“Hear my cry from here on high,
as I stand and say in accordance with tradition:
Long live art and science, erecting
buildings and creating assets.”
With this short poem, the tradesmen from construction company Dobler began the traditional topping out ceremony for the new hall, during which they bless both the building and the company, for traditionally the topping out ceremony celebrates the tradesmen’s work and successful completion of the project.
“It’s part of the tradition of the construction industry to pause and look back on what we have achieved, and to not only enjoy the successful completion of this phase, but also to look forward to what lies ahead,” says Peter-Josef Paffen, Chairman of the AGCO/Fendt Management Board. He speaks within view of the traditional topping out tree, which adorns the gable of the new hall at a height of 13 metres.
“The success of this project has been mainly thanks to our highly efficient team of architects, foremen, skilled tradesmen, and Fendt employees,” continues Paffen. “This is the fourth construction phase of the Fendt Forum, and the completion of this building means that we are well on course to achieve the objectives of our “Fendt 2020 Strategy”, as this hall will enable us to hold training courses all-year round on all Fendt machines, and allow us to showcase our full product range.”
In recent years, Fendt has become a genuine full-line provider, which has increased the need for additional exhibition space. The new hall will host not only exhibitions and training courses, but also special events, the first of which will be the International Press Conference on 2 July 2019, quickly followed by the Dealer Technica. As this date had been set in stone since 2018, the construction phase already had a looming deadline. “The eight-week winter break was a challenge for us, but a huge effort together with the other companies involved put us back on track,” says Karsten Köhler, Head of Fendt Marketing Events & Logistics, praising the team’s work. “Due to the schedule, much of the work was performed in parallel, so here for example, the facade was built first, and then the roof was put on,” says Köhler, discussing the details of the project.
“We began planning the fourth construction phase of the Fendt Forum back in December 2017. The progress made on our project since the turn of the year is clear for all to see, and the first events will be held here in July,” explains Karsten Köhler. Despite the tight schedule, Kohler points out that the whole process went off largely without a hitch. The first construction phase of the Fendt Forum, the large exhibition hall, was completed in 2006, followed by the Dieselross restaurant and further meeting rooms and offices in the Fendt Forum in 2009. The Fendt Shop and more office space with a modified entrance area were all added in 2013, and are now complete following the extension of the exhibition hall.
