Rahlau industrial area

Important supply and disposal companies

The commercial and industrial location of Rahlau is home to attractive, sustainable company headquarters. The space- and energy-efficient architecture here ensures optimum production conditions as well as favourable working conditions for employees. With a number of supply and disposal companies located here, this industrial site keeps the Wandsbek district running, and the resident THW technical assistance organisation contributes to keeping Hamburg safe in the event of a crisis.

Here you can view an interactive map of selected industry locations in Hamburg.

To the interactive map of the most important industrial locations in Hamburg — © Freiland Hamburg

Key figures

Total size of the location: 68 ha

Companies located here: 204

Gainfully employed individuals: 8,742

Total revenue of all companies: € 2,025,611,000

Locational benefits of the Rahlau commercial area

At the Rahlau commercial and industrial location, there are numerous examples of efficient use of commercial space, such as the parking garage and the main building of Olympus. — © Manufacturing Cities/Kai Michael Dietrich

Efficient use of land

As a location for industry, Rahlau offers numerous examples of how commercial space can be used most efficiently. To account for today’s requirements, production processes as well as car parking are organised vertically here, which is also reflected in the architecture, such as the multi-storey car park and the main (5-storey) building of optical manufacturer Olympus. But of course this concept also requires the use of innovative technologies and processes. For example, in order to manage the great variety of often complex articles and parts and to be able to respond flexibly to changes in demand and supply, a “pull system” controls logistics and purchasing at Olympus. A vertical storage system allows materials to be stored and moved efficiently through all the floors, ensuring high product handling speed and maximum space utilisation. Other space-efficient approaches include e.g. building materials supplier Bauking, a resident company that has put a vacant plot of land on the railway line to optimal use, as well as the Astor business park, which is also situated here.

As part of the restructuring of Makita's corporate headquarters, a new two-story office building with nearly 5,000 m² GFA was constructed in the Rahlau industrial area. — © Manufacturing Cities/Kai Michael Dietrich

Sustainable architecture

For the modernisation of Makita’s premises in Hamburg, the company commissioned Takenaka Europe as architect and general contractor. The restructuring of the company’s headquarters in the Rahlau commercial area is taking place during ongoing operations and consists of two phases: the first included the demolition of the old warehouse and the creation of a new two-storey office building with almost 5,000 m² of gross floor area. The second phase comprises the development of a 12,700 m² goods and distribution warehouse for the whole of Europe. First and foremost, the project is aimed at enhancing the site’s energy efficiency through sustainable building technology, which includes e.g. the use of a gas motor heat pump (air-water) for heating and cooling, ventilation systems with recuperative heat recovery via rotary heat exchanger, area-wide LED lighting, the implementation of an energy management system in relation to the consumption of all control systems (water, cooling, heating, ventilation, electrical) as well as extensive roof greening.

Commercial yard in the Rahlau location — © Manufacturing Cities/Kai Michael Dietrich

Opportunities for smaller companies

The Rahlau location offers suitable commercial premises for smaller companies too, with sites for trade businesses as well as production-oriented service companies spread throughout the area. The Astor business park, which is also known as Hanse Hof Wandsbek, offers prestigious architecture and flexible, high-end facilities in a near-nature setting on an area of around 50,000 m². Here you can rent modern office, storage, service and exhibition space including a comprehensive range of on-site services. Likewise, the business park at Jenfelder Strasse 55a offers a wealth of opportunities for small enterprises looking for a place that is suited to the needs of commercial activities.

The Wandsbek Public Works Department carries out repair and rehabilitation work on public transport infrastructure. — © Manufacturing Cities/Kai Michael Dietrich

Major location for supply and disposal

The Rahlau commercial area is home to a number of important companies from the supply and disposal sector. From here, the infrastructure of the Wandsbek district is maintained, and, in case of environmental incidents, help is provided throughout Hamburg. Bauhof Wandsbek, for instance, is in charge of coordinating repair and modernisation works on public transport infrastructure in Wandsbek, such as footpaths and cycle lanes, roads, as well as playgrounds and green spaces. And the THW technical assistance organisation, which is also based here, takes action on incidents such as heavy rainfall or flooding of the Elbe River. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, THW was also in charge of coordinating vaccination logistics.

Impressions from Rahlau

Phoenix Pharmahandel Company in the Rahlau industrial area — © Manufacturing Cities/Kai Michael Dietrich

Bauhof Wandsbek is located in the Rahlau industrial area. — © Manufacturing Cities/Kai Michael Dietrich

Rahlau Industrial Area — © Manufacturing Cities/Kai Michael Dietrich

Company Bauking is located in the Wandsbek/Rahlau industrial area. — © Manufacturing Cities/Kai Michael Dietrich

Jungnickel Sanitär Company in the industrial area Wandsbek/Rahlau — © Manufacturing Cities/Kai Michael Dietrich

Wandsbek/Rahlau industrial area — © Manufacturing Cities/Kai Michael Dietrich

Thematic maps of Rahlau

Infographic on traffic links in the Rahlau industrial area

Connectivity

Rahlau is one of the largest contiguous commercial areas in Wandsbek and, thanks to its location close to the centre of Wandsbek and the federal road/motorway, is attractive to companies from all sectors.

Standard land values

The standard land value signifies the average value for a certain zone in a given municipal area. In the Rahlau commercial area, the standard land value amounts to approx. € 400 per square metre.

Rahlau: selected company profiles

Olympus

The worldwide Olympus competence centre for rigid endoscopy is located here in Wandsbek. Moreover, the site accommodates the headquarters of Olympus Surgical Technologies Europe | Olympus Winter & Ibe GmbH. The development and production complex covers an area of more than 32,000 m². Attaching great importance to vertical integration, Olympus Surgical Technologies Europe manufactures some 3,500 different medical products. To be able to respond to orders swiftly and flexibly and to produce in an efficient, eco-friendly manner while ensuring the highest quality, the majority of work stages are performed in-house. The vertical range of manufacture requires a wide variety of production systems. Laser applications, one of the core technologies, may illustrate this: at the Hamburg site alone, there are almost 6,000 different laser applications available for welding, cutting and marking individual components.

L. Buck & Sohn

Buck & Sohn GmbH & Co. KG is a well-established production company and almost a household name in the Hamburg region. In close partnership with leading manufacturers, the company stocks semi-finished products and piping systems alongside relevant associated components. Products come in different qualities and sizes depending on needs. Equipped with a high level of planning expertise, the company develops and produces tanks and other products according to customers' specifications. Covering the entire workflow from design to final approval, Buck & Sohn masters all the techniques necessary for accurately machining and processing a wide range of materials. This includes turning and milling just as much as edging, forming and polishing. To maintain the highest quality standards, the experts at Buck & Sohn take pride in complying with the welding regulations set forth by DVS, the German Welding Society.

Makita

Based in Japan, Makita Group has branches in around 50 countries worldwide and employs some 20,000 people. The group specialises in the development and manufacture of powerful tools with battery technology, delighting not only customers in industry and the trades, but also more and more home and garden owners. At its Hamburg site, Makita Engineering Germany GmbH has been manufacturing hand-held tools for forestry and gardening applications for over 90 years, distributing them worldwide. Makita has had its own sales office in Germany since 1977. Today, some 700 machines plus sets and variants as well as matching accessories from the battery, electric and petrol range are sold through specialist dealers.

Phoenix Pharmahandel

The distribution centre in Hamburg is one of a total of 19 distribution centres operated by Phoenix Pharmahandel GmbH & Co KG. With its nationwide network, Phoenix, the market leader in pharmaceutical wholesale in Germany, ensures that chemists in Hamburg and beyond receive their ordered goods swiftly and reliably. With over 4,500 employees throughout Germany, the company supplies pharmacies and medical facilities with medicines and health products on a daily basis. In addition, Phoenix and its specialised subsidiaries offer a number of other health-related goods and services. These include e.g. ERP and cash register systems for pharmacies, transport and special logistics solutions, patient-specific blister-packaging and a range of advisory and training services.

ZytoService

Headquartered in the district of Wandsbek, ZytoService Deutschland GmbH employs some 250 staff at its Hamburg site, which is the company’s largest production site in Germany. Overall, more than 400 highly qualified individuals with sound GMP training work at the three locations in Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich. The company specialises in manufacturing patient-specific parenteral infusion solutions for oncological therapies. The focus is on the care of cancer patients who are treated in surgeries and hospitals. In recent years, ZytoService has produced more than half a million cytostatics, parenteral nutrition, antibiotics and other sterile infusion solutions annually. In Hamburg, ZytoService makes use of the high-end, flexible rental space in the Hanse Hof business park.

Freudenberg

Headquartered in Weinheim (Southern Germany), Freudenberg & Co. KG is a family-owned group of companies that supplies various industries, such as the automotive, mechanical engineering, textile, construction and telecommunications industries. Freudenberg Group can be found in around 60 countries and 550 locations worldwide. The Hamburg site serves as the logistics hub for European locations that stock their warehouses with standard industrial catalogue parts from Freudenberg’s own brand, Dichtomatik. With a floor space of 6,500 m² and as many as 16 fully automatic high racks alongside numerous standard high racks, the warehouse in Hamburg is the largest in Europe for industrial standard gaskets. A broad range of different types of gaskets are permanently stocked here.

Disclaimer

Note on area sizes: The industrial and commercial area referred to in the key figures indicates the gross area according to the maps displayed. These include different proportions of water areas, transport areas and green areas. Therefore, it is not possible to make a direct comparison between the individual locations presented on these pages, e.g. in terms of workforce per hectare.

Note on employment figures: Information on the local workforce is mostly provided by the German Federal Employment Agency. In some cases, figures are not broken down by individual company branches and locations, i.e. aggregate employment figures are provided instead. In such cases, the statistical business register does not include more detailed figures. Moreover, please note potential limitations of data collection e.g. in terms of minimum thresholds. As a result, the figures provided should be regarded as approximate figures that are intended to provide general guidance only.

Note on revenue figures: These figures are based on the tax returns of the companies as of 31 December 2022. In some cases, figures are not reported for each individual branch, but only for the relevant group of companies. These values are subsequently broken down on a case-by-case basis. Moreover, tax reports may be updated following a longer period of time. Therefore, the figures provided are intended to provide general guidance only.

Note on standard land values: The map provides information on standard land values for use in production/logistics. The relevant values were converted (i.e. standardised) to a plot size of 1,000 square metres or a value-related floor-area ratio of 1.0, respectively. Both the lowest and the highest standard land value in the building block are provided. The map aims to serve as a reference and is not suited for determining the actual value. At BORIS.HH you can view an interactive standard land value map of Hamburg. The website offers detailed information on standard land values in Hamburg and lets you convert the standard land value to account for individual property characteristics. All values displayed refer to the reference date of 1 January 2024.

Note on hazardous operations: Locations of establishments pursuant to §3 para. 5a of the German Federal Immission Control Act (BimSchG) in the jurisdiction of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. Further metadata / publication / created on 30 September 2014.

Sources: Standard land values: Geoportal Hamburg / hazardous operations: Geoportal Hamburg / key figures: business register of the Northern Germany Statistical Office / definition of “undertaking”.