“This construction project shows that we want to grow in the region, offer future-proof jobs, and drive the energy transition,” said Michael Kleschinski, Executive Vice President of Hexagon Purus.
The expansion of the company site in Weeze will be completed in three stages. The first concerns a 5,000 m2 production hall, scheduled to be completed in October of this year. Beyond that, the company will be building social spaces and bathrooms for around 120 employees, as well as 30 office workstations, training and meeting rooms, and a storage area.
Work on specific plans for the second construction stage will start this summer. That will include an office and training center with 80 office workstations and a parking garage with 160 parking spaces. In the third stage, there are plans to construct a public hydrogen refueling station. Overseeing the construction project is the architectural office Hanßen based in nearby Geldern.
The expansion will grow the current production area from 11,000 to 16,000 m2.
Hexagon Purus says some climate-conscious measures are being implemented in the new construction. A photovoltaic system will feed an air-to-air heat pump and the air-conditioning units for the office wing and the social spaces. In the production hall, the concrete ceilings and walls are to be used as energy storage by means of concrete core activation. Heat recovery from the heating infrastructure is another pillar of the concept for the production hall.
The investments will significantly boost the number of employees at Hexagon Purus in Weeze. At the end of 2022, the company recorded a headcount of 243. By the end of this year, that number is expected to hit 350. “In this way, we’re making it clear that we remain loyal to our home location and are offering future-proof jobs in an exciting industry,” Wystrach CEO Jochen Wystrach says.