INTERVIEW WITH ROHR- UND BAUELEMENTE

The Company wbr Rohr- und Bauelemente GmbH is a most technologically advanced supplier of tubes for construction use, as well as for industrial solutions, heating technology and filter manufacturing. Durable and impressive material and product quality, the best development and manufacturing skills and an individual, solution-oriented service are the hallmarks of our business. Flexible production methods allow them to produce economical solutions in almost any batch size.

E.E: What are the main areas of activity oft he company?

ROHR: We are represented throughout Europe with our products and have contacts with specialist retailers and also directly with construction companies in most countries of Europe.

Especially for the Eastern European region, we opened an office in Kosice/Slovakia in 2019 in order to make our products more widely known in this market.

About 40% of our production is delivered to mainly European countries.

E.E: What’s new for 2020 about new products?

ROHR: Together with our partners we are continuously working  to be in a position for offering our international customers also in the future modern, future oriented solutions.

However, new developments are not always necessary, but new ideas for the use of existing products, or special solutions derived from them.

To give two examples, for the new construction of the football stadium in Freiburg, we have produced  a so-called thorn sleeve, which makes limited and specially devinable movements of the anchoring spine possible.

Also for special applications in precast concrete construction, we have designed a rectangular tube with an inner and outer corrugation, which allows static forces occurring to slip over the tube when using so-called pull anchors. This basically makes it possible to achieve savings in the concrete part.

E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?

ROHR: As far as the past year is concerned, we can say that domestic demand (i.e. Germany) has been stable, or has even led to increases for our products. Sales from other European countries were also stable, but did not show any growth.

Of course, sveral countries showed very different.

E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?

ROHR: In the construction sector, we have seen in recent years that there is a certain trend towards precast concrete parts.

Industrial manufactured  components are more calculable, both in production and assembly on the construction site and can thus partly counteract the shortage of skilled workers on construction.

E.E: What estimations do you have for 2020?

ROHR: Basically, the expectation for 2020 was not bad, on the contrary, we assumed a stable further development of our markets, also was  shown in the first quarter.

On the basis of the Corona Epidemic, we see the development for 2020 and 2021 rather with mixed feelings and assume a decline in sales.