Speedy progress in the development of the institute
DIL celebrates topping-out ceremony of the new technical building
Quakenbrück (DIL). Five months after the topping-out ceremony for the laboratory annex, the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL) could celebrate the next roofing ceremony. The construction of the building for the new technical center has made fast progress so that on March 5, 2010 the topping-out wreath could be raised. At the same time the numerous guests were invited to visit the entire DIL campus.
The gable of the technical center in the south of Quakenbrück is visible over a long distance. Despite the long winter, the institute with the newly erected building is approaching its goal to continuously expand and optimize its performance range and services.
The new technical center will offer a lot of space for various research and development activities, for example for the creation of new ice cream varieties, cereal bars and meat products. Innovative technologies play a large role here. The research activities in the new technical center will, among others, focus on the application of advanced technologies in food processing. The linking of product and process development allows the design and production of high quality food that meets both the consumers' expectations and the manufacturer’s demand for energy efficient production and food safety. The new building will also house laboratories, offices and meeting rooms for the growing number of employees at DIL.
The DIL will gain an additional floor space of more than 3,100 sqm with the new building. The former technical center had a floor space of only 930 sqm; it will be used in the future by DIL’s own engineering and mechanics center where the technologies developed by the institute will be converted into industrial machines.
At the day of the topping-out ceremony, numerous guests took advantage of the offer to take a closer look at the building and the developing DIL campus. Representatives from the industry, politics and region followed the invitation.
Dr. Volker Heinz, head of the institute, thanked the State of Lower Saxony, the County of Onsabrück and the City of Quakenbrück for their support. The investment sum for the second construction phase will amount to 4.24m Euros. The funds were granted by the Lower Saxony Ministry for Nutrition, Agriculture, Consumer Protection and Rural Development. Dr. Heinz gave his special thank to the contractors from this region who were contributing to the expansion with their commitment. The constructional work of the new technical center will presumably be completed by the end of the year.
Added to that, the construction of the laboratory annex is almost finished. At the end of this spring, the division “Food Safety” with its microbiology and chemistry laboratories will move into the new rooms and will then be able to expand its performance range as well.
The building activities at DIL encompass three sections: Besides the laboratory annex and the technical center, there will be another building erected as annex to the technical center which will then house the physics laboratories. Altogether, after completion of all these measures, the floor space of the DIL will have increased from currently 2,900 sqm to then about 9,000 sqm.
