German kitchen furniture manufacturer: individual made-to-measure fitted kitchens with fully automated batch-size-1 production in Rödinghausen
Ballerina-Küchen, Heinz-Erwin Ellersiek GmbH
Rödinghausen (DE)New on Amplifa
About Ballerina-Küchen
Ballerina-Küchen is a German kitchen furniture manufacturer based in Rödinghausen (North Rhine-Westphalia). Founded in 1978, the family-owned company produces individual made-to-measure fitted kitchens with a production capacity of around 30,000 kitchens per year. On 30,000 square meters of production space, around 407 employees work in three plants as well as a fully automated high-bay warehouse for fronts. Production comprises carcass and front production, worktop manufacturing, lacquering (DirectLACK), digital printing on back panels and fronts, and assembly via separate tall cabinet, wall cabinet and base cabinet assembly lines. Materials used include wood-based materials according to the CARB2/TSCA P2 standard, PEFC-certified wood, melamine and laminate surfaces (HPL PRO, RESOPAL), lacquer, aluminium and glass. Since 2013, the company has relied on Industry 4.0 for fully automated production control (Smart Manufacturing). Sales are handled exclusively through qualified specialized retailers; with an export share of around 40 %, Ballerina supplies, among others, England, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, China and the USA.
- Site
- Rödinghausen
- Processes
- Kitchen furniture manufacturing (individual made-to-measure production / Smart Manufacturing), Worktop manufacturing, Lacquering of fronts (DirectLACK, high gloss and matt), Digital printing (with continuous gradient) on kitchen back panels/fronts, Assembly of kitchen furniture (tall cabinet, wall cabinet and base cabinet assembly lines), Kitchen maintenance / kitchen furniture service (readjusting hinges, fronts, drawers, handles), Kitchen planning (online kitchen planner), Kitchen maintenance / kitchen furniture service via local partner retailers
- Materials
- Wood-based materials (formaldehyde-reduced), Wood (PEFC-certified), Melamine surfaces, Laminate decors, Lacquer (DirectLACK), Aluminium, Glass (SmartGlas), FENIX surface
- Certificates
- PEFC, Möbel Made in Germany, GS mark, CARB2/TSCA P2 standard (wood-based materials), GS mark (TÜV Rheinland/LGA), CARB2/TSCA P2 (wood-based materials)
- Founded
- 1978
- Employees
- 407
- Industries
- Kitchen furniture industry, Fitted kitchens, Living room/living furniture
- 01
Kitchen planning/project engineering
- 02
Cutting and pre-production (batch size 1)
- 03
Worktop manufacturing
- 04
Lacquering/decor (digital printing)
- 05
Assembly (tall, wall and base cabinet assembly lines)
- 06
Storage (high-bay warehouse)
- 07
Distribution via specialized retailers
Materials & Surfaces
Wood-based materials according to CARB2/TSCA P2 standard
Formaldehyde-reduced wood-based materials for carcasses and fronts with a healthy indoor climate.
PEFC-certified wood
Wood products from sustainably managed forests.
Melamine surfaces
Thermoset-cured surfaces with tested antibacterial effect (germ reduction of 99.9 % within 24 h).
Laminate decors (HPL)
Antibacterial laminate surfaces for worktops and fronts.
Lacquer (DirectLACK)
Lacquered fronts in high gloss and matt as a living design element.
RESOPAL surfaces
Antibacterial surface variant for fronts.
FENIX surface
Trend surface for worktop decors with an easy-care, repairable structure.
Glass (SmartGlas)
Impact-resistant, durable glass for kitchen components.
Aluminium
Used for shelving systems and frame constructions such as FREE ELEMENTS by Ars Nova.
Locations & Manufacturing
Rödinghausen
DEMain plant/headquarters: Plants 1–3, worktop plant, high-bay warehouse, administration, showroom
- Lot size
- Batch size 1 to 30,000 kitchens/year
- Materials
- Wood-based materials (CARB2), melamine, HPL, lacquer, aluminium, glass
- Worktop manufacturing
- Fully automated high-bay warehouse for fronts
- Tall cabinet assembly line
- Wall cabinet assembly line
- Base cabinet assembly line
- Fully automated pre-production (batch size 1)
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen furniture manufacturing (individual made-to-measure production / Smart Manufacturing)Assembly | – | – | – | Batch size 1 – 30,000 kitchens per year | Wood-based materials (CARB2/TSCA P2), Melamine, Lacquer, Aluminium, Glass |
| Worktop manufacturingPlastics | – | – | – | – | Laminate, Melamine |
| Lacquering of fronts (DirectLACK, high gloss and matt)Surface | – | – | – | – | Lacquer |
| Digital printing (with continuous gradient) on kitchen back panels/frontsSurface | – | – | – | – | Wood-based materials |
| Assembly of kitchen furniture (tall cabinet, wall cabinet and base cabinet assembly lines)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Wood-based materials, Fittings (Blum, Hettich, Grass, Salice, Kesseböhmer), Aluminium, Glass |
| Kitchen maintenance / kitchen furniture service (readjusting hinges, fronts, drawers, handles)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
6 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worktop manufacturing | – | – | – | 1999 | Rödinghausen (Plant 2) |
| Fully automated high-bay warehouse for fronts | – | – | – | 2010 | Rödinghausen |
| Tall cabinet assembly line | – | – | – | 2016 | Rödinghausen |
| Wall cabinet assembly line | – | – | – | 2018 | Rödinghausen |
| Base cabinet assembly line | – | – | – | 2020 | Rödinghausen |
| Fully automated pre-production (batch size 1) | – | – | – | 2019 | Rödinghausen |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Certifications
Strict testing in the areas of safety, load capacity, material consistency and ease of use forms the basis of quality assurance; this is documented by the GS mark from TÜV Rheinland for all kitchens. Additional certifications such as PEFC, Möbel Made in Germany and the CARB2/TSCA P2 standard of the wood-based materials ensure material quality and sustainability.
| Evidence | Rödinghausen |
|---|---|
| GS mark (TÜV Rheinland/LGA) | |
| PEFC | |
| Möbel Made in Germany | |
| CARB2/TSCA P2 (wood-based materials) |
Company History
- 1978
Founded on 09 January 1978 by Heinz-Erwin Ellersiek; purchase and fitting out of the production halls
- 1984
Construction of the first administration building
- 1994
Expansion of the production halls through the addition of Plant 1
- 1999
Construction of Plant 2 with state-of-the-art worktop manufacturing
- 2001
Introduction of the 13 cm grid module Ballerina XL
- 2004
Construction of Plant 3
- 2005
Market launch of carcass production with the same color inside and outside, as well as the Ballerina GL line (handleless)
- 2006
Heidrun Brinkmeyer joins the management board
- 2008
Heiko Ellersiek joins the management board
- 2010
Construction of the fully automated high-bay warehouse for fronts
- 2011
Introduction of a new ERP system including graphical order capture
- 2013
Start of the introduction of Industry 4.0 for fully automated production control
- 2016
Transfer of shares to the children and the managing directors; PEFC certification; market launch of the Y-kitchen; Smart Manufacturing; new tall cabinet assembly line
- 2018
New wall cabinet assembly line; introduction of Ballerina GL-Line 45; switch of wood-based materials to the CARB2 standard
- 2019
Fully automated batch size 1 in pre-production; new base cabinet carcass height of 84.5 cm
- 2020
New base cabinet assembly line; FAIRPLAY Award from markt intern
- 2021
Construction of an additional goods receiving area; Möbel Made in Germany certification
- 2024
Introduction of the new carcass depth of 61 cm; overall winner of the Leistungsspiegel Küchen 2024/25 by markt intern
- 2026
Opening of the new exhibition building; expansion of production with a new worktop plant