dormakaba is expanding its production and development site in Bühl, Germany, with an investment of more than €2 million, while extending the lease on the facility until 2035. The access solutions group plans to increase production capacity by around 25 per cent, supported by major airport contracts and two new product variants developed at the site.

The investment comes as Bühl gains importance within dormakaba’s airport security business. During the 2025/26 financial year, the company secured several major contracts from German airports. In Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf, dormakaba is supplying, replacing and maintaining more than 650 Argus Air sensor barriers used as self-boarding gates.

The systems are manufactured in Bühl, creating a direct link between rising airport demand and the decision to expand local production capacity.

Capacity to Rise by 25 Per Cent

More than €2 million will be invested in modernising the manufacturing operation. The programme includes new laser technology as well as additional sawing and milling equipment. An automated high-voltage testing cell will also be added to the production process for sensor barriers.

According to dormakaba, the measures will increase production capacity at the site by approximately 25 per cent. The company has also modernised its employee restaurant as part of the wider investment.

The lease extension until 2035 adds a longer-term dimension to the move, giving dormakaba greater planning certainty at a site that is increasingly tied to its airport access portfolio.

German Airports Provide Strong Demand

The largest immediate driver is the order volume from Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf airports. Across the three locations, dormakaba is responsible for more than 650 Argus Air units, including supply, replacement and maintenance.

For Bühl, this provides a solid production base. Airport projects also extend beyond the initial delivery of equipment, as installed systems require maintenance, replacement and technical support over their operating life.

The projects underline the growing role of automated access systems in airport infrastructure. Self-boarding gates combine access control, passenger flow management and process automation, placing manufacturers such as dormakaba in a market where hardware, sensing technology and long-term service are increasingly interconnected.

Two New Products Developed in Bühl

Further growth is expected from two new product variants developed at the German site and intended for international markets.

The Argus Air XS expands dormakaba’s sensor barrier portfolio, with serial production scheduled to begin in 2026. The Argus Air Interlock, also developed in Bühl, entered serial production during the same year.

This gives the site a dual role as both a production facility and a development centre. Linking product development directly with manufacturing can shorten the transition from design to serial production and consolidate technical expertise at a single location.

Fabian Kabbe, head of the Bühl site, said the investment and new products would strengthen Bühl as a development and manufacturing location and support further growth in security-sensitive applications, particularly airport security.

Strategic Signal Beyond the Investment Size

For a group of dormakaba’s scale, an investment of just over €2 million is relatively modest. The company employs more than 15,000 people worldwide, serves customers in more than 130 countries and generated sales of CHF 2.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.

The more significant message lies in where the money is being deployed: additional capacity, new manufacturing technology and two locally developed product lines, at a time when major German airport contracts are already increasing demand.

By committing to Bühl until 2035 and expanding output by a quarter, dormakaba is giving the site a more prominent role within its airport access business.

The investment therefore says less about the absolute amount of capital deployed than about the direction of travel: automated access and passenger processing are becoming an increasingly established part of airport infrastructure, and Bühl is being positioned to capture that growth.