A cornerstone-laying ceremony – the Wunderlich way

Wunderlich has established itself as an internationally successful company and as the worldwide specialist in the production and sale of high-quality components for BMW motorcycles. The company, which is enjoying steady and healthy growth and employs a growing workforce, has reached the limits of the space available at its current site in Sinzig and was unable to continue expanding, so the decision was taken to build the new company headquarters in the Innovation Park Rheinland in Grafschaft Ringen’s municipality.

Everyone came together at the construction site in glorious weather. In the shaded tent, Frank Hoffmann welcomed the numerous guests and played host for the first part of the event, telling lots of anecdotes which were interspersed with film sequences. Friedhelm Münch, representative of Ahrweiler district, Achim Juchem, the mayor of Grafschaft municipality, Reiner Brendicke, the General Executive Manager of the German Motorcycle Industry Association (IVM), and Patrick Kaspari, Managing Director of the construction company Borgers GmbH, delivered welcoming speeches to the guests as part of the ceremony.

For the second half of the event, Wunderlich had come up with something truly special: “Our innovativeness, creativity and the pleasure we take in top quality should be ubiquitous and perceptible in the new company headquarters and also during the cornerstone-laying ceremony,” explained Erich Wunderlich, who founded the company back in 1985. “We regularly build concept motorbikes which give our customers a real impression of the possibilities that our products and components offer. In any case, these machines always attract a great deal of attention and recognition at the world’s major exhibitions, in printed publications, online and on social media,” added Frank Hoffmann. “What could be more fitting than considering literally “installing” a concept bike such as this during the cornerstone-laying ceremony?”.

The bike ultimately chosen was the Wunderlich Performance Scrambler, a man’s machine based on a BMW R 1200 GS LC, which set standards with its performance and handling following Wunderlich’s intervention and whose concept proves the company’s independence and unequivocal creativity even today. Frank Hoffmann commented: “This impressive bike even found its way onto the covers of the most important national and international motorcycle magazines!”

As part of the cornerstone-laying ceremony and accompanied by magnificent music, the Wunderlich Performance Scrambler “took to the skies” above the construction site in a specially made chamber, right before the eyes of the expectant guests, before being lowered into the foundation of the new corporate headquarters by Erich Wunderlich, his son Felix, who is an authorised signatory at Wunderlich, and Frank Hoffmann, much to the applause of the audience. Once all the construction work is finally complete, the chamber will be located in the ground of the future, generously sized exhibition space of Wunderlich’s elaborately and sustainably designed new headquarters, which will feature an architectural highlight in the form of a cantilever administrative cube. Atmospheric lighting will then be added, and a top cover made of a walk-on sapphire glass panel installed, so that guests and visitors will be able to marvel at this one-of-a-kind machine when visiting Wunderlich’s premises in future.

The cornerstone-laying ceremony is symbolic. It stands for the client looking back and even more for looking towards the future. The Wunderlich Performance Scrambler is a symbol that stands for the lifeblood, passion and attitude that everyone lives and breathes at Wunderlich. You can literally build for the future on a foundation such as this.

The cornerstone-laying ceremony took place on Friday, 20 July 2018, in the Rhineland Innovation Park. Wunderlich is scheduled to move into the new premises in 2019.

Facts:
Wunderlich GmbH

• Founded in 1985 by Erich Wunderlich
• Focus on the exclusive development of high-quality components for BMW motorcycles since 1993
• Move to the Wunderlich headquarters in Sinzig in 2004
• Move to the Rhineland Innovation Park in 2019
• Divisions:
       Wunderlich
       Classic by Wunderlich
       Wunderlich Motorsport
• 70 employees
• 3,700 products and components
• 20,000 stock items

The Wunderlich corporate headquarters

• Surface area spanning 5,000 square metres
• Innovative, sustainable building technology
• Special architectural features: Cantilever cube (administrative wing)