History
Development of SONNTAG
1932
Company founded by Kastor Sonntag with the focus on structural engineering.
1959
Josef Sonntag manages the enterprise, increasingly concentrating on underground construction, road construction and civil engineering.
1964
Creation of a branch in Bingen.
1983
Moves into own premises in the Bingen-Kempten industrial estate; the site is approx. 12,000 m².
1986
First construction site using electronically-controlled pipe driving.
1988
Relocation of the main headquarters from Gondershausen to Dörth industrial estate. The site is approx. 21,000 m². The paved areas are used as a building yard, workshop and storage area.
1989
Entry into the RKS Kies- und Splittwerke (gravel and stone works), Eckelsheim.
1990
Environmental protection prize for environmentally-conscious corporate management.
1991
Founding of the SONNTAG Bau GmbH in Hönow, Berlin.
1996
The executive shareholders, Bernd Sonntag (Dipl.-Ing. (graduate engineer), Dipl-Wirtsch.-Ing (graduate business engineer)) and Marion Sonntag (Dipl.-Ing. (graduate engineer)) manage the SONNTAG Group.
2004
SONNTAG takes over the reinforced and precast, prestressed concrete plant in Halsenbach and starts trading under the name of W + S MONNERJAHN GmbH.
2007
World première in Worms! A 464 m long culvert pipeline is driven through under the Rhine using the newly developed Direct Pipe® method for the first time.
2009
SONNTAG invests in a drilling rig of its own, a BG 20 with 70 t operating weight, thereby gaining a foothold in foundation construction.
2011
Acquisition of another drilling rig with 85 t operating weight.
National and international award for the construction of a trenchless air cushion inverted syphon under the river Enz and the river Nagold. The order was placed by 'Stadtentwässerung Pforzheim' (ESP - 'waste water authority').
2014
The new workshop hall at our headquarters in Dörth is completed. The 1,500 m² hall with state-of-the-art warehousing technology will once again optimise maintenance and project preparation for pipe jacking.
2015
The year of the culvert
In 2015, SONNTAG implemented two enormous long-distance pipe-jacking sections under the Rhine in Cologne and Bingen.
2015
The SONNTAG quality and environmental management system was successfully certified by the TÜV in accordance with DIN ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
2016
Bingen site - offices given a new lease of life
The tired old premises have been gutted, redeveloped and extended. 240 square metres of new office space: more offices with more room, a larger meeting room with state-of-the-art technology, and an additional archive. Even the entrance area has been completely redesigned.
2016
Acquisition of a new RG 16 T ram and extension of our microtunnelling division with the purchase of a new AVND 2000 AB drilling head and a C50 control container.
2017
SONNTAG invests in two new drilling rigs, BG 20 and BG 28, to expand the foundation construction division.
2018
Purchase of an additional large diameter rotary drilling rig LB 36. This investment will help us to further strengthen our specialised civil engineering division and it was directly used on our XL construction site in Essen fort he Wolfsbachtal collector.
2018
Mega project in Mannheim – For MVV Energie AG we successfully built a Rhine culvert with an outer diameter of 4.10 m using the microtunnelling method.
2019
In silent mourning and full of gratitude we said goodbye to our senior boss Josef Sonntag who died in February 2019. With foresight and courage he directed the SONNTAG Group from 1959 to 1996 and his enthusiasm helped to establish our good reputation as an innovative construction company.
It was with great sadness that we also had to say goodbye to our much-loved senior boss, Trudi Sonntag, in September. Together with her husband Josef Sonntag, she had invested decades into building up the SONNTAG Group with a great deal of hard work, foresight, dedication and tolerance. She was a fantastic lady and a unique character, passionately committed to her family and the company.
Both of them will remain forever in our hearts.
2019
Since November 2019, SONNTAG has been successfully certified for the area of occupational safety in accordance with ISO 45001 and SCC**.
2020
Further certification for occupational safety – SONNTAG successfully obtained “SCL” – Step 3 for its occupational health and safety in February 2020.
2021
New rotary drilling rig in the SONNTAG fleet: LIEBHERR LB 35 with a torque of 350 kNm and equipped with double-head drilling technology. The total of 4 machines in the 60 to 120 t classes are ready for any requirement.
2021
It is with great sadness and in deep mourning that we had to say farewell to our highly regarded Managing Director Bernd Sonntag, who died unexpectedly at the age of 61 after a brief but serious illness. Bernd Sonntag lead the Sonntag Group together with his sister Marion as managing partner since 1996, with great skill and entrepreneurial foresight. He was known for his charisma, his fair, objective attitude and human approach to all matters, always for the benefit of the whole Group, and these were the reason for his high standing and appreciation he enjoyed amongst our customers, business partners and employees alike. Bernd Sonntag lead the Group very successfully, and expanded its good reputation as innovative construction company with great enthusiasm. He had courage and vision, and followed a consistent strategy to get the company up to date with the latest developments and technology. His life as entrepreneur was characterised by his tireless commitment, combined with a remarkably high social responsibility for his employees. His work will continue to drive the SONNTAG Group forward into the future. We are losing a strong personality with our “boss”, who was very much liked and respected by us. We are grateful for the time we had together, and are mourning the loss of a wonderful person, who will be greatly missed.
2022
Robert Himmel joins Management of the SONNTAG Group
Since January 2022, there has been another leadership duo at the top of the SONNTAG Group. Mr. Robert Himmel (M. Sc.) has joined the Management and will lead the company together with his mother Marion Sonntag (Dipl.-Ing.).
Following his Master’s degree at the Technical University Braunschweig in the Economics and Civil Engineering Department, Robert Himmel was working for a large medium-sized construction company in the area of specialised civil engineering, micro tunnelling and tunnel construction.
In his new leading position at SONNTAG, he will be in charge of the technical part of the Management. Marion Sonntag will continue to be responsible for the commercial management. Together, they will build on what has been achieved so far, and ensure continuity within the SONNTAG Group.
2022
Extension of office building Dörth
Our company is growing and with it the need for office space. That is why we have extended the office building at our Dörth site. The extension was designed to the very latest state of technology. In addition to the functionality of the architecture, we paid special attention to the energy efficiency of the building.
2023
New workshop hall and more storage space
A new XXL hall has been built on the premises of our headquarters in Dörth. 37 pre-cast columns support a roof up to 9 m high, spanning 2,000 sqm of warehouse, 1,200 sqm of enclosed hall and 500 sqm of outdoor storage. Our high-quality construction site equipment and jacking accessories now have sufficient space in the drying area, and the new 50-ton overhead crane facilitates logistics. In addition, 15,000 sqm of additional space have been created outside for the storage of our machinery and building materials.
2024
Charlotte Himmel joins SONNTAG Group Management
Another family member, Charlotte Hermes, joined the ranks of the SONNTAG Group Management in January 2024. In future, the company will be managed jointly by a trio.
Charlotte Hermes graduated from the University of Mannheim in law and business management. After successfully completing her legal clerkship at Darmstadt Regional Court, she worked as a lawyer in a specialist construction law firm in Frankfurt am Main.
In her new management position, she is responsible for the commercial side of management together with Marion Sonntag and also takes care of in-house legal affairs. Robert Himmel remains in charge of the technical division of the SONNTAG Group.
Working together, they will expand on our achievements while ensuring that the continuity and quality for which our customers and business partners value us is maintained.
