Press releases

Fulfilling legal duties to ensure safety on residential premises — often referred to in German law as Verkehrssicherungspflichten — has been a concern for the housing industry for many decades. At the latest since the so-called Hanover List of 1999, systematic and rule-based approaches have existed to proactively increase the property safety within managed portfolios. True to the principle “danger recognized, danger averted,” the real estate industry must continuously take new developments and changing framework conditions into account. This two-day event is aimed at specialists and managers from the real estate sector who need to be familiar with and implement numerous traffic safety obligations in their day-to-day operations. Experienced experts from the fields of law and technology will provide valuable guidance and inspiration on how to confidently master traffic safety in changing times. The conference begins with a retrospective synopsis by two leading authorities in their [...]

On April 1, 2025, WATERcontrol officially "launched" its new headquarters in Stuttgart. Kevin Salzer, Head of Sampling, conducted the first audit in the new facilities that day, integrating Stuttgart’s new sample collectors into the company’s internal quality assurance system. Almost simultaneously, colleagues at Alten Flughafen 16b removed WATERcontrol signs from the entrance, main entrance, and parking areas. The relocation is in full swing. "The relocation is driven by strategic expansion considerations," explains CEO Marc Vincenz. "Our business has been moving south for many years—10 of our last 12 major clients are located south of Kassel. 60% of our existing customers are in the Southern Hemisphere, and 68% of all facilities requiring inspection are under contract." Additionally, several mid-sized environmental laboratories in the south have recently gone out of business, while competition and the density of accredited drinking water testing facilities remain relatively high in the [...]

The use of drinking water should be free of risks. Drinking water supplied by the water provider is generally potable and pure, but it can undergo adverse changes within domestic plumbing systems. Therefore, drinking water in central hot water installations should be regularly tested for Legionella.On Monday, December 2, 2024, a full-day seminar on Legionella testing under the new Drinking Water Ordinance will take place at the VdW Niedersachsen-Bremen e.V. association headquarters in Hanover. During the seminar, you will learn about the (new) legal requirements that must be adhered to, as well as how to analyze drinking water for Legionella, identify hygiene problem areas, prevent them, and, if necessary, eliminate them.The seminar will be conducted by our experienced team: Marcus Pikarek, attorney and long-standing head of the "Water Analysis" working group of the Gas and Water Industry Association (figawa), and Claudia Wagner, a publicly appointed and [...]

For some time now, we have been considering offering audits and training for samplers remotely. Our laboratory partner Wessling possesses two mobile, portable installation walls with tubs and pumps, which are used at various locations within the laboratory group. Since April 2024, we have had our own mobile sampling solution, designed and built by Zello Tec GmbH. The sampling wall provides the ability to simulate sampling from a withdrawal valve (drinking water storage), shower fixture, and sink faucet. The pump pressure is adequate, and the 20-liter tub capacity is perfectly sufficient for our purposes. What seemed particularly smart to us is that the installation wall can be folded forward, flush with the body, making it easy to transport—if one is strong enough. The entire construction weighs nearly 40 kg, so it can only be moved by two strong individuals. A few teething problems still need [...]

On November 1, 1993, Marc Vincenz founded GAS-Control as a sole proprietorship based in Steinhude. 30 years later, GAS-Control GmbH employs more than 40 full-time employees, collaborates with over 20 independent gas inspectors, and generates an annual revenue of more than 3 million EUR. The younger sister company WATERcontrol extends heartfelt congratulations on the 30th anniversary of the firm and to this remarkable success story. Today, a delegation from WATERcontrol presented these beautiful helium balloons to Jana Franke, the authorized representative of GAS-Control GmbH and daughter of the company owner Marc Vincenz, who is celebrating the anniversary at the overseas office in Gran Canaria. The milestone birthday will be appropriately celebrated during this year's Christmas party on December 16, 2023, with 100 invited guests. The founder of the company, Marc Vincenz, had the business idea of ​​testing gas pipelines for leaks. This was prompted by [...]