Short Distances and Climate-Friendly Solar Energy: Peter Greven Physioderm Completes Annexe

It is less than five years since skin care manufacturer Peter Greven Physioderm inaugurated its new logistics center in Euskirchen, and now the company's headquarters have been further upgraded with a new extension. The complex, which costs around two million euros and covers 825 square meters, has been in use since the end of 2020. It houses laboratory and office space for 30 employees, as well as washing, changing and social rooms for 30 more people. "We are very pleased about the completion of the new building and are convinced that the new premises will bring many advantages not only for our employees but also for our customers," says Werner Heiliger, the managing director responsible for the new building, who runs the business of the traditional company together with Peter Greven and Dr. Hermann Josef Stolz.

The extension will also bring the development department - previously located at the headquarters of the Peter Greven Group in Bad Münstereifel - closer to the sales and production departments. This shortens coordination paths and should further reduce the development times of new products. "Occupational skin care, hand hygiene and disinfection have received a major boost from the Corona pandemic," says René Suttorp, who recently became head of the R&D department at PGP. "With the new building, we are concentrating our competencies. In this way, we want to even better live up to our reputation as a market and innovation leader that knows its customers' needs very well and that is constantly developing its products."

Sustainability was a key aspect of the construction project. For example, a very powerful photovoltaic system with 320 kWp (kilowatt peak) was retrofitted on the roof of the existing part of the building and is now running at full speed in the summer. The system produces 289,000 kWh of electricity annually - equivalent to the average energy consumption of around 72 four-person households. In the first stage, the self-produced solar energy will cover around 43 percent of the electricity consumption at the PGP site; the remaining approximately 57 percent will be fed into the grid. In the second step, the construction of a storage system is planned, with which the photovoltaic system could cover the entire energy consumption. Among other things, the electricity will flow into a double charging station so that electric and hybrid vehicles can be charged at the company's parking lot in a completely CO2-neutral manner. In perspective, a second charging station is planned, as the company fleet is to be partly converted to hybrid vehicles.

"Sustainability is an essential part of our corporate philosophy. With the new building, we are taking the next step here toward climate-friendly production," says Managing Director Werner Heiliger. He sees the expansion as a commitment to the Euskirchen site and emphasizes: "After the very good development of the past years, the new building is an investment in a successful future.