General Raw material wood KIELSTEG structure Best Practice Portfolio Carport Weidenweg Furniture Factory Faustmann Office Sigmatek / 118 Faustmann – a success story with future potential Just off the Autobahn at the Hartberg exit, in the eastern Styrian community of St. Johann in der Haide, stands the factory of Faustmann Möbelmanufaktur. The red of the company logo is repeated in the exterior design of the smart buildings. Erwin Faustmann sits by the window and looks proudly out at his new factory building, where around 90 skilled cabinetmakers are hard at work, crafting the dreams of their customers for interior design and top-quality, individual furniture. In total the company employs 120 people, grown from a one-man operation in just 26 years. Erwin Faustmann hadn’t planned on this much growth at the beginning. But he rapidly made a name for himself with his commitment to high quality, quick completion of projects and technical excellence in joinery. It´s not for nothing that the company motto is ‘One man, one word – Faustmann’. Reliability and faithfulness to their word are what have made the Faustmann team such a successful company. Die Firma Faustmann steht für anspruchsvolles Design, Faustmann stands for sophisticated design, executed in top quality. The factory makes furniture for hotels and restaurants and executes many large projects each year in this sector. But a sizeable number of private customers also turn to Faustmann for stylish interiors for their homes. In 2017, Faustmann introduced their own line of fi tted kitchens, offering individual design for moderate prices. The possibilities range from economical entry- level models to highly customized creations with exclusive surfaces. Around 1500 kitchens leave the factory each year. Yet Faustmann also feels the growing competition and pressure on prices from the opening of the European market and the growth of online sales channels. To survive in this competitive environment, a business needs excellent antennae for people and their needs and total consistency in quality. If these elements are present, there is no shortage of clients who are willing to trust Faustmann with their projects. When Faustmann decided to build a new factory, they placed the same trust in the builders’ fi rm Kulmer from Pischelsdorf, not far from Hartberg. Kulmer has earned an excellent reputation for building in wood, and was the fi rst choice for the project. Working with the architects ZT Gerhard Kreiner from Gröbming, the new factory was designed and built completely in wood. The project only took 12 months from the beginning of design work to completion of the building. Thanks to detailed and precise prefabrication, the on-site construction was completed within six months. Some concrete was needed to meet the requirements of the painting shop, and the contrast of concrete and wood is used as a design feature in some other parts of the building as well. From the beginning, Erwin Faustmann was determined that that the building had to be a full wooden construction and fl exible in use. To make space for machines, the factory fl oor has to be as free of pillars and posts as absolutely possible. These requirements led Kulmer to the logical choice of Kielsteg. Kulmer has been producing and developing the innovative and sustainable roof and fl oor elements in Pischelsdorf since 2006. The excellent structural performance and the resource-effi cient production and processing make Kielsteg the perfect element for roofs and fl oors, especially when these need to cover wide spans.