Beiersdorf has opened its almost €300 million plant in Leipzig, making it the largest investment in a single location in the company's history.
The first deodorants "Made in Leipzig" went on the market in the first quarter of this year.
Three lines are currently in operation, with two more to follow.
Each year at the plant, up to 450 million cosmetic products will roll off the production lines.
The first deodorants "Made in Leipzig" went on the market in the first quarter of this year.
By using renewable energies and biogas for heat generation, the plant runs almost completely CO2e-neutral.
Resources such as heat, wastewater and ethanol are recovered and processed at the new plant. In the future, it is planned to operate the plant as an Energy+ site and, for example through photovoltaics, to generate more electricity than it consumes.
Vincent Warnery, chairman of Beiersdorf's executive board, said, "We are pleased and proud to officially inaugurate our new, state-of-the-art production center together with you today. Here, in Germany, we are creating the capacity for long-term, sustainable growth of our brands in Europe. The plant features state-of-the-art technology, the highest environmental standards and a unique, strong team. In addition to many employees from our Waldheim site, we were also able to bring many new employees on board. We look forward to writing a success story in Leipzig."
Michael Kretschmer, minister president of Saxony, said, "Saxony is a good place for investment and entrepreneurial commitment. I am delighted that Beiersdorf's largest single investment to date in a location is being realized here in our free state. Indeed, the new and state-of-the-art production facility is significant for the entire region and the people living here. The new plant and the many attractive jobs are a clear commitment to Saxony as a business location. It further strengthens Saxony as a technology and industrial location overall."
Burkhard Jung, the mayor of Leipzig, said, "Leipzig and the smell—that was a very unpleasant topic 35 years ago. Today, Leipzig smells great. The new Beiersdorf plant is opening up a whole new industry in Leipzig, and arithmetically, every adult inhabitant could get a bottle of deodorant from the plant—per day. Beiersdorf has built an ultra-modern production site in Leipzig, and the city is thus expanding its economic portfolio and becoming more crisis-proof."
