Ziehl-Abegg

Last updated

Ziehl-Abegg SE
Company type Societas Europaea
IndustryElectrotechnology
Founded1910
Headquarters
Key people
Executive Board
  • Marc Wucherer, CEO
  • Olaf Kanig, CFO
  • Joachim Ley, COO
  • Wolfgang Mayer, CTO
  • Dennis Ziehl, Supervisory Board Chairman
Products Fans and drives
Revenue955 Mio. EUR [1]
Number of employees
5000 [1]
Website http://www.ziehl-abegg.com
First Design of an external rotor motor Al zeichnung.jpg
First Design of an external rotor motor

Ziehl-Abegg SE (own notation ZIEHL-ABEGG SE, until 2013 Ziehl-Abegg AG ) [2] is a German manufacturer of fans for ventilation and air conditioning applications, as well as drive technology for elevators and motors with matching control technology. The company's headquarters are in Kuenzelsau, in Hohenlohekreis, Germany.

Contents

The group owns

as well as all international subsidiaries.

History

In 1897, Emil Ziehl developed the first external rotor motor. In early 1910, the Ziehl-Abegg Electricity Company was founded in Berlin. Emil Ziehl and the Swiss engineer Eduard Abegg set up the company in Weißensee, [4] a borough now part of the Pankow District.

Emil Ziehl had big expectations for Abegg, who was to develop wind turbines. After the company’s logo (with Abegg’s name on it) was already made public, Abegg failed to bring the promised funds. The introduced patent for the wind motors also turned out to be unsuitable. Abegg left the company that same year. [4]

The plant in Berlin was dismantled and taken to the Soviet Union after the German Surrender in 1945, following orders of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany. [4] In 1947, the brothers Günther and Heinz Ziehl re-established the company in the Künzelsau castle mill, this time in West Germany. In 1960 began the production of an external rotor motor as a fan drive. The internalisation of the company started in 1973 and, in 2001, it became a family owned, joint-stock company. [5]

Sales subsidiaries can be found in Poland, China, Russia, USA, Czech Republic, Sweden, United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Austria, Ukraine, Spain, Benelux, South Africa, Japan, Turkey, India and Brazil.

The founders of various competitors (Gebhardt, ebm-papst and Rosenberg) were employees of Ziehl-Abegg before starting their own respective companies. Wilhelm Gebhardt worked in the Development department, and Karl Rosenberg used to work in the Sales department until 1981, when he left to set up his own firm. [6]

Products

The biggest division is the Ventilation division, in which axial and radial fans with a diameter from 190 mm to 1400 mm are produced. Ziehl-Abegg also has two further divisions which produce drives and the corresponding control technology. Application areas are i.e. Heat, clean room and refrigeration technology.

In the late 1980s, Ziehl-Abegg became the first company in the world to introduce EC-Motors (see Brushless DC electric motor) and use them for Ventilation Technology. [7] In the 1990s, the rotor blades were sickled and in 2006 they were equipped with a bionic profile, in order to minimize the noise emissions. [8] In 2013, Ziehl-Abegg was also the first company in the world to develop a Bio-Fan made entirely of a Bio-Polymer (in this case castor oil). [8]

In the drives division, Electrical Motors for lifts, medical applications (i.e. Computer Tomographs) and Omnibuses are developed. [9]

Facilities

Ziehl-Abegg SE

Ziehl-Abegg Offices in Kunzelsau Ziehl-Abegg Kunzelsau-2.jpg
Ziehl-Abegg Offices in Künzelsau

The headquarters are located at the Heinz-Ziehl Street in Kuenzelsau, with a subsidiary plant in the nearby Würzburger Street. Built in 2008, the world's largest and most modern air flow and noise level test chambers for fans can be found in the main production site. [10]

Further production sites are located in Schoental-Bieringen (one facility) and in the Günther-Ziehl Street in the Hohenlohe Industrial Park, Kupferzell (ZA Kupferzell). [11]

Ziehl-Abegg France SARL

The production site of electrical motors and complete Fan Systems for the Refrigeration and ventilation industry is located in Villieu, Lyon. 118 Employees work on an area of 10.000 qm.

Ziehl-Abegg KFT

ZIEHL-ABEGG Motor- és Ventillátorgyártó Kft. in Marcali (Hungary) was founded in December 1994 by ZIEHL-ABEGG GmbH. & Co. with a capital of 84.570.000 Forint. This plant manufactures Ventilation equipment, special electrical motors, axial and radial fans and accessories for agriculture, engineering, AC-equipment and cooling industry. The production of the parts consists of three facilities on an area of 62.000 qm in total.

Ziehl-Abegg US

Responsible for fulfillment of fans in the US and Mexico, The plant produces EC motors, AC fans, and ZA-Plus fans In the ECblue production center named from a suggestion made from by a prized apprentice named Alex Morales. Not to be mistaken by the first apprentice in the Guilford Apprentice program known as GAP in brief: Vance Brady who paved the path for the now strong and proud team of eleven technically advanced apprentices. The facility was expanded in early 2020 and now stands at over 140,000 square feet.

Training and education

The percentage of trainees and apprentices in Ziehl-Abegg is close to 10%. In 2014, the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce gave Ziehl-Abegg the "Dualis" Label for its remarkable training programme.

In 2012, Ziehl-Abegg was honoured with the Human Resources Excellence Award for its outstanding Welcome Culture towards international employees. [12] Ziehl-Abegg is also exporting the successful German Dual education system: the Ziehl-Abegg facility in Hungary is offering a cooperative study program (with an 80%–20% balance of theory and practice, similar to the special college system called Duale Hochschule ) for 2016, following the start of the Dual Training System in 2013.

The Apprentice program in the US is built around the Guilford Apprentice Program or GAP for short.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric motor</span> Machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy

An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate force in the form of torque applied on the motor's shaft. An electric generator is mechanically identical to an electric motor, but operates in reverse, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Induction motor</span> Type of AC electric motor

An induction motor or asynchronous motor is an AC electric motor in which the electric current in the rotor that produces torque is obtained by electromagnetic induction from the magnetic field of the stator winding. An induction motor therefore needs no electrical connections to the rotor. An induction motor's rotor can be either wound type or squirrel-cage type.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compressor</span> Machine to increase pressure of gas by reducing its volume

A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. An air compressor is a specific type of gas compressor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AEG (German company)</span> 1883–1996 electrical equipment and aircraft manufacturer of Germany

Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG was a German producer of electrical equipment. It was founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau as the Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität in Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brushless DC electric motor</span> Synchronous electric motor powered by an electronic controller

A brushless DC electric motor (BLDC), also known as an electronically commutated motor, is a synchronous motor using a direct current (DC) electric power supply. It uses an electronic controller to switch DC currents to the motor windings producing magnetic fields that effectively rotate in space and which the permanent magnet rotor follows. The controller adjusts the phase and amplitude of the current pulses that control the speed and torque of the motor. It is an improvement on the mechanical commutator (brushes) used in many conventional electric motors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turbomachinery</span> Machine for exchanging energy with a fluid

Turbomachinery, in mechanical engineering, describes machines that transfer energy between a rotor and a fluid, including both turbines and compressors. While a turbine transfers energy from a fluid to a rotor, a compressor transfers energy from a rotor to a fluid. It is an important application of fluid mechanics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vapor-compression refrigeration</span> Refrigeration process

Vapour-compression refrigeration or vapor-compression refrigeration system (VCRS), in which the refrigerant undergoes phase changes, is one of the many refrigeration cycles and is the most widely used method for air conditioning of buildings and automobiles. It is also used in domestic and commercial refrigerators, large-scale warehouses for chilled or frozen storage of foods and meats, refrigerated trucks and railroad cars, and a host of other commercial and industrial services. Oil refineries, petrochemical and chemical processing plants, and natural gas processing plants are among the many types of industrial plants that often utilize large vapor-compression refrigeration systems. Cascade refrigeration systems may also be implemented using two compressors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Künzelsau</span> Town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Künzelsau is a town in Baden-Württemberg, in south central Germany. It is the capital of the Hohenlohe district. It is located on the river Kocher, 19 km (12 mi) north of Schwäbisch Hall, and 37 km (23 mi) northeast of Heilbronn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AC motor</span> Electric motor driven by an AC electrical input

An AC motor is an electric motor driven by an alternating current (AC). The AC motor commonly consists of two basic parts, an outside stator having coils supplied with alternating current to produce a rotating magnetic field, and an inside rotor attached to the output shaft producing a second rotating magnetic field. The rotor magnetic field may be produced by permanent magnets, reluctance saliency, or DC or AC electrical windings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEG Industries</span> Brazilian electronics company

WEG is a Brazilian company, operating worldwide in the electric engineering, power and automation technology areas. Headquartered in Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil, the company produces electric motors, generators, transformers, turbines, drives, and coatings. WEG has operations in around 100 countries, with approximately 39,000 employees (2023). It's one the largest manufacturers of electric motors in the world.

Wellington Drive Technologies Ltd (WDT) is a New Zealand–based company that supplies electricity-saving, electronically commutated (EC) motors and fans worldwide. Their focus is on advanced motors, electronics and software that save power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan (machine)</span> Machine used to produce air flow

A fan is a powered machine used to create a flow of air. A fan consists of a rotating arrangement of vanes or blades, generally made of wood, plastic, or metal, which act on the air. The rotating assembly of blades and hub is known as an impeller, rotor, or runner. Usually, it is contained within some form of housing, or case. This may direct the airflow, or increase safety by preventing objects from contacting the fan blades. Most fans are powered by electric motors, but other sources of power may be used, including hydraulic motors, handcranks, and internal combustion engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxon Group</span> Swiss manufacturer of motor systems

Maxon Group is a Swiss manufacturer and supplier of high-precision motor systems. The group, including its subsidiaries, deals in electric AC motors, DC motors, encoders, gears, motor controllers, and sensors.

Superconducting electric machines are electromechanical systems that rely on the use of one or more superconducting elements. Since superconductors have no DC resistance, they typically have greater efficiency. The most important parameter that is of utmost interest in superconducting machine is the generation of a very high magnetic field that is not possible in a conventional machine. This leads to a substantial decrease in the motor volume; which means a great increase in the power density. However, since superconductors only have zero resistance under a certain superconducting transition temperature, Tc that is hundreds of degrees lower than room temperature, cryogenics are required.

Shaft voltage occurs in electric motors and generators due to leakage, induction, or capacitive coupling with the windings of the motor. It can occur in motors powered by variable-frequency drives, as often used in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration systems. DC machines may have leakage current from the armature windings that energizes the shaft. Currents due to shaft voltage causes deterioration of motor bearings, but can be prevented with a grounding brush on the shaft, grounding of the motor frame, insulation of the bearing supports, or shielding.

Elektrobau Mulfingen GmbH is the parent company of the ebm-papst Group, a manufacturer of electric motors and fans. The group was formed in 2003 from the merger of the companies Elektrobau Mulfingen GmbH & Co. KG (ebm), Papst Motoren GmbH and Motoren Ventilatoren Landshut GmbH and operates international production sites. The head office is located in Mulfingen in Baden-Württemberg. Ebm-papst is owned by the Ziehl, Sturm and Philippiak families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alternator (automotive)</span> Electric generator in modern automobiles

An alternator is a type of electric generator used in modern automobiles to charge the battery and to power the electrical system when its engine is running.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emil Ziehl</span>

Emil Ziehl was a German engineer and entrepreneur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Günther Ziehl</span> German engineer and businessman

Günther Ziehl was a German engineer and businessman. His father, Emil Ziehl, founded ZIEHL-ABEGG, a company which was later led and rebuilt by Günther Ziehl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axial flux motor</span> Type of electric motor construction

An axial flux motor is a geometry of electric motor construction where the gap between the rotor and stator, and therefore the direction of magnetic flux between the two, is aligned parallel with the axis of rotation, rather than radially as with the concentric cylindrical geometry of the more common radial flux motor. With axial flux geometry torque increases with the cube of the rotor diameter, whereas in a radial flux the increase is only quadratic. Axial flux motors have a larger magnetic surface and overall surface area than radial flux motors for a given volume.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ziehl-Abegg Records Record Year in 2023 and Sets Strategic Course for the Future". 11 March 2024.
  2. The Royal League on www.ziehl-abegg.com
  3. on www.ziehl-abegg.com
  4. 1 2 3 The Electro-locomotives of the Berharnd Station on nonstopsystems.com
  5. Think global, act local on ejarn.com
  6. Komplizierte Familienverhältnisse on www.brandeins.de
  7. EC-Technology on Es Magazine
  8. 1 2 Interplay of design + material Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine on akro-plastic.com
  9. Land der Ideen
  10. Innovation and Ventilation Combine at Ziehl-Abegg on ejarn.com
  11. Germany sites on www.ziehl-abegg.com
  12. "Ziehl-Abegg: Highest sales in the history of the company". www.ejarn.com. Retrieved 4 December 2015.