Sindelfingen, Germany: After having been set up 25 years ago, compressor specialist Bitzer has announced delivering its 2.5 millionth product, which was made at Schkeuditz near Leipzig in Germany, to one of its longest-standing customers, Oy Combi Cool Ab from Finland.

The announcement highlighted that Frank Fuhlbrück, Factory Manager at Bitzer Schkeuditz; Erik Bucher, Director, Sales (Refrigeration) and Ralf Gasper, Director, Sales (Northern Europe and Baltic States), from Bitzer, handed over the anniversary product to Oy Combi Cool Ab’s Managing Director, Klaus Nyström, and Product Manager, Markus Antikainen, who travelled from Helsinki to Schkeuditz to accept the Ecostar condensing unit from the new LHVE series, together with the corresponding certificate.

“We are very happy that we have got this anniversary condensing unit,” said Antikainen. “We see it as a sign of our mutual respect. We have placed our trust in quality from Bitzer since 1989, so we have successfully worked together for quite a long time. We are very pleased that we got the chance to once again visit the manufacturing location at Schkeuditz for this happy event.”

Stating the importance of the Schkeuditz factory, Fuhlbrück said: “When it was founded, the factory employed 210 staff, of which 180 came from MAB [Maschinen- und Apparatebau Schkeuditz VEB]. After all, experience is priceless and there was plenty of that in Schkeuditz. Compressors had been produced here since the end of the 1940s.”

Since 1991, the company said it has extended the Schkeuditz site, increased the production volume seven-fold, increased the number of staff employed to about 750, scaled-up production area from about 2,500 m² to more than 19,000 m². Overall, since the takeover in 1991, the company said that it has invested more than Euro 100 million in the site and is still continuing to extend it.

Commenting on the quality of the company’s products, Fuhlbrück said: “We set international standards in the development and production of reciprocating compressors and condensing units and we place great importance on quality. Our focus is always on meeting the high-quality standards both of Bitzer and of our customers. Made by Bitzer also means quality made in Germany.”

Fuhlbrück mentioned that the company is committed to the professional training of its technicians. He said, “Since the end of 2015, when the extension work on the Schkeuditzer training workshop was completed, up to 40 apprentices can be trained at the same time.” He added that the Schkeuditz site will continue to play a very important role, and they are optimistic about the future.