i+R Industrial and Commercial Construction

i+R Industrial and Commercial Construction is the industrial and commercial construction arm of the i+R Gruppe, an Austrian construction and real estate group headquartered in Lauterach, Vorarlberg. The group traces its origins to a carpentry workshop founded more than 120 years ago, and over the decades it has grown from a timber-building specialist into a full-service construction company with in-house expertise in every core trade. Today the i+R Gruppe operates through a family of companies — including i+R, Bautruck and Express Beton — that together cover construction services, machinery, concrete and related activities. The group describes itself as one of the leading construction and real estate companies in the Lake Constance (Bodensee) region. Its roots lie in timber construction, but its expertise now extends well beyond it: the portfolio spans industrial and commercial construction, municipal building projects, hotel construction, renovation and refurbishment, and residential construction. The i+RB Industrie- & Gewerbebau GmbH in particular acts as general contractor and total contractor for large industrial, commercial and residential developments, such as the Bücklepark residential quarter in Konstanz and the "Quartier am Schlosspark" project in Donaueschingen. Beyond building, the group is active in construction machinery. Through its trading and rental activities — including the Takeuchi excavator business and the Lorenz Lift GmbH acquisition — i+R is present in large parts of Europe as a specialist for service, rental and sale of construction equipment. The group also founded the technology startup SUNCAR, which developed an electric excavator recognized with the Swiss Solar Prize, and Digando, a digital platform for construction machinery rental. Ownership and management are closely tied to the Schertler family. Reinhard Schertler is owner and managing director of the i+R Gruppe; he succeeded his father Günter Schertler, who led the company until his death in 2014. Under Reinhard Schertler the group was restructured into a holding structure with independent operating subsidiaries, and in 2019 it introduced a new umbrella brand connecting the group's brand world. The company is privately held and not listed on a stock exchange. Sustainability and innovation are recurring themes in the group's self-description, from regenerative energy solutions and ecological building materials to electrically powered construction machinery. i+R has also received recognition for its timber construction work, winning two awards at Austria's first national timber construction prize (Staatspreis Holzbau 2026) for the Hohenems town hall and the Hittisau schools.

The history of i+R begins more than 120 years ago as a carpentry workshop (Zimmereibetrieb). From that timber-building origin the company steadily expanded, and today it describes itself as a full-service construction company with specialists in every core area. The group's own account of its development highlights a series of turning points in the 21st century. In 2010 new locations were opened, including a window-building operation in Dammstrasse. In 2012 the company began restructuring into a new holding structure: with the entry of Reinhard Schertler as managing shareholder — succeeding his father Günter Schertler — the individual business areas were turned into independent, operating subsidiaries. In 2013 the group opened its LEED-certified corporate headquarters on the new company premises in Johann-Schertler-Strasse in Lauterach, Austria. Günter Schertler died in 2014. 2015 was a year of both acquisition and innovation: i+R acquired Martin GmbH in Braz, Austria, a specialist for excavator attachments that had long been a business partner for excavator buckets and quick-coupler plates for Huppenkothen, and it founded the technology startup SUNCAR, which developed the first "purring" (electric) excavator and was promptly awarded the Swiss Solar Prize. In 2018 construction began on the new Martin GmbH corporate headquarters in Ludesch. In 2019 the group carried out several moves: it acquired Lorenz Lift GmbH in Feldkirch, a rental business for aerial work platforms and construction machinery; it expanded the Huppenkothen headquarters in Lauterach; it founded Digando, a digital platform for construction machinery rental; and it introduced a new brand identity, developing an umbrella brand to connect the i+R Gruppe's brand world. Also in 2019, i+R Holzbau was expanded with a new production hall and a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for timber element construction following an earlier conversion and extension. In 2023 a further new production hall for i+R Holzbau followed. Looking ahead, the group's timeline notes that in 2026 a second MARTIN plant (Werk II) is to be built in Strass, Styria, supplementing the MARTIN GmbH site in Ludesch, with excavator bucket production there starting in autumn 2025. Throughout this period the group has positioned itself as one of the leading construction and real estate companies in the Lake Constance region, with activities spanning industrial and commercial construction, municipal building, hotel construction, renovation and refurbishment, and residential construction. Its i+RB Industrie- & Gewerbebau GmbH acts as general and total contractor on major projects, and the group maintains a long-standing partnership of more than 40 years with S+B Gruppe AG. The group's construction machinery business, including the Takeuchi excavator trade, gives it a presence in large parts of Europe as a specialist for service, rental and sale.

• 2026

  MARTIN Werk II in Strass, Styria, planned as a supplement to the MARTIN GmbH site in Ludesch.

• 2025

  Excavator bucket production scheduled to start at the new MARTIN Werk II site in Strass, Styria (from autumn 2025).

• 2023

  New production hall for i+R Holzbau with a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for timber element construction.

• 2019

  Acquisition of Lorenz Lift GmbH in Feldkirch; expansion of the Huppenkothen headquarters in Lauterach; founding of Digando, a digital platform for construction machinery rental; new brand identity with an umbrella brand for the i+R Gruppe; expansion of i+R Holzbau with a new production hall.

• 2018

  Construction start of the new Martin GmbH corporate headquarters in Ludesch.

• 2015

  Acquisition of Martin GmbH in Braz, Austria, a specialist for excavator attachments; founding of the technology startup SUNCAR, whose electric excavator won the Swiss Solar Prize.

• 2014

  Death of Günter Schertler.

• 2013

  Opening of the LEED-certified i+R Gruppe corporate headquarters in Johann-Schertler-Strasse, Lauterach, Austria.

• 2012

  Restructuring into a new holding structure begins with Reinhard Schertler entering as managing shareholder; business areas become independent operating subsidiaries.

• 2010

  New locations opened, including a window-building operation in Dammstrasse.

One of the leading construction and real estate companies in the Lake Constance region, offering full-service construction with in-house trades, cost guarantees and a focus on sustainability and innovation.

• Industrial and commercial construction

  General and total contracting for industrial and commercial buildings.

• Municipal building projects

  Public and municipal construction such as schools and town halls.

• Hotel construction

  Construction of hotel buildings.

• Renovation and refurbishment

  Renovation and refurbishment services.

• Residential construction

  Residential development and construction.

• Timber construction

  Timber and timber-hybrid construction through i+R Holzbau.

• Construction machinery rental and sales

  Rental and sale of construction machinery, including Takeuchi excavators and aerial work platforms.

• Concrete (Express Beton)

  Concrete supply through the group company Express Beton.

1. 1ir-bauen.com - i+Rir-bauen.com
2. 2Geschichte - i+Rir-bauen.com
3. 3Über uns - i+Rir-bauen.com
4. 4Aktuelles - i+Rir-bauen.com
5. 5i+R Industrial and Commercial Construction - Wikidatawikidata.org