Through the crisis and back

The ZDF TV network accompanied ebm-papst for two years

How are medium-sized companies in Germany getting through the crisis? This was one of the questions the German morning TV show “ZDF Morgenmagazin” wanted answered and thus monitored ebm-papst’s development for two years. The summary can now be viewed on the company website. The long-term report begins in August 2008 when the biggest problem was still the lack of skilled workers, passes through the phase of short-time work, and concludes at the end of 2009 already daring to express a relatively positive outlook for the future. After all, the fan manufacturer had expanded its leading position in the world marketplace for EC motors and EC fans even in the crisis. For this reason, Hans-Jochen Beilke, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors, estimates that the company will fall just short of the sales goal for the current fiscal year, but expects recovery in the next.

Cells for the USA

Another bone marrow donor from ebm-papst

If your information is on file somewhere, you may forget about that after a while, but the German Bone Marrow Donor Centre (DMKS) luckily does not forget anyone! ebm-papst toolmaking employee Jürgen Sturm has the correct stem cells for a cancer patient in the USA. Sturm immediately donated stem cells in a hospital in Nuremberg. Hans-Jochen Beilke, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors, personally presented Sturm with the DKMS donor certificate in recognition of this social commitment. Jürgen Sturm is already the second donor that could be identified as a result of the HLA typing campaign initiated by three trainees in 2007. Michael Keppner, an electrician, became a donor in 2008.

Power for the Ural

Thermal power plant for Russian university

the Southern ural State university in Chelyabinsk, Russia, is building a thermal power plant and ebm-papst is involved. Sixteen centrifugal fans from ebm-papst ural, the subsidiary in Ekaterinenburg (which is approx. 200 kilometres away) rotate in the suction and air feed chambers of the four generators. The natural gas-fired plant, with 2.4 megawatts of electrical output and 3.2 megawatts of thermal output, is being started in two phases. Two generators have already been operating since the end of January. The other two are scheduled to go online in Summer 2010. There are already plans for an additional thermal power plant.

Driving clean and green

Employee receives environmental prize

Monika Sonntag, secretary in the Operations, Maintenance and Building Department, had a good idea: Why not make the CO2 emissions a critical factor when purchasing new company cars? Her idea won the environmental prize from a regional citizens’ action group, endowed with 1,500 euro. This idea and many others were initiated by an environmental competition through the employee suggestion system. The Managing Directors also took to Ms Sonntag’s idea and changed the company car regulations to target low CO2 emissions. Only bluemotion models will be purchased for the pool vehicle fleet.

Training despite the crisis

79 trainees start at ebm-papst

Last autumn, 79 young people have started with their future in the world of work at the three ebm-papst locations in Mulfingen, St. Georgen and Landshut — in training or dual studies. The company thus defied the trend in the economic crisis. “We are conscious of our responsibility to young people and the region and thus place as much emphasis on our training programs as ever, despite the economic crisis,” emphasises Hans-Jochen Beilke, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors. Accepting students into a concrete employment relationship after they complete the training at ebm-papst has been a stated goal at all three locations.
Fifteen trainees began their career at the Landshut location in Germany’s Lower Bavaria region; in St. Georgen and Herbolzheim a total of 21 young adults began their employment. In these two plants in the Black Forest region, 19 started as industrial/technical trainees, one as Inventory Management Specialist and one as future Bachelor’s of Engineering. In Mulfingen, an Orientation Week started off training for 43 trainees and students of the Co-operative State University and co-operative degree program in Electrical Engineering.

News in brief

The Landshut location is among the prize winners of the Germany-wide competition 365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas 2010 for the development of the LambdaConstant gas combustion system. The official awards ceremony will take place on 11 May on the campus in Landshut.

The Distrelec ElFA Group has distinguished ebm-papst as a Preferred Strategic Partner for innovative product assortment policy, high quality, accommodating after-sales service and reliability. The company is one of Europe’s leading catalogue distributors for electronic components.

The Chinese subsidiary of ebm-papst has received the environmental award for its EC motors at the international Energy-saving trade fair in Shanghai.

EC fans by ebm-papst are at work in the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, which with its 611 metres is the second tallest television tower in the world. They ensure that the climate control system of the giant tower operates quietly, reliably and energy-efficiently.

The 12th regional Youth research competition organised by ebm-papst in Künzelsau, Germany set a new record. With more than 160 participants, who presented approximately 80 projects, it is the largest such competition in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

ebm-papst’s Australian subsidiary is sponsoring the great hopeful in field hockey, Emily Hurtz. Just 19 years old, Hurtz was the leading goalscorer of the national team in 2009.