The employees who were temporarily situated at two different locations – Leipziger Straße and Stresemannstraße – already moved into the office at Bülowstraße 78 at the beginning of February. KWS is establishing a new additional location in Germany’s capital city: “In Berlin, we are consolidating our comprehensive international administrative services for more than 70 countries. In doing so, we are responding to the strong business growth that marked the recent years and positioning our structures in a more integrated, efficient and global manner,” explains Eva Kienle, Member of the Executive Board who is responsible for further developing the organization. “This is also underscored by the fact that people of more than 40 different nationalities will be working in the areas of Human Resources, Procurement, Finance, Controlling, Legal Services and IT,” she adds.
The office space has just under 8,500 square meters and is part of the revitalization of the former Commerzbank headquarters. The building is located in an attractive and versatile office and commercial district and has direct access to the underground lines U1, U2 and U3. The intensive collaboration over approximately the last year and a half with the Berlin-based architectural office Kinzo Architekten GmbH was aimed at creating a modern and future-oriented work environment featuring the KWS identity and in keeping with the guiding motto “urbanism meets agriculture.” The result thereof spans five stories and is a combination of workspaces featuring an open design, several places for small and larger meetings as well as common areas. The building’s highlights include the rooftop terrace and the conference area. Various color schemes on the different office floors serve to reflect the products of KWS. In keeping with the style of the research and cultivation division, the conference area was designed with a vast amount of glass and has a rather technical flair. The greenhouse areas that are a characteristic symbol of the company are echoed in the glass connecting elements, which can be used as areas for coffee breaks with seating options and provide space for meetings and conversations.
“I am glad that all the colleagues in Berlin are now located in one central area. This also serves as a foundation for our future in Berlin. The modern working environment, which connects the KWS culture with the characteristic flair of the capital city, offers an entirely new range of options when it comes to types of work. Thanks to the help of Kinzo and the numerous craftspeople, the building now features informal as well as formal work areas,” says Dr. Peter Hofmann, Member of the Executive Board who acted as the sponsor of this project.
About KWS*
KWS is one of the world’s leading plant breeding companies. In the fiscal year 2018/19, more than 5,500 employees in 70 countries generated net sales of EUR 1.1 billion and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of EUR 150 million. A company with a tradition of family ownership, KWS has operated independently for more than 160 years. It focuses on plant breeding and the production and sale of seed for corn, sugarbeet, cereals, rapeseed, sunflowers and vegetables. KWS uses leading-edge plant breeding methods to increase farmers’ yields and to improve resistance to diseases, pests and abiotic stress. To that end, the company invested approximately EUR 200 million last fiscal year in research and development.
*All indications excluding the results from the companies accounted for using the equity method AGRELIANT GENETICS LLC, AGRELIANT GENETICS INC. and KENFENG – KWS SEEDS CO., LTD.
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