Face shields from the 3D printer

70 simple face shields have been officially handed over at Ziehl-Abegg in Künzelsau — "and we will continue printing if there is still demand," says CEO Peter Fenkl. (Photo: Ziehl-Abegg / Rainer Grill)

The support structure is produced by Ziehl-Abegg using a 3D printer. (Photo: Ziehl-Abegg / Rainer Grill)

District Administrator Dr. Matthias Neth tries on a face shield, which consists of a printed frame, a daylight projector film, and an elastic band. (Photo: Ziehl-Abegg / Rainer Grill)

The district administrator of the Hohenlohe district, Dr. Mathias Neth (from left), receives face shields from CEO Peter Fenkl and laboratory manager Achim Kärcher (both Ziehl-Abegg), which come from the 3D printer. (Photo: Ziehl-Abegg / Rainer Grill)

Ziehl-Abegg (Künzelsau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) is one of the internationally leading companies in the field of air, control, and drive technology. Examples of application areas for their products include heating and cooling systems or cleanroom and agricultural facilities. Ziehl-Abegg laid the foundation for modern fan drives as early as the 1950s: external rotor motors, which are still state-of-the-art worldwide today. Another area includes electric motors, which are used, for example, in elevators, medical applications (CT scanners), or deep-sea underwater vehicles for propulsion. The topic of electromobility in road traffic was established at Ziehl-Abegg Automotive in 2012.

The high-tech company impresses with a high level of innovation. Ziehl-Abegg (all data refers to the year 2019) employs 2,400 staff in southern German manufacturing plants. Worldwide, 4,300 employees work for the company. These are spread globally across 16 manufacturing plants, 29 subsidiaries, and 113 sales locations. The approximately 30,000 products are sold in more than 100 countries. Revenue amounts to 633 million euros. Three-quarters of the turnover is generated through exports.

Emil Ziehl founded the company in 1910 in Berlin as a manufacturer of electric motors. After World War II, the company headquarters was moved to southern Germany. Ziehl-Abegg SE is not publicly traded and remains a family-owned business.