TGW Evolution Park, the Company's New Headquarters, Welcomes 700 Employees to Marchtrenk, AT
Employing 3,200 people worldwide - 1,600 of whom are located in the upper Austria region - TGW Logistics Group has experienced tremendous growth in the past few years. As a global, leading systems provider of highly dynamic, automated and turnkey warehouse automation and material handling solutions, the company quickly outgrew its previous headquarters facility in Wels, Austria.
Recognizing the need for a new location, management broke ground on construction of the new, $63.7 million U.S. (55 million Euros) TGW Evolution Park in nearby Marchtrenk in November 2016. At the beginning of June 2018, the innovative space - built upon an activity-based working concept - welcomed 700 employees who relocated from the Wels facility (900 employees remain in Wels):
„Expanding the building at the existing location in Wels would have been difficult because there was not enough space. This is why we built the new headquarters in Marchtrenk,” explains Harald Schröpf, CEO of TGW Logistics Group. “However, employees at both locations continue to collaborate and help us to increase our performance. The biggest part of our production manufacturing operations, for example, remains in Wels.“ CFO Jörg Scheithauer attributes TGW’s growth to the global uptick in e-commerce. “The online retail business is a major driver, supporting growth in the industry and also at TGW. Within four years, we have almost doubled our revenue to $719 million U.S. (621 million Euros). Our double-digit growth rate shows that our company offers the right solutions for our international customers.”
The main part of the TGW Evolution Park is the five-story office building encompassing 248,000 square feet (23,000 square meters). The welcome desk and employee restaurant are located on the ground floor, the central meeting rooms are on the 1st floor. Offices with about 130 workplaces per floor can be found from the second to the fifth floors.
Activity-based working
The new facility enables TGW to deploy a new, activity-based working concept for its employees. Instead of being assigned offices, staffers at TGW Evolution Park individually choose the open-air workspace - outfitted with electric-powered, height-adjustable desks - best suited for their tasks and that meets his or her needs. Each employee has a locker in which they can store a laptop and personal items. Before starting to work, employees take their equipment from the locker and choose a vacant space.
"Together with specialists, the concept was optimized to meet TGW’s requirements, facilitate project teamwork, and support networking and knowledge transfer. Sharing desks and open communication areas not only adds variety to everyday work, but are also the basis for the efficient use of resources", notes Schröpf.
The centre zones offer various possibilities for meetings and can also be used as a retreat to work more concentrated.
„We are a dynamic company with a growth rate of 18 percent,” he continues. “In order to implement complex projects for international customers we need motivated and committed employees. The TGW Evolution Park offers the perfect environment to be successful as a team. This aligns with our shared value concept TGW founder Ludwig Szinicz summarized in the sentence 'Focusing on People - Learning and Growing", emphasises Harald Schröpf.
Additionally, the building complex includes an 86,000 square foot (8,000 square meter) pre-assembly hall, and a 54,000 square foot (5,000 square meter) production space
Building features energy-efficient systems, multiple employee amenities
Scheithauer points to the facility’s numerous sustainable and energy-efficient features. “A Photovoltaic installation on the roof of the production halls supplies part of the power we need, while intelligent sun blinds that automatically adjust themselves and provide the right amount of shade at any time of the day,” he says. “Further, we use heat pumps to generate energy and recover the waste heat created in our server rooms for use in the cooling system.”
To support employees’ healthy lifestyles, TGW Evolution Park also houses a restaurant serving freshly prepared meals and an extensive salad buffet, and a multi-activity workout facility with designated spaces for aerobics and yoga classes.
Currently under construction are on-site childcare facilities for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten aged children, slated to open in autumn 2018, and a multi-functional outdoor Activity Garden spread across 97,000 square feet (9,000 square meters) with areas for outdoor meetings, sports fields, a running track, motor activity space and grilling space for outdoor gatherings.
