Ziehl-Abegg of Germany, one of the leading global companies in the ventilation and drive technology sector with matching control technology is investing in construction of new building in the Hohenlohe Business Park – where EC production is to be relocated and expanded.

“We are equipping ourselves for the future,” that is the commitment from Peter Fenkl, Chairman of the Board of Ziehl-Abegg. Since worldwide demand for energy-saving fans and motors is on the increase, the Künzelsau-based company is constructing a new building for EC production in the Hohenlohe Business Park (Baden-Württemberg). Over the next two years Ziehl-Abegg will be investing a total of around 28 million euros in Hohenlohe. “By doing this we are strengthening the position of Germany and Hohenlohe in particular as a production location,” says Fenkl.

Up to now, energy-saving motors and fans have primarily been manufactured in the Würzburger Straße facilities in Künzelsau. In order to almost double the production area to nearly 8,000 square metres there is a need for a new building in the Hohenlohe Business Park. The new building, with an initial estimate for construction costs of 11 million euros, will be ‘docked’ on to an existing building. This will not only enable use of the existing loading ramps but also incorporate existing surfaces.

Ziehl-Abegg has been producing fans in the Hohenlohe Business Park since 2003. In 2008 this facility, which is used for the manufacture of centrifugal fans, was expanded to cover an area of around 19,000 square metres. The entire Ziehl-Abegg site in the Business Park extends to 230,000 square metres. The most recent building with the distinctive ZA Tower has become a real eye-catcher. This is where the company has been developing and producing elevator motors and motors for use in both medical technology as well as underwater vehicles since 2014 on a site which covers a good 12,000 square metres and also houses the Ziehl-Abegg Automotive Division and gearless, where the ZAwheel in wheel hub drive for electric city buses is produced.

The number of Ziehl-Abegg employees in the Hohenlohe Business Park will therefore rise in the coming year from the existing 480 to more than 620. It is currently not yet possible to give a realistic estimate of how many additional jobs will be created in what period of time at the ZA branch factory in Kupferzell.