OBO remains on a growth course for a second billion in turnover

An 11,000-square-metre expansion with state-of-the-art production is currently pending approval, while 23,000 square metres of logistics space, equivalent to four football fields, will be created at our German site in Menden, with the total investment at the location exceeding 100 million euros.

Our new Logistics Centre successfully went live at the beginning of the year and supplies all OBO sites worldwide from Menden. At the sites in Hungary, Switzerland, Great Britain and India, OBO has grown by another 28,000 square metres in the past 16 months, reported the 79-year-old Chairman of the Board of Directors on Wednesday (4 February) to journalists at the company headquarters.  He then introduced the three long-standing Managing Directors of the OBO Group, who have written the world market leader’s success story in electrical installation technology together with him for many years.

“OBO is growing both in Germany and abroad. With the new Logistics Centre and central warehouse, we can serve our national and international customers reliably and quickly over the long term,” said Bettermann. State-of-the-art technology and connected production in the immediate vicinity of the Metal Competence Centre erected a decade ago and expanded from 30,000 to 38,000 square metres in 2025 ensure short and sustainable transport routes. A large part of the power supply will be provided by the company’s own photovoltaic system, which has once again been extended on the new building. The previous 40,000 square metres of warehouse space will now be complemented with 23,000 square metres serviced by driverless electrical transport systems. New office and administrative areas were also built for logistics, accommodating 105 employees.

Where the German economy has shown signs of weakness for years, we took a counter-cyclical approach and invested heavily, emphasised Ulrich Bettermann. At its largest production site in Bugyi, near the Hungarian capital of Budapest, OBO invested 35 million euros into an expanded central logistics system and production last year.

An all-new logistics centre was also built at the Swiss factory for 8 million Swiss francs. The subsidiary in Great Britain was previously located in leased premises, and was proverbially bursting at its seams. An all-new factory was also built here with an associated logistics centre. The OBO site in India will double in both turnover and size this year. In 2025, OBO USA also moved into its own new premises, growing at a similar pace to our subsidiary in China.

“No one ever truly leaves”

“The company continues on a clear growth path. After our first billion in turnover, we already have the second billion in sight,” said Bettermann. The company’s three-person executive management team, consisting of Prof. Dr Robert Gröning, Christoph Palausch and Lajos Hernádi, who have all been at the top of the company for years, is now responsible for operations.

Ulrich Bettermann’s departure from executive management is neither a farewell to work nor to the company, where he will remain Chairman of the Board of the highest supervisory committee. The Board of Directors also includes Dr Ahmet Yilmaz from Hagen and the previous Volkswagen Chair Dr Jochem Heizmann from Ingolstadt. After almost six decades with the company, Ulrich Bettermann is going to take things a bit more slowly, but as the German saying goes, “No one ever truly leaves.”