Ziehl-Abegg invests approximately 28 million euros

In the Hohenlohe Business Park, Ziehl-Abegg is building a new facility for energy-efficient electric motors and fans. The existing production of these products will be relocated from Künzelsau (Würzburger Straße) to this new site and expanded.

Peter Fenkl is pleased with the high demand for energy-saving products from Ziehl-Abegg and announces investments of 28 million euros.

"We are preparing for the future," promises Peter Fenkl, the CEO of Ziehl-Abegg. As the global demand for energy-saving fans and motors increases, the Künzelsau company is building a new building for EC production in the Hohenlohe industrial park (Baden-Württemberg). Overall, Ziehl-Abegg plans to invest approximately 28 million euros in Hohenlohe over the next two years. "With this, we are strengthening Germany and especially Hohenlohe as a manufacturing location," says Fenkl.

Until now, the energy-efficient motors and fans have been largely manufactured in Künzelsau at the plant on Würzburger Straße. To nearly double the production area to approximately 8,000 square meters, a new building in the Hohenlohe industrial park is necessary. The new building, with construction costs estimated at eleven million euros based on initial estimates, will be attached to an existing building. This allows both the existing loading ramps to be used and existing areas to be incorporated.

Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2016. The setup of new manufacturing facilities and the relocation of existing production equipment will then take place in mid-2017. This will involve relocating 140 jobs from Künzelsau (Würzburger Straße) to the new building. "Of course, relocating a workplace is often not easy for those affected," says CEO Fenkl. Therefore, the company did not make the decision lightly. However, the existing site is already at capacity. Further growth at this location is not possible. "And growth in this sector is clearly foreseeable," says Fenkl. This is because the European Union's regulations on the power consumption of electric motors in fans will be tightened again by 2020 at the latest. This is regulated in the EcoDesign directive, known as the ErP (Energy-related Products) directive. "We have sensed the trend towards our highly efficient products for years," the company boss states about the positive sales development, which continues into 2016.

Since 2003, Ziehl-Abegg has been producing fans in the Hohenlohe industrial park. This plant for the manufacture of radial fans was expanded in 2008 to around 19,000 square meters. The entire Ziehl-Abegg area in the industrial park covers 230,000 square meters. The newest building, with the distinctive ZA Tower, has become a visual highlight. Since 2014, on over 12,000 square meters, elevator motors and motors for medical technology as well as underwater vehicles have been developed and manufactured there. Additionally, the Ziehl-Abegg Automotive division is located there, with the beltless wheel hub drive ZAwheel for electric city buses.

The number of employees at Ziehl-Abegg in the Hohenlohe industrial park will increase from the current 480 to well over 620 next year. How many additional jobs will be created at the ZA-Kupferzell plant and within what timeframe is currently not realistically foreseeable.

Keyword EC Motors
EC stands for "electronically commutated." Such motors require less power during operation but are more expensive to purchase due to more complex electronics.