Dr Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut and Peter Fenkl

KUENZELSAU, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, 6 July 2020: “The global markets will continue to need high-quality electric motors and fans in the future,” said Peter Fenkl, CEO, Ziehl-Abegg, while announcing that the company is investing 16 million euros in the expansion of its production buildings at its Kupferzell site.

Dr Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister for Economic Affairs, praised the investment during the official ground-breaking ceremony for the site: “The new construction project is a clear commitment to Baden-Württemberg as a location for manufacturing and innovation. Our state needs companies like Ziehl-Abegg SE that take on a leadership role in our economy, particularly during difficult times.

The Hohenlohe industrial company has also been affected worldwide by the COVID-19 crisis, it said, adding that sales are close to the previous year. “However, a higher-than-average 8.6% increase in sales across the industry in 2019 provides a solid foundation,” Fenkl said. In the current year, the company said, it will benefit from the wide range of applications, which contain Ziehl-Abegg products. In particular, in the current year, the Drive Technology Division, which manufactures electric motors for elevators, is enjoying one record high order intake after the other, it added.

In the new building, the company said, an additional approximately 8,400 square metres of production area will be created for the manufacture of its energy-efficient electric motors. “The durable and efficient electric motor has been our core area of expertise for more than 100 years,” Fenkl said. Ziehl-Abegg said it is simultaneously the leader in the technology of biomimetic fan design. However, since many geometries with ideal aerodynamic characteristics cannot be realised in steel or aluminium, the company said it is expanding its composite materials area. “It is essential for us to create extra space for additional composite material injection moulding machines” Fenkl said.

Overall, Ziehl-Abegg is expanding its production facilities or optimising existing plants, worldwide – in Schöntal-Bieringen, where the aluminium casting operation is based, as well as at its locations in America and Asia. “Corona has demonstrated, in particular, that we and our customers must take a close look at the use of long-delivery routes,” Fenkl said.

Hoffmeister said: “Ziehl-Abegg SE epitomises the ‘stand-out’ characteristic of our economy in Baden-Württemberg: rooted within the region but with a global operation. With this investment, the company is further expanding the resilience of its supply chains and the high level of value added at this location.”