expansion and visions for the future at HORSCH LEEB
The HORSCH LEEB crop care sector has developed continuously over the past few years and can look back on an enormous growth. To cope with the requirements involved, the site in Landau has been expanded in a future-oriented way. Theo Leeb talks about the new building and the steps that have already been planned for the future.
"In 2019, five years ago, we moved into a new building in Landau. At that time, we were convinced that the capacity of this building would be sufficient for the next ten years. Fortunately, this assumption turned out to be wrong. The company has grown considerably in recent years, so three years ago we decided to expand again - this time larger and with significantly more capacity to be prepared for the future," Theo Leeb explains the background of the expansion. The new construction project included the construction of an automated small parts warehouse (AutoStore), an expansion of the assembly area of around 8,000 m2 and the construction of a new administration building.
The challenge was to find a sensible structure for the allocation of the newly created areas. Within the scope of the reorganisation, the entire logistics area was relocated from the existing buildings to the new building. The previous logistics area now houses the pre-assembly department from where the prefabricated parts are delivered to the production lines. These are still at the same location, but the boom construction, marriage and final inspection teams moved from the existing buildings to the new building. The former final inspection department now accommodates the retrofitting department. In the long term, a welding area for tanks and booms is to be created here.
Structural changes
As a result of the reorganisation, production was divided into two building wings: The chassis are assembled in one, while boom construction, marriage and final inspection are located in the other. "From today's perspective, this is an optimal solution. The assembly area has become more spacious," Theo Leeb emphasises. Now there is more room to organise the assembly stations on a smaller scale. The storage and assembly areas have been fully operational since January.
"By relocating the boom construction, we were able to double the length of the self-propelled sprayer line to create more capacity. We initially discussed whether we should build two lines, specifically for the different types. In the end, we decided to build one long line where we can assemble different types. This makes us much more flexible, for example with regard to changes in sales. Our current production capacity could be doubled again, so we are well prepared for the future." Production capacity will also be required in the future for the fertiliser spreader Leeb Xeric the pre-series of which will be produced in 2025.
In addition to the expansion of the production, the construction of a new administration building was also part of the plans. "With the current space, we have reached the limits of our capacity and no longer have enough room to grow," Theo Leeb states. In addition to social rooms for employees and offices, the new area also includes sufficient space for training or marketing purposes. This wing is to be completed at the end of 2024.
"Currently, we still are in the process of deciding how to use this space as sensibly as possible. Initially, we thought about accommodating various departments in the office space. However, in the meantime, our plans have changed. Our objective is to provide room for cross-departmental project teams and for employees from different departments, e.g. product management, production, R & D, quality management and purchasing, to work together in one place. Thus, we want to optimise internal communication and encourage direct, project-related exchange," Theo Leeb explains. For customers and sales partners, this means an optimised and quick communication.
[As part of the growth, 80 new employees were gradually hired in Landau in the past years. A total of 630 people now work at the site. In the region around Landau, there is a competition between the companies for labour. "The district of Dingolfing is one of the few districts that still grows in terms of the number of people. However, as there are many large companies from the automotive sector, it still is a challenge to find new employees. It therefore was a deliberate decision for us to build a new hall and not to switch to two-shift operation in the existing buildings. To be attractive on the labour market and to acquire skilled workers, we would like to remain in single-shift operation in the future," Theo Leeb says.
Production of self-propelled sprayers in Brazil
The company is also aiming at international growth and the development of new markets: "We are currently setting up a production line for the self-propelled Leeb VL sprayers in Brazil. The search for skilled labour over there is a real challenge for us. There are many motivated local people who we teach the basics to start with. In this context, we once again realised how valuable our German dual training system is."
Another complicating factor is the availability of material. While most parts are standard in Europe, they are not available in Brazil. So in a first step, suitable alternatives had to be found. This also applies to the units of measurement which differ from the European ones. This resulted in minor changes to the design.
Despite this challenging situation, the market still offers many opportunities: "We see so much potential there that we can fully utilise the plant for the Brazilian market. The rest of the world will still be supplied with machines from Landau," Theo Leeb points out. Another factor is the import tariff on technology: "It ensures that with regard to the price only machines that are produced locally are interesting for local customers."
Planned investments in Landau
In Landau, too, the next project is already planned: "What we are currently missing is a test centre. We see the greatest potential in the self-propelled sprayer sector and want to position ourselves even more professionally here," Theo Leeb explains. The core of the test centre is an apex roller test plant where the machine runs through various test cycles under full load for an extended period of time. This puts new machines through their paces to ensure that the quality standards are maintained. The test centre is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2025.
To optimise further processes, the company plans to invest in a new paint shop in the long run. "At the moment, 95 % of the components are delivered painted. As the transport of a painted part is much more complex than that of an untreated ones, we are currently working on a concept for our own paint shop. In this respect, the focus here is on the booms as they are much more complex to handle from a logistic point of view due to their length and shape. Most likely, we will opt for a cataphoretic painting process. The parts are dipped into conductive paint. The particles then form an even film on the surface."
In the course of past expansions, the test areas which cover around two hectares were moved several times. However, the company is determined to keep them: "We consider these areas to be very important. They are constantly used by R & D, for testing and auditing. Even if we will need more and more space for this in view of boom widths of over 50 m." These areas are also used for customer demonstrations or for marketing purposes.
The location provides an excellent basis for future growth: "All in all, we think that the location in Landau is optimum as there are enough opportunities for further growth," Theo Leeb says.
Energy efficiency
When planning the current new building, the focus also was on energy efficiency. "For this project, we invested heavily in a geothermal heat pump. Here in Landau, we are relatively close to groundwater. We use the ten-degree temperature of this groundwater in winter to heat the entire building. We built this pump specifically so that we can also heat the existing halls. In summer, we use this system for cooling." The installation of photovoltaic systems on the roofs allows for an almost self-sufficient power supply for the entire site in summer.
For future developments and projects attention will also be paid to an energy-efficient approach. For example, the energy generated by the apex roller test plant is to be fed into the public grid. Moreover, the waste heat generated will be used to support the heating system.