Meckesheim, Germany — Plastics recycling machinery supplier Herbold Meckesheim GmbH expects to return to normal production levels by mid-October following a “devastating fire” at its production site in Meckesheim Sept. 10.
The company said the fire, whose damage is estimated to run into millions, destroyed the central warehouse and the dispatch department of the machinery maker.
In a Sept. 27 statement, Herbold said its "emergency plan" was in full swing, with restoration work underway in three different areas of the site.
While the undamaged part of the site will continue operation as usual, Herbold has established an incoming goods department and a warehouse in the “direct neighborhood” of its facility.
Additionally, a nearby 2,500-square-meter machine hall, belonging to a former mechanical engineering company, will be transformed for production.
The site, Herbold said, was used as a substitute hall “even before the blaze” and offers the “best conditions for manufacturing, installation and storing, especially for large plant components.”
“The insurer approved our measures to restore an interim operation and granted a sufficient advance so we can realize the necessary investments without delay,” said Werner Herbold, one of the managing directors.
According to the official, the restocking of the parts destroyed in the central warehouse is also in full swing.
The interim site, Herbold has said, can be used for a long period of time while the company completes reconstruction of the damaged facility.