Handover of keys in Volmarstein

With the handover of the keys on Monday, a piece of Volmarstein history changed hands. After 130 years, a new chapter begins for the Volmarstein-based family business BURG F.W.Lüling KG with the relocation of its headquarters to Hagen-Vorhalle: For the first time in 47 years, all employees in Germany are now working from one location. The company, now in its fourth generation, became famous for its padlocks: the first hand-made BURG lock was sold as early as 1890. Today, BURG is a supplier of innovative mechanical and electronic security solutions that are used in metal products, office furniture, fittings and control cabinets from leading manufacturers. For example, BURG technology is installed in almost every mechanically or mechatronically lockable window handle from the major window hardware manufacturers. The company also develops keyless security solutions for its contract customers. The trend for more and more employees to come by bicycle is leading companies to increasingly invest in bicycle parking and adjacent changing areas, naturally with electronically lockable employee lockers. For example, BURG also equipped the Vodafone Group in Düsseldorf with Smartlocks for lockers and battery charging compartments.

BURG manufactures in Hagen and in Tisà (Czech Republic). However, the administration has been located in Volmarstein since the company was founded. The first local separation of the German site took place in 1974. At that time, BURG took over the Gustav Dannert lock factory in Ennepetal-Voerde. The Voerde employees later moved to Wetter-Volmarstein, to a new production hall that was inaugurated in 1980 in the "Am Nielande" industrial park. They manufactured there until moving to nearby Hagen-Vorhalle, in January 2014. With a total of 25,000 square meters of space, the property in Hagen's "Volmarsteiner Straße" industrial park was already designed at that time for expansion, which is now pending. The administration is moving up. Jörg Mohncke, the business manager responsible for the new building, summarizes: "When we bought the property in Hagen in 2012, our goal was more efficient production. Now we are about to reach the next milestone by merging administration and production. Both we and our customers will benefit from shortened response times." Teams can now work more closely together. Travel between the plants is no longer necessary.

Most recently, employees in the areas of sales, marketing, finance, human resources and development worked in Hegestraße. Especially in development, the company has changed a lot in recent years. "Today, the customer doesn't buy a locking system, but a security solution," says Marketing Manager Andreas Lüling. Mechanics, mechatronics and software come from a single source at BURG - Made in Hagen. "Our team develops the app solution according to customer requirements, because the locking systems can be networked on request," says Lüling. In the digitization of buildings, security solutions are playing an increasingly important role, whether in the employee locker, control cabinet or window handle. Especially in home office times, large companies are reducing their on-site workplaces, so employees need intelligently lockable office furniture where their personal belongings and materials can be flexibly locked away. It is therefore expected that the demand for this will grow significantly in the near future.

The BURG company has left its mark on Volmarstein. The old brick building in particular is a landmark of Hegestraße, visible far into the Ruhr valley. It was put into operation as early as 1898. Parallel to the growth of the company, the complex was expanded over the years through various additions and extensions to its current size with over 5,000 m2 of production and office space. Until 1993, the old building was also the administrative headquarters of Burg-Wächter, an independent sister company since 1920, which then moved to new premises in Altenhofer Weg. In addition to the brick building, there is also an administration building and the dark red half-timbered house, which is a listed building. It is the former home of the founder, Friedrich-Wilhelm Lüling, and has been used for years by the Volmarstein Local History Society as a "local history museum".

With the departure of BURG, the building complex is to be revitalized. The Volmarstein residential area is enjoying growing popularity due to its access to the autobahn and its proximity to many well-known employers in the region. The supply of land and real estate is severely limited. Therefore, 23 condominiums with loft character are to be built in the old factory building. The renovation of the existing factory building will be carried out according to current new construction standards. The aim is to preserve the character of the old building, says Martin Seeling, managing director of Wohnkompass GmbH, which bought the factory site at the end of 2020. For the village of Volmarstein, the new planning of the factory is a gain and with the name "Burg-Domizil" one honors the history. In addition to the loft apartments, service apartments suitable for the elderly, a guest house and an industrial museum are also to be realized.

For BURG, the move of the administration means that the 130 German employees are now working from one location again. The 35 employees from Hegestraße already moved to Hagen two weeks ago into the existing building and into newly erected office containers, as the construction of the new administration building has not yet begun. The plan is to create a bright and open building, with project areas that allow the various teams to work in an agile manner. It was conceptualized largely by the employees themselves. "It was important to us that the team be able to help shape the planning process from the very beginning," Mohncke says. As part of a planning team, employees can contribute their thoughts to "Working World 2030." The whole process is supported by the architectural know-how of a Swiss furniture manufacturer. The new administration building will be significantly more energy efficient than the previous one. The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for April. The implementation period is ambitious. The new administration building is scheduled for completion in the fall of this year. Turnkey, even if the classic key is probably less important for a locking system manufacturer in the age of smartphone apps and transponders.