Salzgitter Flachstahl presents its new Visitor Center

Up to 10,000 guests visit the steelworks each year / Sculpture by Professor Gerd Winner

Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH has now inaugurated its new Visitor Center. In future guests will be welcomed at Gate 1 of the integrated steelworks in an setting which accords with the quality of the products and production plant. The building combines the functions of a reception, information and exhibition center for works tours.

As Peter-Jürgen Schneider, Human Resources Director at Salzgitter AG, explained at the opening ceremony, “This building is an important interface with the public. This is where important audiences such as school and university students, customers and visitors in general form their first impressions of steel and the processes that produce it. We want to present ourselves as an attractive company, and we are flying the flag for the industry.”

The two-storey steel and glass structure was constructed over a period of around nine months at a cost of some € 3.3 million. Associate company Glückauf Immobilien GmbH acted as the developer and main contractor.

Around 1,200 m² of display area is given over to a representative cross-section of the products and processes employed at the works – from the delivery of ore via the blast furnaces to the steelworks, rolling mills and coating lines. A new specially produced information film shows the plant in greater detail. Various display stands are devoted to topics such as raw materials, products, history and the world of work. The exhibits on display also show what customers make with Salzgitter steel, while the Salzgitter Group itself is presented in a rotunda.

In addition to the display areas, the building also houses lecture theaters and meeting rooms as well as offices for the staff of the Visitor Center. The structure which is heated by geothermal energy was designed with accessibility in mind. 38 local firms were involved in the construction.

One particular eye-catching feature of the building is the roof which is supported by six continuous steel beams each 50 meters in length supplied by Group company Peiner Träger GmbH. Other Salzgitter Group companies also assisted, with roof and wall components and the technical presentation systems supplied by Salzgitter Flachstahl, Salzgitter Bauelemente and TELCAT.

The new Visitor Center is the central starting point for the numerous groups who visit the works. On average around 10,000 guests tour the works each year, divided into one or two parties of 30 persons per day.

Sculpture by Professor Gerd Winner

The sculpture which has been erected in front of the new Visitor Center is a work by the internationally renowned artist Professor Gerd Winner, who lives and works in Liebenburg. He created this piece as a gesture of thanks for the Group’s wide-ranging support in erecting the sculpture trail between Salzgitter-Bad and Liebenburg. The sculpture was manufactured and erected by DEUMU under Professor Winner‘s guidance.

The sculpture consists of interlocking circular disks of 70 mm steel plate each offset at 90 degrees. Each individual disk is 1.50 meters in diameter, resulting in an overall visible height of 10.50 meters.

Including the base embedded in concrete, the sculpture has a total weight of around 18 tonnes.