04/09/2026
How Do You Get a Seven-Tonne Machine Into a Building?
At the Schwabe Group site in Karlsruhe, the answer was anything but ordinary: through the roof.
As part of the major Operations 2030 transformation, a new tablet coating system weighing around seven tonnes had to be carefully integrated into the pharmaceutical production environment. It is a striking reminder of what industrial architecture really involves. Buildings do not simply contain technology. They must be designed around movement, weight, infrastructure, access and the production processes themselves.
The dramatic part may be the crane lifting the machine. The fascinating part is all the planning that makes it possible.
Because sometimes great architecture means making sure seven tonnes of machinery can find its way home.