International. Motor and fan maker Ziehl-Abegg reported another year of higher-than-average growth: the company increased sales by 8.1 percent to EUR 584 million (provisional figures); compared to €540 million the previous year.
Sales figures are mainly being driven by the strong growth of the fan business in the ventilation technology sector. The company, based in southern Germany, has once again managed to increase its sales organically, without any acquisitions.
The start of in-house production of composite material in the Hohenlohe Business Park (Germany) represents a milestone in the company's history. Highly sophisticated tools allow you to achieve complex geometries on synthetic material fans. "This allows us to improve the way we transfer knowledge of the natural world to our products," says CEO Peter Fenkl, explaining the company's bionic approach. According to Fenkl, "Bionics helps us further improve the carbon footprint of our products." One of the benefits for customers is that Ziehl-Abegg offers three in-house technologies: steel, aluminum and composite material. "This sets us apart from our competitors."
"We are seeing two effects: in emerging countries, the impetus comes from the construction of new buildings, while in countries like Germany, sales are shifting to the modernisation and upgrading of existing plants in old buildings," says Fenkl. This applies to both ventilation and drive technology. In drive technology, the sales driver is the ZAtop elevator drive. "Customers appreciate the reliability of the products, as well as our fast and straightforward service," Fenkl emphasizes.
Since Ziehl-Abegg possesses extensive experience and depth in global manufacturing, the growth in sales has also had an impact on the number of employees. "The workforce in Germany has increased from 2,200 to 2,250," says the CEO. Ziehl-Abegg now employs 4,100 people worldwide (previous year: 3,900). In order to continue attracting qualified personnel in the future, Ziehl-Abegg has expanded the international nature of its dual training: dual training is now provided in Hungary, Spain, Brazil and the United States. In Germany, Ziehl-Abegg was named the best company for training in the electrical industry in a national study conducted last year.
