Eggersmann Gruppe
Our beginning is rooted in the middle of the legendary German »Wirtschaftswunder« (economic miracle). We therefore come from a time of new beginnings, in which energetic solutions were created – we have retained this spirit to the present day and so we work every day for a better future. In the process, we have continuously developed and reinvented ourselves. The regional construction company of the past has become a diversified and internationally active group of companies.
Our development is full of exciting events. Click through the most important years here!
With the inauguration of our new energy plant in Nieheim, we complete a very special project to mark our 75th anniversary. It is the largest single investment in our history and, at the same time, a flagship project with appeal far beyond the region. With the combined forces of all three business divisions, we are demonstrating what the transformation from a composting facility to a state-of-the-art energy plant can look like.
A cooperation between our Group-owned Eggersmann GmbH and the external Eggersmann Impaktor GmbH enables us to expand our portfolio in mobile recycling with cost-effective entry-level solutions and technologies for mineral processing.
Nowadays, maximum plant efficiency can only be achieved through digitalised processes and AI-based data evaluation – state-of-the-art machines and precisely coordinated process technology alone are no longer enough. With this in mind, we have developed our own solution for digital plant management with our ESA app. After an extensive pilot phase with well-known customers, we launched the ESA app on the market at IFAT in Munich in 2024.
In 2022, we gain BIG as a reinforcement for our construction division. Founded in Paderborn 2005 by Reiner Glowienka, the company has established itself beyond the region as an experienced partner for infrastructure projects such as bridge construction and bridge renovation. Our colleagues also take on various types of building construction and special civil engineering projects such as sewage treatment plants.
The long-established company Walther Reichert from Hamburg has been realising construction projects in an area as far as Kiel since 1933. The company's portfolio includes everything from project development, shell and turnkey construction to refurbishment. The company has made a name for itself in Hamburg with the construction of high-quality residential neighbourhoods in particular.
BACKHUS, FORUS, TEUTON, TERRA SELECT – all these former brands are now combined under a new one: Eggersmann. The old names will remain to identify the different machine types. This strategic decision emphasises a fact which is already long known in the recycling market: We at Eggersmann are now the point of contact for a wide range of recycling solutions, from mobile machines to complete plant construction.
The acquisition of farmatic from Nortorf gives us professional expertise in the field of tank construction. The brand is an integral part of our construction business and realises tank systems all over the world.
By joining E&F Elektrotechnik (electrical engineering), we were able to prove ourselves as a reliable partner to a long-standing subcontractor. E&F has already realised countless projects with us.
The TEUTON are our first mobile machines developed and produced in-house. They are mobile single-shaft shredders with a particularly high torque. They are extremely versatile and can process a wide range of materials, from green waste and bulky waste to tyres. With the combination of FORUS and TEUTON, we can serve the most important applications in mobile waste treatment.
With BETONT, we are taking a big step forward in serial construction. At our site acquired in Halle Westf. in 2016, we now manufacture structural precast concrete parts and design elements such as façades in a modern plant with consistently high quality – regardless of the weather. This means that standardised systems and assemblies in particular can be produced even more cost-effectively and quickly.
By integrating the mechanical engineering company FORUS from Waren an der Müritz, we finally become a full-range supplier in mobile recycling. The company emerged from a GDR combine for forestry technology in 1976 and specialises in shredders with two shafts. From now on, we can therefore serve the entire mobile process chain of shredding, screening and turning. Today, only our mobile twin-shaft shredders bear the former company name.
BEKON, one of the global technology and market leaders, becomes part of our recycling division. The company from Unterföhring near Munich has been conducting research in this field since 1992 and holds countless patents. It also has references all over the world. Like KOMPOFERM, the company specialises in fermentation tunnels in batch operation. The companies are merged – today only the KOMPOFERM symbol can be found behind the BEKON logo
In 2015, Robert and Matthias Eggersmann officially become partners. In the following years, Karlgünter Eggersmann's sons also begin their professional careers in the Group. Robert Eggersmann focuses on the area of digitalisation and drives forward the development of digital plant management. Matthias Eggersmann, on the other hand, is particularly dedicated to civil engineering and is joining the management of the engineering office. This means that the fourth generation of the family is now active in the company.
In 2014, we also further expand our mobile machine portfolio. With the acquisition of Terra Select, we now also offer mobile trommel screening machines and mobile star screening machines. The trommel screening machines have all been called TERRA SELECT since 2020, while the name STAR SELECT has been introduced for the star screening machines. This strategic expansion also brings us a step closer to being a full-range supplier in mobile processing.
The machine manufacturer Hartner was founded in 1985 and has been producing stationary recycling machines since 1999. The ballistic separator called "Ball-Sort", which was launched on the market in 2002, is particularly well known. The integration of Hartner has enabled us to further expand our range of stationary machines. The former competitors BRT and Hartner are merged into the BRT HARTNER brand.
With the acquisition of BRT, we are now adding stationary recycling machines to our range of recycling services. The company was founded by Manfred Bayer in Tecklenburg in 1993 and is known worldwide for its "SCHLITZ-O-MAT" bag opener. Under the name "BRT HARTNER BO", this is still the flagship of the company, which is now based in Ibbenbüren. For us, the takeover was an important step towards becoming a full-service provider for recycling technology.
Our acquisition of the BACKHUS brand, founded by Friedrich Backhus in 1984, marks our entry into the mobile recycling business. At the time, the company was already the world market leader for windrow turners for composting and dry stabilisation. A position that we have not only been able to defend over the years, but also to further expand.
Quality and customer satisfaction are our top priorities. The problems that arose in 2008 with the heavy corrosion protection of our recycling systems were therefore unacceptable to us. Our employees therefore developed their own blasting agent additive to safely remove oily and greasy production residues in the blasting process. PantaTec has since offered this additive to other users to optimise their blasting processes.
For years, we had already been constructing buildings for recycling plants – but specialised plant engineers were responsible for the actual plant inside. in 2007, a particularly important partner for us in this field got into financial difficulties. This also jeopardised our joint projects. Determined to stick to our agreements and relying on the experience we had gained over the years, we founded our own plant construction company in Bad Oeynhausen with many of its former employees.
We recognised the value of organic waste very early on. As compost, it is not only a natural soil improver, but it can also be fermented beforehand. With tunnel fermentation in KOMPOFERM's batch operation, we were one of the pioneers in this field. With KOMPOFERM, we also laid the foundations for our now internationally recognised recycling division. Following the takeover of our globally renowned competitor BEKON in 2016, KOMPOFERM was merged into this new company.
The construction of the 4-star superior hotel in Rietberg in 2006 is one of our group's own projects. Accordingly, we naturally planned it ourselves, built it turnkey and are also responsible for maintenance and operation. The hotel is not only a popular conference centre for our group, but has also made a name for itself far beyond the region for its outstanding service, delicious food and inviting ambience. It was therefore already significantly extended once again in 2010.
There is a lack of modern fire stations in Germany. A radio report on this topic makes us all sit up and take notice. As sophisticated specialised properties, the planning and construction of fire stations are usually tendered together. We quickly develop concepts and solutions to standardise the construction. Today, we have countless references throughout Germany and are a sought-after partner for this special type of building.
in 2004, the district of Gütersloh enters into our first public-private partnership (PPP/PPP) with us for the special schools in Rietberg. This is a real vote of confidence for which we are still grateful today. After all, there were less than a dozen construction companies who where choosen to enter one of these new co-operations between and public authorities in the whole of Germany. This was made possible by our property management organisation founded in 1996. We are still successfully managing the schools today.
KOMPOTEC receives significant growth with the new composting plant in Nieheim. In future, the plant will serve us time and again to introduce new processes and technologies. Over the years, for example, our first own KOMPOFERM biogas plant and our first innovative compost fine processing line with CO2MPOSTCLEANERare built here. Our first ARCTOS pre-shredder is also located there. From 2024, the transformation into an energy plant will take place.
We produce more and more high-quality compost via KOMPOTEC. In order to market it appropriately, we took over BIOTERRA in 1998 and founded the sales company of the same name in 1999. Through this company, we also campaign for composted organic waste to be recognised as a valuable soil conditioner. Thanks to certified RAL quality, it is even used in agriculture.
Thomas Hein joined Fechtelkord & Eggersmann in 1998 as a site manager. He quickly proves to be particularly reliable and capable. in 2005, he was granted power of attorney for Fechtelkord & Eggersmann and became Managing Director in 2009. Through his commitment, he made a significant contribution to the growth of the group and manages it alongside Karlgünter Eggersmann. The successful principle of this dual leadership consisting of two managing directors is transferred by them to almost all companies.
Antonius Eggersmann was Managing Director from 1958 to 1998 and led us through eventful times. After around 40 years, he now takes his well-deserved retirement and makes his son Karlgünter Eggersmann the sole Managing Director.
We want to be a reliable partner to our customers even after completion. That's why we set up our own property management company and from then on are happy to take care of maintenance or even the complete operation of various buildings on request. This service is particularly popular for public contracts and has made us a sought-after general contractor. Planning, building and operating becomes a reality. In addition, this offer qualifies us for public-private partnerships (PPP/PPP) – we are one of the first construction companies in Germany to realise projects in this form together with public bodies.
1992 is a groundbreaking year for us. We set up our first own composting plant in Gütersloh and founded KOMPOTEC Kompostierungsanlagen GmbH to operate it. This event is of great importance to us in three respects: firstly, we now have our own composting division in addition to our construction division; secondly, it lays the foundation stone for today's group of companies and thirdly, it is the first time we have built a waste treatment plant. From then on, we develop a keen interest in waste treatment and recycling. We put the plant into operation on 1 June 1993.
We take the next step: with the expertise of our new engineering office, we further develop the simple system formwork for slurry tanks. From then on, we also offer sewage treatment plants with standardised system formwork and thus advance into structural engineering. in 1999, we even go one step further and construct the prestressed digestion tower for the sewage treatment plant in Hamm.
Karlgünter Eggersmann joins Fechtelkord & Eggersmann GmbH as a civil engineer in 1985 and convinces his father of the idea of setting up his own engineering office. This was founded in the same year. Thanks to this engineering office, we are now able to take on more complex structural engineering projects as well as large-scale projects. This brings us a whole step closer to our current role as a general contractor.
Following on from our success with standardised barns, we expand our range of services for the agricultural sector in 1984. From then on, we also offer standardised sizes for slurry tanks using system formwork. We later extend this principle to sewage treatment plants.
In the 1970s, the agricultural sector begins to modernise. We develop serial construction concepts in order to fulfil the many enquiries with high quality and at the same time as quickly as possible. For example, we offer customers pig and bull fattening stables in specific sizes. This eliminates a large part of the planning work and the projects can be realised not only faster but also more cost-effectively while maintaining the same high quality of construction.
The word "turnkey" was on everyone's lips at the beginning of the 1970s. We are at the forefront of this development. We also begin to carry out all architectural, planning and realisation tasks ourselves, from the takeover to the commissioning of construction projects. This principle is still standard throughout the Eggersmann Group today. The aim is for us as a general contractor to handle projects in the most customer-friendly way possible.
In 1958, we installed the new heating system – including the shafts – in the abbey church in Marienfeld. Many people probably no longer know it today, but churches were actually the first special buildings we specialised in. One of the reasons for this was that these projects were particularly important to Antonius Eggersmann. He was even involved in the parish council of Marienfeld.
Following the untimely death of Karl Fechtelkord, his daughter Johanna transfers the management of the company to master craftsman Antonius Eggersmann. In the course of working together, the two get to know and love each other. Their marriage 1960 transforms the Fechtelkord construction company into today's Fechtelkord & Eggersmann GmbH.
The origins of our group of companies lie in the construction company founded by Karl Fechtelkord in 1951. With a handful of employees, he carried out important construction work for private, agricultural and commercial building projects in the region around Marienfeld. His great commitment was characterised by the general mood of economic optimism.
Life consists of change. We want to actively shape these changes and thus prepare ourselves for the future. To this end, we have repeatedly broken new ground. This has been crucial to our success and growth. There are certain guidelines that are particularly important to us.
Minimising interruptions in construction has always been important to us. In 1963 we were therefore one of the first construction companies to use a tent to cover our construction sites in order to realise our projects as punctually as possible. Today, our modern BETONT precast plant in Halle enables us to produce not only structural precast concrete elements, but also design elements such as façades – regardless of the weather and in series production.
We want to construct our customers' projects as quickly and cost-effectively as possible – traditional craftsmanship alone is not enough. That's why our construction companies are increasingly working with structural precast concrete elements from BETONT, for which we were even awarded the OWL Chamber of Crafts' Future Prize in 2024. But we are far from finished. We will continue to drive forward the development of serial and modular prefabrication in the future.
To the video of the award ceremony
We have a long tradition of using innovative methods to make our processes more cost-efficient. For example, we began working on standardised concepts for the systematic construction of certain assemblies and building types at an early stage. This development began with a selection of standardised building sizes for pigsties in the 1970s and was even transferred to recycling plants over time. From 1984, we also began using system formwork – initially only for simple slurry tanks, then even in structural engineering for sewage treatment plants. Although we were not always able to use completely standardised assemblies for special buildings such as fire stations or schools, many of these projects follow certain standardised concepts, so that we were able to build on our experience to develop future-oriented solutions for our customers particularly quickly.
With the construction of our first own composting plant in Gütersloh in 1992, we also embarked on the path of waste treatment for the first time. Here we saw particularly great potential for serial assemblies. in 2002, we built our first mechanical-biological waste treatment plant in Osterholz and perfected our own rotting tunnel system for modular construction in 2003. With the founding of our own plant construction company in 2007, we extended serial and modular construction methods to other areas: In the case of fermenter tunnels, for example, the rear walls have been pre-assembled with the crucial process technology in a partial formwork since 2010 and shipped all over the world as a finished module. It was only through the introduction of such innovative and cost-efficient production processes that we, as a medium-sized company, were able to play a significant role in the global recycling market. We want to continue this international success with our system solutions for cost-effective and quickly implementable small systems, which we launched in 2026.
We already recognised the value of supposed "waste" back in the 1990s. Since then, we have regarded it as a valuable source of raw materials that can be utilised with the right treatment. This way of thinking has made us one of the world's driving forces in the recycling industry. We supply waste management service providers of all sizes with the solutions they need to recover as many valuable materials as possible from their waste – even after incineration!
We are particularly committed to organic waste, which we prefer to call "biowaste". Because what is disposed of here has incredible potential. Properly treated, it contributes to natural soil improvement in agriculture as quality compost and enables the production of new food. But this closed cycle can also be used to produce biogas and thus energy. Biowaste is therefore not only a recyclable material, but also an important source of energy.
Methane does not have to be fossil natural gas. It can also be produced by upgrading biogas. Through BEKON, we are one of the global technology leaders in the fermentation of biowaste. We have also been generating energy in this way ourselves for a long time at the sites of our composting division. Since 2026, our new flagship project in Nieheim has been an example of how waste management service providers can become regional and self-sufficient energy producers. By implementing our new continuous fermentation process and the combined use of photovoltaic systems and wind power, we have succeeded in transforming our composting plant into a state-of-the-art energy plant. Thanks to AI-controlled energy management, the plant produces biomethane for thousands of households with regenerative energy from wind and sun.
Biogas is extremely versatile and does not necessarily have to be refined into biomethane. Alternatively, it can also be processed into CNG and LNG or directly turned into electricity. The production of biogas is not volatile, but can be planned. In addition, biogas can be stored without loss and can also be used to generate electricity when there are bottlenecks in the grid. We are therefore making an important contribution to a successful energy transition with every single one of these projects.
Holistic and long-term partnerships have always been very important to us. We want to be the point of contact for the entire project, not just one. This is why we have continuously developed from a simple construction company into a general contractor. Important steps in this direction were the introduction of turnkey construction in the 1970s and the founding of our engineering office in 1985. The creation of our property management organisation in 1996 also enables us to support our customers for many years after completion. This is why we were one of the first construction companies in Germany to be selected for public-private partnerships (PPP) in 2004. Since then, public authorities have increasingly opted to work in partnership with us. We greatly appreciate this trust placed in us.
Our claim applies not only to the construction industry, but also to recycling. Here too, our plant engineering department acts as a general contractor in line with our guiding principle of planning · building · operating and accompanies customers worldwide through every phase of the project. In addition to planning, assembly and commissioning, we also offer conveyor technology and steel construction from our own production. We can also supply the majority of key machinery via BRT HARTNER. Since 2024, our range of services has even expanded to digital plant management and process optimisation through our ESA app. Customers all over the world rely on this comprehensive support from us.
In 75 years of company history, our Group has realised countless important projects all over the world. You can view a small selection of particularly important milestones and prestigious projects here (organised by year of completion/commissioning):
In 1958, we installed the new heating system – including the shafts – in the abbey church in Marienfeld. Many people probably no longer know it today, but churches were actually the first special buildings we specialised in. One of the reasons for this was that these projects were particularly important to Antonius Eggersmann. He was even involved in the parish council of Marienfeld.
The use of prestressed concrete poses a particular engineering challenge – we first tackled this challenge in 1991 when constructing a bridge in Sassenberg.
Our very first composting plant! It was the first one we ever built and also the first one we operated ourselves. It was therfore a pioneering project. Thanks to this plant, we have developed from a construction company into a group of companies. It also sensitised us for the topic of waste treatment.
The Osterholz mechanical-biological recycling plant was our first project with mechanical processing. At that time, we were still working with another plant constructor, but this was to change just a few years later. Today, as a general contractor, we build plants of all sizes worldwide.
The construction of the 4-star superior hotel in Rietberg in 2006 is one of our group's own projects. Accordingly, we naturally planned it ourselves, built it turnkey and are also responsible for maintenance and operation. The hotel is not only a popular conference centre for our group, but has also made a name for itself far beyond the region for its outstanding service, delicious food and inviting ambience. It was therefore already significantly extended once again in 2010.
For this plant for the mechanical treatment of waste wood in Finland, we prepared the implementation planning in Finnish. An order like this abroad was still a big step for us at the time. In the meantime, Eggersmann Anlagenbau and BEKON have been involved in over 150 projects worldwide - some as general contractors, others as subcontractors. We no longer even count the projects abroad..
The shell of the Gütersloh theatre is one of our most memorable projects. The statics and the production in in-situ concrete proved to be particularly demanding challenges. Nevertheless, we are very grateful to the city of Gütersloh for allowing us to work on this impressive and even award-winning project.
Image source: © Volker Zimmermann
From Finland to Iraq: Because our first foreign project as general contractor worked out so well, we soon applied for a major contract for a mechanical treatment plant with a throughput of more than 180,000 tonnes per year in Iraq. In the end, we were enriched by another successful completion, many valuable experiences and a strengthened self-confidence.
Off to Israel! In 2015, we realised a mechanical treatment plant for the production of substitute fuel from municipal waste. The annual throughput is a remarkable 344,000 tonnes per year.
In addition to the plant in Israel, we also commissioned one in Singapore in 2015. Here, we process 45,000 tonnes of bottom ash and slag from waste incineration into substitute building materials every year. As you can see, we have already grown over the years, both in terms of our range of services and our capacity. Orders for different materials in different countries are already part of our daily routine.
We have now firmly established ourselves as a plant manufacturer for large-scale projects. in 2018, we completed a major plant in Deuna for the production of substitute fuel from lightweight packaging and commercial waste. Annual throughput: 210,000 tonnes.
Marl was one of the largest sorting plants for separating lightweight packaging into various recyclable fractions in 2019 with an annual throughput of 200,000 tonnes. It symbolises the rise of plastics recycling in Europe – and the fact that we have also become a sought-after general contractor in this service segment.
A plant for 370,000 tonnes of municipal, commercial and industrial waste – this was the huge major order that we were able to realise in the port of Dubai in 2020. A project of superlatives in a city of superlatives.
in 2020, we realised our first Eggersmann FUEL plant in Iraq despite the coronavirus and all the travel restrictions. Eggersmann FUEL is a special substitute fuel that utilises the renewable biomass as well by means of our specially developed process with biodrying. The substitute fuel is used in regional cement production and provides cost-effective energy for infrastructure expansion.
Waste wood as a source of energy: with the mechanical processing plant in Lengede, we have actively contributed to Braunschweig's coal phase-out. 180.000 tonnes of waste wood are processed into wood chips for electricity generation there every year. The plant's two completely self-sufficient lines not only make the project less susceptible to disruption, they also make it unique.
Planning, building and operating - our services are utilised all over Germany. This is also the case in Passau, where the 2023 Waterways and Shipping Office was inaugurated. We are the general contractor for all service phases. This also includes maintenance and operating services for the next 25 years.
With a sorting capacity of 160,000 tonnes for lightweight packaging, the mechanical processing plant in Esbjerg is the largest plant of its kind in Denmark and one of the most important in Scandinavia. It is also one of the first projects to prepare plastics for chemical recycling on an industrial scale.
Bad Salzuflen wants to create a modern medical campus. To this end, the Kurhaus is also to be revitalised as a conference and congress centre. This honourable task has been assigned to us as general contractor. Through BIG, we are also involved in the extensive plans for the medical centre and the festival hall. We have even acquired the neighbouring Fürstenhof as a group and will be helping to restore it to its former glory ourselves.
Image source: © Magdalena Kocy