Stable investment level at Industriepark Höchst

Park tenants invest EUR 328 million – Infraserv Höchst expands service portfolio – Large projects on hold

The Infraserv Höchst Group is growing – not just in its revenue, which rose 3.1 percent year-on-year to reach EUR 975 million (consolidated) in the 2017 financial year, but also in its operations. A new subsidiary, Infraserv Höchst Prozesstechnik GmbH, opened up for business several months ago, augmenting Infraserv Höchst’s portfolio with services that target a field of tremendous importance to manufacturing companies. The successfully launched company was one of the main topics of discussion at this year’s press conference, where Infraserv Managing Directors Jürgen Vormann and Joachim Kreysing reported on current projects and the evolution of Industriepark Höchst. Both also addressed critical issues that had seriously impacted Industriepark Höchst as a business location as well as the chemical and pharmaceutical industry as a whole.

Agreement regarding compliance with the Seveso Directive

One of these issues dealt with the Seveso III Directive, which requires an appropriate safety distance between residential housing and chemical production plants. An agreement has been reached with the City of Frankfurt that applies to the three industrial parks in the Frankfurt area. “The agreement lays the groundwork to retain development opportunities for the industrial parks and park tenants while allowing nearby communities to engage in responsible urban development,” explained Vormann.

Dynamic development at Industriepark Höchst

Industriepark Höchst remains one of Europe’s most successful research and production sites for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Its undiminished momentum was once again underscored by how much all the tenants had collectively invested in the park last year: EUR 328 million. “The level of investment at Industriepark Höchst is extremely stable again despite the headwinds battering some segments of the market,” noted Vormann. In Kreysing’s view, the companies’ continued eagerness to invest in Industriepark Höchst demonstrates that the site’s operator has done excellent work. “We provide an ideal environment for our efficient, needs-based service solutions – an environment that cuts a fine figure in the international market for business locations,” stressed Kreysing. And while other regions in the world may have lower energy prices or tax rates, Industriepark Höchst, which has attracted over EUR 7.3 billion in investment since 2000, provides the best environment imaginable for research and production companies in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.

One sign of the park’s attractiveness is Finnish paper manufacturer UPM’s plans to look into building a large biorefinery to convert wood into chemicals at Industriepark Höchst. “UPM has evaluated sites all across Europe and decided to go with Industriepark Höchst,” said Kreysing. While the Infraserv Managing Director acknowledged that UPM still had to verify the project’s profitability, he asserted, “If UPM builds the plant anywhere, it will be here in Höchst.” In his eyes, that clearly demonstrated the park’s attractiveness and competitiveness.

Revenue on the rise at the Infraserv Höchst Group

Last year, Energy Management and Energy Trading generated around EUR 530 million in revenue, or nearly two-thirds of Infraserv GmbH & Co. Höchst KG’s total revenue of EUR 866.1 million. Impressive gains were posted at the Site Services segment, including the various units that operate nationwide. The experts in Facilities Services, for example, now serve the Merck campus in Darmstadt and a location in Penzberg, Bavaria. Infraserv Höchst’s environmental team is in demand throughout Germany as well. All subsidiaries reported an increase in revenue: the Provadis Group, Infraserv Logistics and Thermal Conversion Compound GmbH, who operates the RDF-fired waste-to-energy plant at Industriepark Höchst.

Infraserv Höchst Prozesstechnik: service powered by expertise

Even the new subsidiary is coming along well: Infraserv Höchst Prozesstechnik GmbH has been in business since the start of the year. “Technical services are exceedingly important for an industrial site’s stability and attractiveness,” explained Joachim Kreysing, Managing Director of Infraserv Höchst. “We maintain valuable expertise and supply our customers with services that demand highly specialized know-how.” The new company started out serving tenants at the park but has already received inquiries and contracts from firms throughout the Rhine-Main Region.

Frank Unger, Managing Director of Infraserv Höchst Prozesstechnik GmbH, and his team have entered the market in three different segments: Asset Management & Engineering, Reliability Management, Pumps and Drives and Process Analyzers. The supply of these services is modest despite the obvious need for them – Industriepark Höchst alone has around 40,000 pumps, compressors and motors in operation.
Infraserv Prozesstechnik GmbH provides consulting services for sustainably raising the availability of complex process equipment. “We conduct an exact analysis of our customers’ equipment and then use our findings to develop a holistic maintenance strategy and improve equipment availability,” explained Unger. Infraserv Prozesstechnik, which operates on a manufacturer-independent basis, also provides the services needed to put its strategies into action.