International. The fan manufacturer Ziehl-Abegg invested 28 million euros, both in the new construction located in the Hohenlohe industrial park, and in the start of its own production of plastic materials. For the manufacture of fans from a special plastic, the company is committed to a new integrated quality control that reduces the failure rate to almost zero.
Fan designers at Ziehl-Abegg are placing increasing emphasis on applying bionic principles in order to improve aerodynamics. However, incorporating these optimized designs into series production is a major challenge for them. "We employ injection molding techniques so complex that a single tool costs half a million euros," says Peter Fenkl, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ziehl-Abegg SE. The new facilities are based on the experience gained by Ziehl-Abegg during ten years of production of plastic fans through third-party suppliers. The great advantage of injection molding machines is that important process parameters are monitored during the same production, so that defective products can be excluded from the beginning.
"Our start in plastics technology is of great benefit, especially for our customers," says Fenkl. Ziehl-Abegg now offers both aluminium and steel fans, as well as in-house produced plastic. "With this initiative we provide added value to our company," says the Chairman of the Board of Directors, referring to this new era. In this way, each engineer can decide, based on objective criteria, which material is the most appropriate for the client's application. Fenkl says: "In the company we now have all three technologies. This sets us apart from our competitors."
On the market, Ziehl-Abegg has already replaced many fans with plastic fans that until now had been made of steel or aluminum. ZAmid, the fiber-composite thermoplastic material, was developed by Ziehl-Abegg. The material is much lighter than steel and allows the fans to rotate at a speed of 250 kilometers per hour in continuous operation. Plastic fans are tested at speeds of up to 500 kilometers per hour. "We will continue to expand the potential of lightweight plastic constructions for our customers," promises Peter Fenkl. This is because many ideal and aerodynamic geometric shapes are not easily viable in steel or aluminum.
With the investment of five million euros for the acquisition of machines and tools, the company has so far created six new jobs in the area of plastic production. In total, the number of employees at the Ziehl-Abegg industrial park in Hohenlohe has increased from 480 to 770 people.
The new construction is completed with a modern office space. Several departments, originally located in Künzelsau, have moved to that office area in Kupferzell. In Künzelsau, a surface area is required to expand the production of printed circuit boards for electric motors.
Basic facts/Ziehl-Abegg in the Hohenlohe Industrial Park:
- Building costs: €28 million (buildings and machines)
- Additional production area: 7,000 square meters
- Total production area in the industrial park: 44,240 square meters
- Total employees in the industrial park: 770 (a total of 2,200 in Hohenlohe, 3,900 worldwide)
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