NEWS
Space for further growth: rear view of the Bentley buildings; in the background, the Best company site pur-chased for the new Bentley campus.
Unstoppable growth: Bentley celebrates 15th anniversary and inauguration of new building Admin II
Hechingen, June 7th, 2024. Over 450 guests - employees and representatives from business, politics and medicine - celebrated the inauguration of Bentley's new company building in Hechingen last Friday. More than 100 attractive workplaces, a spacious new canteen and logistics areas have been created on around 4,250 square metres and five floors. With this move, the leading manufacturer of balloon-expandable covered stents has reached another milestone in the expansion of its main site in the medical technology stronghold of Hechingen.
“Since its foundation almost exactly 15 years ago to the day, Bentley has been growing extremely dynamically. We are delighted to be able to move into our new ‘Admin II’ building just in time for this anniversary - with plenty of space for new offices as well as a new staff canteen and our new central warehouse. This will create space for the expansion of our high-tech production on our existing premises here in Hechingen,” said Lars Sunnanväder, founder and major shareholder of Bentley. “On behalf of my co-founder, Miko Obradovic, and our shareholders, I would like to thank the Bentley team and all the local companies involved in the construction for their great planning and construction work. Together, they have made it possible for us to finally move into the new building despite the devastating fire in May 2023,” said a delighted Lars Sunnanväder.
The reorganisation of space in the existing and new buildings allows for increased production capacity, also thanks to an additional clean room and laser room. Expanded logistics areas help Bentley to fully utilise one of its strengths in service for hospitals and physicians: the delay-free delivery of all Bentley products. This enables endovascular physicians in over 80 countries to rely on the availability of the right Bentley stent at all times for operations that improve or - depending on the severity of the disease - even save patients' lives. At the same time, it helps hospitals to save costs by keeping stocks low.
The new building, in which owner Lars Sunnanväder invested EUR 13 million, was erected by FBW Fertigbau Wochner. “Innovative ideas, quick decisions and close collaboration on major challenges, such as the installation of the 54 tons prefabricated bridge to Admin II: this is what we have come to appreciate about Bentley and we look forward to further major projects,” reported FBW Managing Director Jürgen Baumeister.
‘Admin II’ is equipped in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. An air-heat pump and a photovoltaic system help to avoid the consumption of fossil fuels. The photovoltaic roof modules have an output of 96 kWP and generate 130,000 kWh of electricity per year. The fully air-conditioned work places and social areas are designed according to the latest ergonomic standards and in the characteristic Bentley design, which clearly sets the young brand apart from other medical technology manufacturers.
However, a key element of Bentley's DNA is not only pioneering innovations in products and design, but above all a consistent focus on employees. This is also reflected in the concept of the new canteen. Freshly prepared meals are served here every day - with a very special extra. “At Bentley, we attach great importance to team spirit - a challenge with a workforce that is growing almost daily. Shared meals encourage personal interaction across the company. All employees pay the heavily subsidised standard price of just EUR 2.50 for one dish a day for everything - from vegan stew to steak. This makes the daily visit to the canteen even more attractive and encourages communication. This is also part of the Bentley style, like working hard together and jointly celebrating our successes,” says Bentley CEO Sebastian Büchert. The multi-purpose area of the canteen, which is equipped with state-of-the-art presentation technology, can be converted for events ranging from product launches and staff meetings to the now legendary Bentley parties.
At the same time as moving into Admin II, the Bentley facility team is already working on the next construction project: on the neighbouring site of Best Freizeitmöbel GmbH, which was acquired at the end of 2023, the Bentley Campus will be built in several construction phases over 45,000 square metres from 2025.
The guest speakers at the opening ceremony were also impressed. Christian O. Erbe, head of the medical technology company of the same name and President of the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce, paid tribute to Bentley's rapid development. “Innovative, creative and with a very special corporate culture, Bentley has developed into one of the most attractive employers in our region in just 15 years and is a prime example of the potential that lies right here.”
There was also praise from the medical side: “As a young, ambitious company, Bentley has developed high quality covered stents very quickly. They are extremely flexible and can also be used for very complex operations. Bentley stents remain permeable for a long time and allow sustainable care for patients suffering from aneurysms (arterial protrusions), problems with coronary vessels or a disturbed peripheral blood supply, for example in the legs, which in the worst case could lead to amputations. With Bentley stents, we can save patients‘ lives and improve their quality of life,” said Prof. Dr. Eric Verhoeven, Chief Physician at the Clinic for Vascular Surgery in Nuremberg. This was confirmed by his French colleague Prof. Dr. Stéphan Haulon from the Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, which is part of the Paris University Hospital network. Together with the team of his research laboratory, in the past six years Prof. Haulon has been supporting the development of a new Bentley stent, which is expected to be launched in 2025. “Bentley is once again on the verge of delivering a game changer for the treatment of endovascular diseases. This will enable us to significantly reduce the duration of the surgical intervention and thus the radiation exposure on patients and OR staff,” says the French specialist.
At the inauguration ceremony, many guests took the opportunity to personally congratulate the Bentley management team on being honored as a finalist in the prestigious EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. CEO Sebastian Büchert and company founder Lars Sunnanväder were the only representatives of their country to make it through to the final round in Monte Carlo, where they faced the judgement of the jury along with companies from 47 other countries and were honored on 6 June in the big closing event with the finalist award.
A symbol of success across the board: ‘Admin II’ (left) and ‘Admin I’ (right)
Space for further growth: rear view of the Bentley buildings; in the background, the Best company site purchased for the new Bentley campus.
Beaming finalists at the EY ‘World Entrepreneur of the Year’ event in Monte Carlo: Sebastian Büchert and Lars Sunnanväder enter the Hall of Fame of world-class entrepreneurs with their award.