In the course of the last decade and a half, numerous buildings have been demolished on this 4.6 square kilometre industrial site in Frankfurt am Main to make way for new production plants and research facilities. Year after year, on-site companies have invested between €350m and €450m, and in peak years the level of investment even rose to some €650m. „This park works“ – but why has its development been so dynamic? The answer is both simple and complex: It‘s the mix that makes the difference …
Infrastructure as Success Factor
A mix of various success criteria, all of crucial importance to manufacturing companies in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. First place among these goes to the efficient and reliable infrastructure provided by Infraserv Höchst, which is attuned to the specific needs of the site tenants and is undergoing constant refinement. The main focus here is on supply and disposal: Supply of energy, of media and raw materials, of process steam, all the way to supply of water of nine different quality grades. Of particular importance for energy supply: A combination of high-efficiency generation units and an innovative mix of various primary energy sources – from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas all the way to high calorific value waste and organic materials for biogas production – ensures that energy can be supplied to the site tenants at internationally competitive prices. As a decisive success factor for manufacturing chemical companies, energy costs are therefore a distinct site advantage at Industriepark Höchst. A network of different power generation units also guarantees maximum availability as well as the flexibility necessary to react to market fluctuations. Meanwhile, Industriepark Höchst has become largely self-sufficient with regard to power supplies and has sufficient generation capacity to meet the site‘s huge energy demand. Industriepark Höchst – powered by Infraserv Höchst.
Sustainable Energy Supplies
Price and availability of energy are not all that matter. Sustainability is an important factor for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The on-site companies at Industriepark Höchst can testify to the high efficiency of the site‘s supply, which reduces fuel consumption and hence also CO2 emissions. Thus the advantages of combined heat and power generation are exploited to the full in operation of the energy generation units, leading to a very high fuel-utilisation efficiency. Remarkably: One fifth of the heating requirements at the site is met by utilisation of waste heat from production and combustion units. Just these two factors – waste heat utilisation and combined heat and power generation – reduce the site‘s annual CO2 emissions by around 500,000 tonnes.
The combustion units contributing to steam raising at the site include a sewage-sludge combustion facility, with an annual capacity of 225,000 tonnes. This unit provides for safe and environmentally compatible disposal of sewage sludges from the industrial park‘s own waste-water treatment plant and other sources. A separate high-performance incineration unit is also available for correct thermal disposal of production residues.
Efficient Supply and Disposal Network
The technically sophisticated and extremely efficient infrastructure of the industrial park is the most important advantage of the site for the tenants, who can expand their production capacity at any time and build new facilities without having to invest in their own infrastructural facilities. And for companies setting up for business in Industriepark Höchst the possibility of being able to hook up with a pre-existing complete infrastructure network is an enormous advantage. Thanks also to short approval times, start-up of new or expanded production capacities can be accomplished with a minimum of delay.
Fast to market, fast delivery to customer: This is where Industriepark Höchst has another huge advantage over other sites. Located in Frankfurt at the centre of the Rhine-Main economic area, the site has ideal connections to the German autobahn and rail networks. Almost 25 percent of raw materials and products reach or leave the industrial park by rail. Waterway transport accounts for around 15 to 20 per cent. The River Main flows right through the industrial park and offers a further advantage to on-site companies. The modern port has two high-performance gantry cranes permitting optimum networking of container transport via rail, road, and waterway.
Yet another logistical advantage: All major European destinations can be reached from Industriepark Höchst within about three hours. Because Frankfurt Airport, the continent‘s principal air traffic hub, is just a few kilometres away and can reached in ten minutes. Industriepark Höchst is „Europe‘s central park“ for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.
Training and Further Education as Site Advantages
And there‘s even more: A broad services portfolio covering environmental, security, and further infrastructure services, ranging from technical facility management, via occupational health care, to hazardous goods handling. Another benefit offered by the site comes in the form of the Infraserv subsidiary Provadis, which as the largest staff training and further education provider in the state of Hesse provides 400 apprenticeship places per year and, through its own tertiary education institute, ensures that on-site companies have access to qualified young talent and that employees can pursue in-service continuing education.
It‘s the mix that makes the difference: With this wide variety of site advantages – infrastructure facilities, site operation services, an ideal location – Industriepark Höchst is well placed to maintain its leadership position in the face of stiff global competition.
Company Profile
Infrastructure:
- 4.6 million m2 total area, > 500 000 m2 of predeveloped vacant space
- 6.3 billion Euros investment by on-site companies between 2000 and 2014
- excellent transport connections
- fast processing of building permit applications
- optimum integration into a wide-ranging network of production plant and infrastructure facilities, especially for the processing industry
On-site companies:
Location of about 90 companies active in the areas of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology (including Sanofi, Bayer CropScience, Clariant, Celanese, LyondellBasell, AkzoNobel, Kuraray, Cargill, Rockwood Lithium, Grillo, Daikin). 22,000 employees
Services:
Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, Infraserv Höchst operates advanced infrastructure for companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical and related process industries. Infraserv Höchst leverages its experience and capabilities in site operation, management and consulting to deliver site excellence for its customers. The company, which operates sites such as Industriepark Höchst, offers services in utilities, waste management, logistics and site services.
Contact:
Infraserv Höchst
Tel.:+49 69 305-46300
sitemarketing@infraserv.com
www.industriepark-hoechst.com