New High-Tech Hub for Europe
Schwarz Digits Opens Campus for European Digital Sovereignty
Schwarz Digits, the IT and digital division of the Schwarz Group, has officially opened the new Schwarz Digits Campus in Bad Friedrichshall, north of Heilbronn. For the first time, several divisional units are being brought together in one central location on the new campus.
The campus can accommodate up to 5,500 employees spread across five terraced buildings and covers a total area of 15.5 hectares. This physical proximity strengthens collaboration across all digital services and creates a thriving environment for the development of digital technologies from and for Europe.
Consolidating Digital Expertise in a Sovereign Technology Stack
“With our sovereign technology stack, we offer a reliable answer to the pressing questions of global digital dependencies,” said Christian Müller, CEO of Schwarz Digits. “At the new campus, technological independence becomes a living reality: Here, we’re developing the IT architectures of tomorrow that will restore unrestricted data sovereignty to companies and public institutions. This location stands for uncompromising technological excellence in accordance with the highest European data protection standards. It marks the beginning of a new era of innovation speed, in which we will no longer merely manage digital sovereignty from within the European legal framework, but will actively shape it.”
By consolidating its technological expertise under one roof, Schwarz Digits is setting new standards for cross-product collaboration and technological independence. Digital products and services in the core areas of cloud, cybersecurity, data and AI, communication, and workspace are positioned at the site as part of an integrated, sovereign technology stack. These solutions, which have proven themselves in the global, real-time operations of the retail divisions - Lidl and Kaufland - as well as at Schwarz Produktion and PreZero, enable customers to maintain full data sovereignty and control within the European legal and value framework. The new building consolidates the division’s expertise, optimizes internal structures, and reduces operational complexity.
Attractive Working Conditions and Regional Infrastructure
In addition to its strategic importance as a technology hub, the campus - as a showcase of Schwarz Digits’ attractive employer brand - plays a key role in securing skilled talent in the Heilbronn-Franken region. The architectural concept of light-filled workspaces is based on the principle of “activity-based working,” featuring over 500 specialized meeting and creative spaces. The infrastructure includes the company’s own daycare center with approximately 280 childcare slots, as well as a media hall equipped to the latest technical standards that can accommodate up to 500 people.
Resource Conservation and Environmental Awareness
The campus’s overall ecological concept minimizes its impact on nature: Among other features, the campus boasts a high-quality landscaping concept - the “green center.” Nearly half of the site is designated as green space, where over 3,000 trees and shrubs have been planted. Energy is supplied in a resource-efficient manner via photovoltaic systems and combined heat and power plants, among other resources. A dedicated transportation plan for the campus was developed as part of the “Heilbronn-Neckarsulm Mobility Pact” in collaboration with Deutsche Bahn, the state and the city of Bad Friedrichshall; it includes environmentally friendly public transit connections as well as user-friendly links for pedestrians and cyclists. In cooperation with the Lower Nature Conservation Authority of the city of Bad Friedrichshall, compensatory green areas were also created.
