Steinbacher boss

“Costs in Tyrol are now higher than in Germany”

The Steinbacher site in Erpfendorf in the district of Kitzbühel.

(Bild: zVg)

Roland Hebbel, head of insulation manufacturer Steinbacher, talks about the current construction crisis, the Erpfendorf site, the sense of purpose at work and his wishes for politicians.

"Krone":  The number of approved new builds in Tyrol fell to around 1100 in 2023, half of the long-term level. What does that mean for your company?
Roland Hebbel: This will hit us hard with a delay of two or three years, as logically fewer buildings will need insulation. The situation is already difficult at the moment. In the 2023/24 financial year, turnover fell from 128 to 97 million euros, but we are still outperforming the market.

That sounds drastic and could lead to fears of staff cuts and a freeze on investment?
We have managed to keep it to natural departures and still have around 260 employees here in Erpfendorf. Offers such as partial retirement are almost forcing people into retirement, although many of them are in top shape at the age of 60 and have the necessary experience. We are also a seasonal business with adjustments in winter.

How do you see the Steinbacher site in Erpfendorf compared to the two in Germany and Poland?
Unit labor costs in Austria have always been around 5 percent lower than in Germany. Now we are around 25 percent higher! This is mainly due to high wage agreements based on inflation, which in turn was fueled by questionable sweeteners such as the climate bonus. Nevertheless, we have invested around 30 million euros in the Tyrol site over the past five years, for example in a photovoltaic system with a total peak output of 3.2 megawatts.

Roland Hebbel, Managing Director of the Unterland-based company, which also has sites in Germany and Poland.

(Bild: Florian Mitterer)

What do you expect from the new federal government?
Full-time work must become more attractive than part-time work. There are several possibilities, such as a kind of flat tax, so that those who work more hours are not penalized. Switzerland is a good example here.

The decline in the construction sector is also due to rules that make access to credit more difficult - a problem?
Yes, the KIM regulation (note: credit real estate measures) created a shock paralysis that will hopefully now subside. In Italy, you can deduct the costs of refurbishment from your tax return.

The entire economy is complaining about the difficulty of finding employees. How are you doing?
We go into schools, offer taster days and above all want to convey the meaning of work. I think that as a family business, we find it easier than some corporations.

But I think the construction sector has now bottomed out and the wave of renovation will slowly start again in 2025.

Roland Hebbel

Sustainability and environmental friendliness are in demand - your plus points?
In addition to renewable raw materials, the trend is towards a circular economy; this year, as a pioneer in this area, we were able to return around 15,000 kilos of insulation material to specialists for recycling.

What is your outlook for the coming years?
We have had one challenging year after another since corona. But I think the construction sector has now bottomed out and the renovation wave will slowly start again in 2025. In general, however, it should be noted that the EU has set a renovation rate of 3 percent by 2050, while Austria has never been above 1.5 percent.