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In the fall of 2024, altona celebrated the grand opening of its new extraction chemistry production site located at Schnackenburgallee in Hamburg opposite the premises of altona Logistics.
After a two-year reconstruction phase, this milestone brought together around 80 altona employees, along with partners from various trades who contributed to the renovation of the production halls on the former Rotring site. The new facility will become the heart of our extraction chemistry operations.
All guests were welcomed with beverages before being guided to the new extraction chemistry warehouse, where altona Holding General Manager Ulrich Spengler kicked off the speeches. He vividly described the future output of the facility as “the juice that forms the basis for all subsequent DNA analyses.”
Architect Gerlind Bräuning then shared insights into the often challenging planning phase, detailing the journey from initial conception to the finished site. In 2016, altona approached her with a desire to expand the extraction chemistry production, initially utilizing a modest 200 square meters in the basement of the Mörkenstraße facility. However, it quickly became evident that further expansion was necessary. After an extensive search, the facility on Schnackenburgallee was selected, offering a usable area of 4,600 square meters. Renovation work began in spring 2022, and despite delays due to a shortage of skilled laborers and pandemic-related changes, the project has now been successfully completed. Gerlind Bräuning expressed her relief and gratitude, stating, “I’m glad you had the courage and trust to believe we could achieve this together. It has been a pleasure to renovate such a hall.”
Sönke Friedrichsen, one of the General Managers of altona Diagnostics, thanked all participants for their dedication to the project, acknowledging the valuable lessons learned throughout the process. He reflected on the company’s evolution over the past seven years, noting that they had started in a basement with just seven kits in one batch and 10 liters of liquid, “stirred by hand.” Now, altona has the capacity to manufacture approximately 350 kits in one batch and several hundred liters of liquid, a remarkable achievement that highlights the company’s growth.
To officially mark the occasion, Gerlind Bräuning, Ulrich Spengler, and Sönke Friedrichsen cut the symbolic red ribbon, supported by Jan Zimmermann and Ole Stumborg representing the altona Operations department.
The day concluded with a gathering in our new Schnackenburgallee social space, where guests enjoyed a variety of specialties and took the opportunity to connect and network across altona departments.
Learn more about our architect’s office “Architekturbüro Gerlind Bräuning GmbH”.
altona Diagnostics GmbH
Mörkenstr. 12
22767 Hamburg, Germany
