International. The company based in Künzelsau, Germany, invested €16 million in the expansion of its production buildings at the Kupferzell site amid the pandemic; this will be followed by another €20 million for machinery.
"The world's markets will continue to need high-quality electric motors and fans in the future," says CEO Peter Fenkl. "With the new building, the company is further expanding its high degree of vertical manufacturing and the resilience of supply chains here on site, while securing valuable jobs both inside and outside the region," emphasizes Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister of Economic Affairs of Baden-Württemberg.
In the early summer of 2020, many economic decision-makers were shocked by the pandemic. "No one knew what would come next, and that's when we started our current construction project," Fenkl recalls. Thanks to the commitment of each and every employee, the company managed to record an increase in sales at the end of the year, followed by an order intake that exceeded all previous records.
Of the new building, Fenkl says, "So now we're glad we've created more room for rapid growth." The new machines and systems that had already been ordered in the spring of 2020 will arrive weekly. It is also intended to create an additional 180 jobs.
An additional area of around 8,700 square meters will be created in the new building for the manufacture of energy-efficient electric motors.
"The durable and efficient electric motor has been our main area of expertise for more than 100 years," Fenkl emphasizes. At the same time, Ziehl-Abegg is a technology leader in fan design based on the concept of biomimetics. However, since many geometries that offer perfect aerodynamics cannot be implemented in steel or aluminum, we are expanding the area of composite materials.
Overall, Ziehl-Abegg is expanding its production facilities around the world or optimizing existing plants: both in Schöntal-Bieringen, where the based aluminium smelting operation is located, as well as in locations in the Americas and Asia. "Covid has shown that we have to consider very carefully how we can design our production facilities in a way that allows us to meet the needs of the market with optimal effect," says Fenkl.
Key facts / Ziehl-Abegg at the Hohenlohe Business Park (Southern Germany)
- Total construction cost: 16.8 million euros (building with 10 loading docks)
- 112 additional parking spaces for employees
- Additional usable area: 8,700 square meters, 1,000 of which are for offices
- Additional number of works planned: 180
- Total usable area in Ziehl-Abegg in the business park: 66,000 square meters
- Previous number of employees in Ziehl-Abegg in the business park: approx. 850 (2,400 in Hohenlohe in total, 4,300 worldwide).
