ebm-papst opens HighSpeed Technology Center

Philipp Handschuh (Director of HighSpeed), Tomas Smetana (CTO), Klaus Geißdörfer (CEO), Winfried Kretschmann (Minister President of BW), Ralf Sturm (Partner of ebm-papst), Chloe McCracken (Partner of ebm-papst), and Jan Philippiak (Partner of ebm-papst) inaugurate the ebm-papst HighSpeed Technical Center. (Image: ebm-papst)

Ralf Sturm, Chloe McCracken, Jan Philippiak, Klaus Geißdörfer, and Winfried Kretschmann examine the new oil-free turbo compressor from ebm-papst. (Image: ebm-papst)

(Image: ebm-papst)

(Image: ebm-papst)

The ebm-papst Group, a worldwide leader in the supply of fans and motors, officially commissioned its new HighSpeed Technical Center today in Mulfingen. In the presence of Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann, Harald Ebner, MdB, Catherine Kern, MdL, Ian Schölzel, District Administrator of the Hohenlohe District, Sören Döffinger, Mayor of Mulfingen, the three founding families, and around 150 other guests, ebm-papst opened this unique center within the company and the industry for exploring new markets and application areas for energy-efficient high-tech solutions in the field of HighSpeed turbo compressors.  

Dr. Klaus Geißdörfer, CEO of the ebm-papst Group, said at the opening ceremony: “This HighSpeed Technical Center stands for innovation and technological leadership. It is therefore an important building block of our ‘Shaping the Future Together’ strategy, focusing on our core international segments of air and heating technology, as well as digitalization and sustainability. My special thanks go to all those involved who have worked tirelessly on this project for years and are now making it a reality.”  

Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann stated: “ebm-papst’s investments in the new HighSpeed Technical Center are a strong sign for the Baden-Württemberg location and for good jobs of the future. Worldwide, the market for compressors is growing – for example, for heat pumps, which play a central role in climate-neutral heating. With the start of small-series production, ebm-papst is preparing to seize these opportunities. The company is therefore a good example of how current transformation can be committed to and sustainably managed.”

Since 2015, ebm-papst has invested around 60 million euros in the HighSpeed project. About 15 million euros of this has gone into the building and technology. These investments have also led to the creation of 60 new jobs in the HighSpeed sector over the past few years.

“At ebm-papst, we want to create sustainable and intelligent solutions. For a better climate, for people, and to protect our environment. The innovative HighSpeed turbo compressors are an excellent example of this, setting new standards in efficiency and noise reduction,” explained Jan Philippiak, shareholder of ebm-papst. Shareholder Ralf Sturm added: “The comprehensive investments in this high-tech and HighSpeed technical center reflect the clear commitment of the shareholders and management to securing the long-term success of ebm-papst for the future.”

The HighSpeed Technical Center in Detail  

Approximately 70 employees work interdisciplinarily in the HighSpeed division on the development of manufacturing processes and the production of compact, energy-efficient, oil-free turbo compressors. The technical center acts as the link between product development and future series production. It’s not just about the product itself, but also about the flexible processes needed to develop prototypes, produce small series, and subsequently ramp up production volumes at competitive costs before transferring the compressors to mass production.

The HighSpeed products manufactured at the technical center are integrated into applications such as air conditioning units or heat pumps, where they compress refrigerants as efficiently as possible. They are simultaneously durable, quiet, low-maintenance, lightweight, and energy-efficient. They compress natural refrigerants such as propane, using significantly less refrigerant overall. In this way, ebm-papst expands its product range in terms of resource conservation and energy-efficient high-tech solutions, making an important contribution to sustainability and combating global warming.

The turbo compressors were first introduced by ebm-papst at the Hannover Messe in 2023 and have since generated great customer interest.