Covering more than 60,000 square meters, the equivalent of nine soccer pitches, Norwegian retailer Europris’ new storage and distribution center is massive. One of its two buildings rises almost 40 meters above the ground, reminiscent of a skyscraper extending from the flat landscape outside Moss, south of Oslo.

The enormous site rises up like a giant to greet visitors as they arrive. Up to 25 meters below, the tiny figures of construction workers busy themselves with more than a dozen diggers, trucks, and dumpers. Schafisheim's former gravel quarry is now 300 meters long and 100 meters wide.

​It is here that the country's largest bakery, which from 2016 will produce 60,000 tons of bread and baked goods every year, is taking shape. «The ground must be able to withstand the same loads as the Prime Tower in Zurich,» says Diego Lechmann of Food Engineering. «We have a general engineering brief,» underlines the architect, who specializes in construction for the food industry. This brief includes the highly automated logistics, «which we have tested in pilot projects.» 

The volume of the mammoth building alone, which runs along the Aarauerstrasse, is almost a million cubic meters. There are 1,300 parking spaces below ground. In addition to the bakery and confectionery, there is space for the empties store and automated frozen storage.

The old Coop distribution center is surrounded by the new buildings, so to speak. The biggest complex is connected to the current site via a tunnel underneath the Rupperswilerstrasse and a two-story linkway for pedestrians and logistics.

​The blue thermal insulation in the foundation slab of the building in the southerly section of the site catches the eye. «This will be home to the automated cold storage for dairy products, meat, fruit, vegetables, salad, and much more,» explains Lechmann as we take a tour of the site.

The roof membrane of the new Amazon Logistics Center in Vercelli, Italy, was welded with a Leister VARIMAT V2 in July 2017 of last year.

Successful under time pressure and temperature fluctuations
108,000 square metres of roof area - as large as 15 football fields – is a considerable area, for a roof and for a VARIMAT V2. The project lasted from February to July 2017 and welding was made more difficult by temperature fluctuations. Temperature fluctuations were caused not only by the changing of the seasons from winter to spring to summer, but especially in the summer by the change from day to night. The VARIMAT V2's welding temperature had to be adjusted through-out the day to counteract changes in the outside temperature; this ensures high quality welding seams that will not leak. 

Be on the safe side with closed-loop technology from LEISTER
With the closed-loop technology from LEISTER you are on the safe side when it comes to the quality of the welding seam. Why? This technology guarantees that the parameters remain permanently constant even in the case of voltage fluctuations. In this way you always achieve consistent welds under different conditions on the construction site. 

Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) recently required conversion work on their production facility in Noel, Mo. Although the roof was to be sealed with bitumen sheeting, the building owner specified that no welding was to be performed with an open flame on the roof. A specification the roofing company, Harness Roofing, could easily abide by using the BITUMAT B2 from Leister.

​Occasionally even the most arid of regions can experience a downpour of rain. For this reason, flat roofs must be protected in the dry regions too. Inconceivable what may happen if the roof over the emergency room of the enormous Sheikh Khalifa Medical City complex were to leak. As everywhere else in the world, those responsible have put their full trust in Leister. 

​The well-known Austrian commercial firm Haberkorn Ulmer has had a new building erected in Leonding. The highly complex architectural structure is the first industrial firm in a newly established enterprise zone. It comprises an office section with a training and seminar area as well as a warehouse. The office facility is constructed with an ultra-low-energy design. It has hydronic radiant floor heating supplied with groundwater, ceiling cooling, permanent ventilation, daylight-controlled lighting and above-average insulation. This means it fulfills the "Minergie" standard.

​Tennis is enjoying immense popularity. That holds true for Switzerland in particular. – Not only since the Swiss tennis star, Roger Federer, has been flying the flag for the Alpine nation throughout the world. The very good infrastructure is certainly one of the reasons for the prestige of tennis in Switzerland. Modern indoor tennis courts are springing up all over the country, allowing people to play all year round. One of them has just been finished, the Sports Core Belpmoos, near to Bern.

​ProLogis, a top global provider of distribution facilities, in partnership with Portland General Electric, a leader in the charge on clean energy in Oregon, decided to add solar panels to the massive roofs atop seven ProLogis warehouses in Portland, Oregon. The panels would supply reliable, clean energy, which Portland General Electric could then distribute to its customers — essentially creating seven mini-power plants for the energy supplier.

​Vietnam is an up-and-coming country. Above all, the comparatively low wages are among the important attractions for foreign companies. 60 % of the population is under 30, which means the potential labour force is correspondingly large. Moreover, this "Asian Tiger" also offers investors a very good tax environment. The domestic market itself is also becoming increasingly lucrative. All these are valid reasons that make Vietnam appealing as a production location.