A three-point landing on Segelfliegerdamm

Custom machine building company Jonas & Redmann has a new headquarters in Adlershof

Custom machine building company Jonas & Redmann will be moving into its new headquarters on Segelfliegerdamm in Adlershof in autumn. Segelfliegerdamm roughly translates to glider pilot causeway, which is a fitting address. Since its founding in 1989 and despite some drastic ups and downs, the medium-sized company stayed confidently on course. By bringing together administration, construction, and manufacturing in one new building, the company will be able to be even more agile in the future.

While the whole world was looking to Berlin when the wall came down, Stefan Jonas and Lutz Redmann were huddling over construction plans day and night. The two engineers had met through their fathers when they were children. Now they finally had their hooks on their first order. A world-famous fashion brand needed a solution to a problem: when cutting suit cloth, the webs didn’t run off the roles tightly enough was creasing. “We were able to solve the problem with a quick-release axis,” says Jonas. The customer ordered 250 of them. The founders patented the axis, turned on their turning and milling machines – and delivered on schedule.

Other large customers started approaching Jonas & Redmann, including two medical technology corporations, for which the young machine building company developed fully automatised hose systems assembly lines. “Technologically, this was unchartered territory for us. We were building and programming for nights on end until it worked,” Stefan Jonas reminisces.

Sales were increasing and they were able to build a stable business. The number of employees grew, and the sales and management structures were professionalised. Moreover, the company established itself in a young high-growth industry: photovoltaics. “Initially, we built the facilities to connect the cells for Solon, later we equipped entire factories for Q-Cells or Solar World,” says Redmann. They gained customers from Norway, France, and overseas. Soon they had 800 employees.

But this upwind was followed by a drastic downslope. PV production in Europe collapsed. In addition, machine builders from China were copying their solutions. Their sales collapsed in 2012. They were forced to lay off contractors and, for the first time in the history of the company, permanent employees, too. The downturn did not come unannounced and so the owner families were able to prevent a crash landing by bolstering the company with private capital. Contacts to the medical technology industry turned out to be sustainable. “Moreover, we had started to develop production systems for lithium-ion batteries in 2010,” says Jonas. First, they were equipping universities and research institutes. Now they added large carmakers to their customers. He sees the new factory in Grünheide by carmaker Tesla as a good signal: electromobility is getting serious. Battery cell factories are now also being set up in Europe. “We are well-prepared and offer a broad portfolio for battery manufacturing solutions,” he says.

Today, the machine building company has 500 employees. The business situation is stable. This was also aided by a hastily set up production line for certified respiratory protective masks. They were purchased by many different customers. In addition, the Berlin-based company also produced tens of thousands of masks every day themselves for a company that supplies the federal government. This made them familiar with areas that machine builders usually have little to do with: from storing huge balls of fleece to packing and delivering the masks. Hands-on, quick, and flexible, the company faced the coronavirus crisis with a pragmatic and practical solution.

At the same time, they were preparing for the move into the new headquarters. On 23,000 m² on Segelfliegerdamm, the two business partners built an office and production building for a total 25 million euros. “I knew the grid dimensions of Goldbeck, our general contractor, from an earlier construction project. So, I sat down with that and planned our new place,” says Stefan Jonas. Specialist and civil engineers then took care of statics, fire safety, and the details of the technical implementation.

Matching their new address, the company has weathered all the upswings and downturns and achieved a financial three-point landing. In addition to 6,800 m² office space and over 9,000 m² production space, the building has 225 indoor parking spots, charging stations for electric cars, and covered bike parking. “Everything turned out well,” says Jonas gladly, “although we were forced to go with a green roof instead of photovoltaics.” His scepticism gave way when he saw the technical implementation – and experienced the pleasant coolness of the rooms during a heatwave.

Even more reason to look forward to the Adlershof era. Over the last few years, Jonas and Redmann explored the area extensively, while looking for a location. “A sign of the dynamism there is the speed at which the vacant lots are filled,” says Jonas. He is looking forward to using the opportunities for cooperation with local companies and institutes. “We will look at that once we’re done moving,” he says.

By Peter Trechow for Adlershof Journal

• www.jonas-redmann.com/en/