Ziehl-Abegg achieves record revenue in challenging environment

Eine große Fertigungstiefe hat es dem Ventilatoren- und Motorenhersteller Ziehl-Abegg ermöglicht, in einem schwierigen Umfeld deutlich zu wachsen. Duy Loi Do in der Ventilatorenproduktion / High levels of vertical integration have enabled fan and motor manufacturer Ziehl-Abegg to grow significantly, despite the challenging economic climate.

Paul Haas arbeitet in der Fertigung von energiesparenden EC-Motoren bei Ziehl-Abegg. / High levels of vertical integration have enabled fan and motor manufacturer Ziehl-Abegg to grow significantly, despite the challenging economic climate.

Ziehl-Abegg SE achieved outstanding results in 2013 despite the difficult economic climate around the world. Revenue increased by 5 percent and totalled a record €388 million. Business in Asia was looking particularly good. For the first time in the company's history, investments reached €41.4 million. This is founded largely on the establishment of a new site in Hohenlohe (southern Germany) for the drive technology division.

"The market is responding very well to our low-noise, energy-saving products", says CEO Peter Fenkl. This applies to both fan and drive technology. International awards, for instance from the German Federal Environment Agency and various environmental ministries, underline the pioneering role of the Künzelsau-based engineers when it comes to future-proof developments. "The Automotive division will considerably gather pace during the course of the year", promises Fenkl. The fact that major European bus and coach manufacturer VDL Bus & Coach is fitting its new Citea Electric city buses with the Ziehl-Abegg ZAwheel gearless in-wheel hub motor will add an additional boost to business at the company's sites in the coming months.  

"Record investments in both buildings and new products on the market have significantly burdened our results", says FEO Achim Curd Rägle. He adds that currency fluctuations have also had a considerably negative effect on results with the consequence that profits have fallen short of expectations. As was always the case, the company will not comment on any specific figures. The company’s workforce has also increased in line with its revenue. At the end of last year, Ziehl-Abegg employed 3,250 people worldwide, with 1,800 employees at the five sites in Hohenlohe alone. "Despite an export rate of 70 percent, the majority of our workforce is employed in Germany", explains Rägle.   

Ziehl-Abegg's worldwide production network is continuing to grow. The company’s sites in Asia, the Americas and Australia are being continuously enhanced to provide local assembly and production facilities. "This brings us even closer to our customers", explains CTO Norbert Schuster.

Revenue development in Asia has been considerably better than expected and business in the Americas is also growing.

The new site on the A6 motorway in Germany will be inaugurated in the second quarter of 2014. Ziehl-Abegg invested €27 million in this project alone. The company is currently setting up series production for the gearless wheel hub motor in the new development and we have already launched production of state-of-the-art lift motors.

In 2014, Ziehl-Abegg is expecting high, single-digit growth rates. This is reflected by the incoming orders, which, in 2014, are already ten percent above last year's rate.