From start-up to world leader in just under 30 years
It has taken just under 30 years to reach the top. In 1984 master glazier Gerhard Seele and structural steelwork engineer Siegfried Goßner combined their skills to create a single firm – seele. From the very beginning, the Gersthofen-based company incorporated the latest developments in its projects and was even granted its own patents in its first year of operation. Regional projects were quickly followed by major contracts such as the Leipzig Trade Fair or the Design Center in Linz.
Ten years after its founding, seele has increased its revenue and its workforce ten-fold. Aiming for international operations, a subsidiary was created in Austria in 1994, followed by the sales branches in France and the UK. A further production plant was established in Plzeň in the Czech Republic in 1996 and the USA launch came in 2001.
All the time, the head office in Gersthofen was growing continuously. Intensive R&D in glass construction led to this unit being given its own production building in 2004. And in that same year seele middle east was set up in Dubai.
The year 2007 saw the founding of sedak, a company dedicated to all-glass structures and top-quality glass products. This was complemented by the acquisition of covertex GmbH in August 2007, which enabled seele to expand its product range to membrane and fabric structures. In addition to the head office in Obing, this business unit also has a major production location in Shanghai.
New offices were opened in Gersthofen in 2008, and in that year the production of aluminium unitised façades was also established there. In 2009 seele increased production capacity at its headquarters by building a large facility for innovative glass designs. In that same year, covertex was integrated into the corporate setup under the name cover.
Ten years after its founding, seele has increased its revenue and its workforce ten-fold. Aiming for international operations, a subsidiary was created in Austria in 1994, followed by the sales branches in France and the UK. A further production plant was established in Plzeň in the Czech Republic in 1996 and the USA launch came in 2001.
All the time, the head office in Gersthofen was growing continuously. Intensive R&D in glass construction led to this unit being given its own production building in 2004. And in that same year seele middle east was set up in Dubai.
The year 2007 saw the founding of sedak, a company dedicated to all-glass structures and top-quality glass products. This was complemented by the acquisition of covertex GmbH in August 2007, which enabled seele to expand its product range to membrane and fabric structures. In addition to the head office in Obing, this business unit also has a major production location in Shanghai.
New offices were opened in Gersthofen in 2008, and in that year the production of aluminium unitised façades was also established there. In 2009 seele increased production capacity at its headquarters by building a large facility for innovative glass designs. In that same year, covertex was integrated into the corporate setup under the name cover.
In the summer of 2011, seele installed one of the world's largest glass toughening plants plus an associated heat-soak test chamber on its Gersthofen site. At the same time, the production of unitised façades was further expanded to create an up-to-date production line for complex projects.
There will be further additions to the international network in 2012 in the form of offices in Hong Kong and São Paulo.
Star architects and the most innovative consulting engineers have been seele’s partners for many years for its activities around the world. Highly challenging, international showcase projects such as Strasbourg Station, the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, the Institute of Peace in Washington and Berlin’s new international airport have become routine for seele.
There will be further additions to the international network in 2012 in the form of offices in Hong Kong and São Paulo.
Star architects and the most innovative consulting engineers have been seele’s partners for many years for its activities around the world. Highly challenging, international showcase projects such as Strasbourg Station, the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, the Institute of Peace in Washington and Berlin’s new international airport have become routine for seele.
