German building industry enjoys new boom

Neukirch, Germany

NEAR Germany's southern border, a small family-run construction company is being flooded with orders for its pre-fabricated homes.

They are destined to house some of the one million asylum seekers flooding into the country this year.

The family factory in Neukirch, a small town close to Austria and Switzerland, cannot keep up, so company chief Joerg Bauer is expanding near the shores of Lake Constance.

"We are about to introduce a double-shift at our plant in Neukirch, open a bigger factory building in nearby Lindau and increase our staff from 40 currently to 60," he said.

Demand for entry-level homes for the refugees, many of whom have been sleeping in gymnasiums, local …