The SternMaid plant in Wittenburg near Hamburg is one of the most modern facilities of its kind, having expanded several times since 1998 and now employing 300 people. Three fully automatic mixing lines, four semi-automatic multifunctional mixing plants and a qualified pharmaceutical mixing plant are located on a 646,000 sq feet (60,000 m²) site. This equipment provides mixing capacities for around 50,000 metric tons a year. A subsidiary of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, the company has developed into one of the top locations for compounding and filling powdered foodstuffs, food additives and dietary supplements as well as pharmaceutical active ingredients and excipients.