New production facilities for professional substrates in Pärnu / Estonia, including hall Extension

The latest generation of liquid fertilizer production equipment will be installed in Soltau. Fully automatic mixing, filling, labeling, packaging -> ready to ship on pallet

The Head Office in Germany moves from Ludwigsburg to Stuttgart (Weilimdorf).

Sembach near Kaiserslautern – A new soil production plant supports the ASB – logistic- network: 9.4 acres (3.8 ha) factory premises - 21,528 sq.ft. (2,000 m²) production hall, offices and employee facilites.

Fertilizer Plant Soltau: Installation of a new extruder for fertilizer sticks. The Engine output is 150 kg/hour, which means a triplication of the previous output.

Michaela Aurenz, daughter of the founder of the company, is appointed on as Managing Director by ASB Greenworld Helmut Aurenz GmbH on 1 January. At the same time, she acts as a member of the ASB Group management board. Pte Sapin / Canada – construction of a new production hall of 43,056 sq.ft. (4,000 m²) and of a repair shop for equipment and for machines of 10,764 sq.ft. (1,000 m²).

New bark screening facility in Žár/Czech Republic. Attending trade fairs for the first time in Dubai (March) and Foshan, China (December).

Installation of 5 state-of-the-art packaging machines together with 3 stack palletisers in Neustadt.

With the assembly of the fully-automated mixing systems and feeding hopper for potting soils and substrates, starts the modernization in Neustad.

SAP is introduced in Germany.

The outdoor storage area in Mt. Elgin/Canada is extended by an additional 4.9 acres (20,000 m²).

A new production building is constructed in Estonia with investment in 4 new packaging lines.

September 1999: Purchase of land (42 acres / 170,000 m²), in Bobitz near Wismar. Production at the soil and bark site in Bobitz starts in February 2000.

20 June: opening of the production plant in Pärnu / Estonia.

Opening of the production plant in Žár near Budweis/Czech Republic on a production area of 44.5 acres (180,000 m²) with a 53,820 sq.ft. (5,000 m²) production hall. Establishment of a production plant in Estonia with a raw material area covering 1,236 acres (5 million m²).

Opening of the second Canadian production plant in Mt. Elgin/Ontario with 2.1 acres (8,500 m²) of production area and warehousing space.

Relocation of the polyethylene plant from Eisenharz to Neustadt. Transfer of the 4-color flexographic printing press to Neustadt. Installation of a Kiefel extrusion system and a 6-color one cylinder flexo­graphic printing press.

Assembly of a fully-automated, robot-controlled material feeding and blister line in Soltau for the production of fertilizer sticks.

Construction of new production/ware­housing facility and a central workshop in Neustadt totalling 6,2 acres (25,000 m²). Installation of 8 more palletising lines with live storage racks and rack feeders with space to store an additional 6,000 finished pallets.

Take-over of the trade name “Grünland” from Hoechst AG on October 1st with a range of fertilizers and pesticides newly developed by Hoechst in 1980. Acquisition of the “Dyckerhoff” peat plant in Neustadt am Rübenbergen with an extensive area of peat bog (2,718 acres/11 million m²). Planning ASB new head office in Ludwigsburg-Tammerfeld, with the contract awarded to the Züblin Company. Installation of a fully-automated liquid fertilizer filling and packaging line for 500 ml and 1 litre bottles with an average hourly capacity of 6,000 bottles at the Soltau fertilizer plant.

Conversion to fully-automated production and palletising equipment at all production sites. Awarded the “Golden Zuckerhut” by the food trade magazine Lebensmittelzeitung.

Opening of the production and storage hall in Pointe Sapin, Canada (180,000 sq.ft./17,000 m²).

A peat and soil plant is established on a site of 2,471 acres (10 million m²) in New Brunswick (Pointe Sapin), Canada.

Enlargement of the production site in Neustadt by an additional 1.24 acres (5,000 m²) to make a total workshop space of 2.48 acres (10,000 m²) . Establishment of a plastic film plant in Eisenharz/Allg ä u with polyethylene-extrusion systems and a 4-color flexo graphic printing press.

Construction of a fertilizer plant in Soltau with production facilities for plastic bottles and canisters with simultaneous automatic filling. Purchase of a peat plant in Neustadt a. Rübenberge/Germany (2,718 acres/11 million m² of peat bog in total).

Acquisition of a nursery in Pleidelsheim, Germany with 17,200 sq.ft. (,600 m²) of greenhousing area. Opening of the ASB plant and garden center in Pleidelsheim with 8,600 sq.ft. (800 m²) of sales area.

Acquisition of a peat plant in Soltau-Lührsbockel with 321 acres (1.3 million m²) of land plus 173 acres (700,000 m²) of leased land.

Relocation of production from Neckargröningen to Eisenharz/Allgäu and the introduction of a fully automated potting soil system.

Purchase of 11 acres (45,000 m²) of peat bog in Eisenharz/Allgäu, Germany.

Construction of a new plant for producing potting soil in Neckargröningen, Germany.

Establishment of potting soil mixing plant in Ludwigsburg, Germany.