{
  "id": 1658807,
  "title": "Infrastruktur-Sondervermögen: Was Mittelständler jetzt tun müssen, um nicht abgehängt zu werden",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/infrastruktur-sondervermogen-was-mittelstandler-jetzt-tun-mussen-um",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-18T06:47:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/mittelstand/infrastruktur-was-mittelstaendler-tun-muessen-um-nicht-abgehaengt-zu-werden/100245855.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Mennicke + Brochier, the newly merged Rohrleitungsbauunternehmen of Danny Stohanzl and Bernd Schöner, face a major reconstruction project. The business leaders are discussing orders, synchronizing operations, and bringing teams together. They will now firm up as one company, as Mennicke-Chef Stohanzl admits, \"it was no easy step for us, we worried a lot about how we would keep employees and customers on board.\"\n\nThe goal of the merger is to enter into more complex and larger projects, leveraging their combined expertise. Germany's infrastructure needs are pressing; roads, bridges, and tunnels are in disrepair. The KfW estimates that there is a backlog of over €53 billion in infrastructure investments for municipalities alone. While the exact allocation of the €500 billion federal special fund for infrastructure until 2036 is unclear, €100 billion will go to states for new and renovation projects, which can boost local infrastructure businesses.\n\nThe construction industry is facing significant challenges: succession problems, a shortage of skilled workers, regulations, and digitalization. Many medium-sized companies are hesitant to modernize. Mennicke + Brochier's merger brings together two companies with complementary expertise – Mennicke specializes in underground pipe construction, while Brochier focuses on road and plant construction and owns its own suction excavator fleet. The combined workforce of 430 employees will enable the company to take on more and larger projects, providing greater flexibility and strength in handling multiple complex projects simultaneously.\n\nDespite Germany's construction sector being generally stable, supported by constant public sector contracts, the industry faces rising costs for raw materials, interest rates, and energy. In 2022, EY predicts a 4% revenue growth for the sector, in contrast to the slower-growing heavy construction. However, many medium-sized companies in the sector struggle with finding suitable successors, leading to mergers and acquisitions. Large companies like Strabag and private equity firms like Auctus Capital Partners are increasingly buying smaller specialists, such as Thuringian Horizontal Boring Technology Company H&E, with 33 employees.",
  "summary": "Die Milliarden aus dem Sondervermögen für Infrastruktur sorgen für einen Umbruch bei Straßen- und Tiefbaufirmen. Um bei Großprojekten eine Chance zu haben, müssen Mittelständler ihre Kräfte bündeln.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}