BITZER Kühlmaschinenbau GmbH is one of Germany’s top 100 most economically powerful medium-sized companies: the specialist in refrigeration compressors took 15th place in a comprehensive study carried out by German magazine WirschaftsWoche  in collaboration with Professor Bernd Venohr, management consultant and economics professor in Munich.
The independent study analyzed information on 1,500 medium-sized companies which in their specific industries play a key role in the global market and achieve an annual turnover between 50 million and one billion euros.
The ranking is based on the Birch index, which multiplies growth in turnover over the past ten years by the corresponding percentage growth, thus compensating for the rapid growth usually associated with younger companies and the much higher growth rates of long-standing companies.

• Shirt sponsorship for youth teams
• Career and information day
• A range of sports activities for company employees

Sindelfingen/Rottenburg, May 8, 2013. The BITZER Group is sponsoring the sports organization Turn- und Sportverein Ergenzingen. A four-year agreement has been signed.

The specialist in refrigeration compressors and air conditioning systems not only offers talented young people first-class career development opportunities but also promotes volunteer work with young people in sports. “TuS Ergenzingen does exceptional work with young people across all departments. We’re delighted to be able to support their dedication, as the organization assumes a key social responsibility in the region,” explains Chief Production Officer Christian Wehrle.

Essential elements of the collaboration include supporting the young people at TuS Ergenzingen, purchasing shirts for the youth teams and acting as the primary sponsor for the U19-Junioren football tournament on Pentecost, in which teams such as Feyenoord Rotterdam, Red Bull Salzburg, SC Freiburg and the title holder, 1. FSV Mainz 05, will be participating this year.

In addition to offering financial support, BITZER will also be collaborating with the organization on a business level. The manufacturer of air conditioning systems will be offering a career and information day for young people in order to help them prepare for future employment – and, in particular, ignite an interest in technology and help them choose a career. BITZER employees also benefit from the collaboration, as they can take advantage of regularly offered sports activities in TuS Ergenzingen’s various departments.

• The youth of today are the employees of tomorrow
• The company takes responsibility for social issues
• Creative ideas require financial leeway

Sindelfingen/Rottenburg/Schkeuditz, April 16, 2013. The BITZER Group has donated a total of €150,000 to the providers of social and non-profit organizations to promote work with children and young people.

"Children are our future – and the youth of today are the trainees and employees of tomorrow," says Senator h. c. Peter Schaufler, explaining the Group’s commitment to young people. That’s why the BITZER Group supports public organizations and social projects that promote creativity and personality development. The providers of various institutes near the two production facilities – Rottenburg (Ergenzingen and Hailfingen factories) and Schkeuditz – were delighted to receive financial support amounting to €150,000 for their work. "As an internationally active and regionally headquartered company, we see it as our social responsibility to promote work with children and young people," emphasizes Peter Schaufler, CEO and owner of BITZER SE and founder of The Schaufler Foundation, which operates the SCHAUWERK art museum in Sindelfingen. "We would like to support sustainable ideas and offer creativity the necessary financial leeway." The donations made to organizations and social causes in the region also underline the company’s unambiguous statement about production in Germany. Representatives of the BITZER Group Management Board symbolically handed over the donation checks to the responsible employees on location and used the opportunity to learn more about the organizations’ latest projects. Lebenshilfe Tübingen and VK Förderung von Menschen mit Behinderung are investing the money in work with children and young people, while the city of Rottenburg is using the contribution for preschool playground equipment and organization work. The Schkeuditz city government will use the donation to create new preschool spaces, and Gesamtförderverein der Sindelfinger KiTas and Deutsche Kinderschutzbund Böblingen can continue their important work thanks to the financial support.

• Construction of new buidlings to house production, the warehouse and dispatch
• More space for training apprentices
• Successful conversion of production to NEW ECOLINE

Sindelfingen/Schkeuditz, 10/04/2013. With the expansion of the Schkeuditz facilities, the BITZER Group is underlining its ties to production in Germany.

In close proximity to the main factory, buildings are being erected to house production, the warehouse and dispatch on a 16,000 m²  plot of land, for which BITZER signed the purchase agreement at the end of February 2013. In addition to social spaces and offices, the company is creating a new training workshop on the top floors. The existing capacities can no longer accommodate demand – in the future, three instructors will be able to train up to 32 apprentices.

Alongside construction of the new buildings, the main factory in Schkeuditz is being renovated to expand production as well as office and canteen space. Estimated at €30 million, construction should be completed by the end of 2016. ‘This investment will allow us to create a basis on which to achieve further growth in Schkeuditz. This is also an important sign for our employees,’ explains Factory Manager Frank Fuhlbrück.

In 1991, BITZER took over production of refrigeration compressors from Maschinen- und Apparatebau (MAB) Schkeuditz with its then 180 employees. The site now employs 700 people. As a center of expertise for reciprocating compressors, the location plays a key role in the full conversion of production to the NEW ECOLINE series, which was carried out on 1 April 2013. The compressors are now more versatile and, except for R134a, available for many more refrigerants. They boast higher energy efficiency and increased cooling capacity and every ECOLINE is compatible with its predecessor and can be installed in existing systems.

Sindelfingen/Saint Petersburg/Helsinki, March 13, 2013. BITZER, the specialist in refrigeration compressors, would like to announce that Finnish BITZER subsidiary, Lumikko Technologies Oy, signed a service and distribution contract with R-Service Ltd. in Saint Petersburg on February 28, 2013.

“This step has optimally positioned Lumikko in the Russian market as a supplier of refrigeration systems for the carrying trade,” says Jouni Saarnia, Lumikko Director of Purchasing and Production. In the future, R-Service will be assuming responsibility for sales, service and maintenance when it comes to Lumikko’s customised, turnkey refrigeration systems. The system supplier is training R-Service employees, so that they can provide advice and answer any and all technical questions. R-Service’s cutting-edge facilities conveniently situated near the motorway to Moscow in particular represent a considerable benefit. “Thanks to the exceptional transport link, our service team can get to the customer’s location in no time at all should any questions arise – and provide reliable expert advice,” explains R-Service Director General Anton Petushko. The company also has more than 15 years of expertise in truck and trailer cooling, as demonstrated by their ability to handle Lumikko systems, which have been reliably operating in Saint Petersburg for several years.
Helmut Meyer, Director of the Transport Sales division at BITZER, is confident that the demand for refrigeration technology will continue to increase in the rapidly growing Russian market – and thus the demand for Lumikko’s turnkey solutions: “The Russian market is developing at a fast pace and we’re sure to see considerable growth there in the years to come. Whether on the go or stationary, quality and freshness are indispensable throughout the cooling chain. For instance, refrigerated storage of food while it’s transported from the producer to the consumer is of growing importance.”

Sindelfingen/Rottenburg, February 28, 2013. Over the last ten years, BITZER has invested €70 million in the Rottenburg location, which currently has 543 employees. The town of Rottenburg is now honouring the exceptional entrepreneurial achievements of Peter Schaufler, Senator h.c. and Chief Executive Officer of BITZER SE, by naming a street in the Ergenzingen-Ost industrial park after the long-standing head of the company.

The mayor of Rottenburg am Neckar, Stephan Neher, attended the inauguration ceremony for Peter-Schaufler-Strasse, which branches off from Mercedesstrasse and leads directly to the production hall of the specialist in refrigeration compressors. For BITZER, €15 million was money well spent over the past 12 months of construction: the factory has been expanded by 9,000 square meters of production and warehousing space, which now houses the replacement parts warehouse, dispatch, final assembly for BITZER screw compressors, the painting facilities, office and social spaces, and technical rooms.

The pinnacle of efficiency
With all the new space, BITZER has managed to increase its production capacities at the Rottenburg-Ergenzingen location and optimize processes: deliveries and dispatch have been separated and are now located at the beginning and end of the production chain. The frequency of deliveries has increased, the process has become more linear and faster, and waste resulting from longer routes has been reduced. The company uses the space that has been freed up to make room for the upcoming production of new types of compressor. Peter Schaufler explains: “Our primary focus during the planning phase was to maintain the level of BITZER quality our customers have come to expect and continue to fulfill their requirements in the future. For me, it was important that the BITZER Group continues to develop over the long term and reconciles economy, ecology and social responsibility, whilst ensuring that employee appreciation, efficient operations and eco-friendly production are not mutually exclusive.”
Following successful completion of factory expansion, BITZER is already planning the next phase of construction: an international training center will be built in Peter-Schaufler-Strasse, costing around €5.5 million. Construction is set to begin in March 2014.

Sindelfingen, February 15, 2013. Reciprocating, screw and scroll compressors: ISH trade fair visitors will find a wide range of products and services developed for the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump sector at the shared BITZER and Lodam stand.

BITZER, the specialist in refrigeration compressors, will be showcasing a compact, intelligent screw compressor from the CSV series at its trade fair stand. With an ESEER (ESEER: European seasonal energy efficiency ratio) value of over five, these all-rounders for heat pumps, building air conditioning and process cooling are setting new benchmarks in air-cooled liquid chillers with dry expansion. All the components are wired and tested at the factory and functional, and the frequency inverter is already integrated into the compressor, thus significantly reducing life cycle costs. The compact unit requires little space and fulfills the requirements of the EMC Directive for industrial and residential zones. Cooled by refrigerant, the electronics ensure maximum operations security and require minimum maintenance. Due to its high energy efficiency, the German specialist publication, Produktion, recently named the CSV series Product of the Week (issues 43 and 44, 2012).
The second compressor technology that trade fair stand visitors will want to see is the ORBIT 6 scroll compressor: with a delivery rate of between 20 and 38 m3/h (50 Hz), the five models of this scroll series boast high isentropic efficiency for a whole host of applications and a low sound level. ORBIT 6 compressors are therefore ideal for use particularly in air conditioning systems and heat pumps – and are the perfect complement to the larger scroll compressors of the ORBIT 8 series. Specially developed for use with R410A, the tried-and-tested ORBIT 8 series comprises six delivery rates ranging from 29 to 77 m3/h (50 Hz). With its ORBIT 8 series, BITZER is making a contribution to achieving an even higher level of efficacy and thus flexibly reacting to the energy efficiency requirements of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) sector. Another major advantage of the ORBIT 8 series is the operating sound level, which is up to 3 dB(A) lower than competitors’ products. The extremely low oil circulation rate of less than one per cent contributes to improving the transfer of heat and increasing system efficiency and reliability.
BITZER will also be showcasing the entire NEW ECOLINE reciprocating compressor series. With a delivery rate of 4 to 221 m3/h, NEW ECOLINE compressors are used in normal- and low-temperature applications and heat pumps. BITZER will also be displaying a model from the NEW ECOLINE VARISPEED series, the speed of which can be infinitely adjusted thanks to an integrated frequency inverter, thus considerably reducing energy costs.
At the other half of the trade fair stand, Lodam will be presenting energy-saving control devices for air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems. Lodam heat pump controllers enable you to gain total control of hot water and heating for domestic comfort. They are energy and cost-efficient thanks to intelligent control provided by frequency inverters. Intelligent defrost scheduling saves energy and ensures low capacity waste. Also exhibited, the air handling unit controller by Lodam offers a vast number of innovative and energy-saving opportunities for demand-driven ventilation. The new heat pump and air handling unit controller range offers customers the opportunity to design their own menu and cabinet in line with their corporate identity. The main control functions of the user interface use fully tested, standard hardware and software components developed through years of experience to ensure reliable operations.

Sindelfingen, February 14, 2013. BITZER, the specialist in refrigeration compressors, would like to announce the winner of its Rubik’s Cube competition at the Chillventa trade fair in Nuremberg. Congratulations, Matthias Haubner!

In just one minute and 14 seconds, Haubner solved the mechanical game of patience, a BITZER Rubik’s Cube, making him the fastest out of all the participants. Haubner was recently invited to the BITZER headquarters in Sindelfingen, where Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Michael Bauer personally presented the 16-year-old from Weissenburg, Bavaria, with the prize: a Corratec e-bike worth approximately €2,000. Haubner and his parents then had the opportunity to visit the international competence center for screw compressors in nearby Rottenburg, where he was able to gain insight into the factory’s efficient production processes: “Everything here is so clean, tidy, and well organized – it’s really impressive,” he says, visibly impressed.

Sindelfingen/Altenburg, 11 January 2013. BITZER SE, Sindelfingen, has taken over the long-established company Armaturenwerk Altenburg GmbH (AWA) based in Germany, with retroactive effect from 1 January 2013. The acquisition was approved by the Federal Cartel Office on 20 December 2012. Chief Procurement Officer Jürgen Kleiner explains, ‘By taking over Europe’s leading manufacturer of refrigerant fittings we have secured a supply to our manufacturing sites worldwide, and expanded our product portfolio. Our customers will from now on benefit from a complete range from a single supplier – all in the familiar BITZER quality.’

AWA, which was founded in 1879, produces and sells valves, sight glasses, solder adapters, flanges and fittings for refrigeration and air conditioning systems worldwide. The company generates a turnover of around €23 million with a total of 200 employees. Forty-five percent of its products are exported to the European Union, the USA, China, Brazil and Russia. ‘The AWA, FAS and Hans Nobis brands which the company markets will be retained, all of which stand for exceptional quality and reliability,’ comments Jürgen Kleiner.

New managing directors of the BITZER subsidiary will be long-standing AWA employees Diana Schubert and Günter Schuboth. Jürgen Kleiner continues, ‘Both of them enjoy our complete trust and will provide continuity both within the company and to the outside world.’ The previous owner, Karl-Fritz Jordan (67), is leaving the company for personal reasons. Jordan made the business successful within just a decade, multiplying its turnover from three million (2002) to the current level of 23 million euros. Jordan says that selling AWA to BITZER secures a promising future for the Altenburg-based company. BITZER plans to expand and develop the location very soon. A neighboring property has already been purchased from the local council. ‘We are extending the production facilities and planning a logistics center which will ensure fast, flexible delivery,’ says Jürgen Kleiner.

• A new alliance makes Bitzer a technology leader in truck and trailer cooling
• All 20 employees belonging to Lumikko’s transport division will be kept on
• Lumikko’s Kari Saikkonen remains managing director

Sindelfingen/Helsinki, 10 December 2012. Refrigeration compressor manufacturer BITZER has taken over the truck- and trailer-cooling division of Finnish company Lumikko Oy from private ownership, with retroactive effect from 1 December 2012. It has been agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Lumikko is a specialist in cooling systems in the transport industry. ‘By taking over this division we are creating the conditions from which to become a system supplier in truck and trailer cooling,’ states Michael Bauer, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at BITZER. Both companies know each other from joint projects that go back as far as the 1980s.

As part of the transaction, BITZER is buying all of the shares in the transport cooling division and keeping on all 20 of its employees. Kari Saikkonen, son of one of the company’s founders, will become managing director of the new Lumikko Technologies Oy. He explains: ‘Integrating into a globally active company opens up enormous sales potential to us.’ BITZER’s objective is to become technology leader in the truck- and trailer-cooling market. Open and semi-hermetic transport compressors will come from BITZER, controllers from the Danish BITZER subsidiary LODAM, and the cooling units, customer service and maintenance from Lumikko. Helmut Meyer, Director of Sales at BITZER’s Transport Division: ‘Combining our abilities will position us firmly as a system supplier. Intelligent solutions from a single source will reduce life-cycle costs while increasing energy efficiency and reliability. We want to gain ground with every large-scale supplier of trailers and truck bodies around the world.’
Lumikko was founded by the Saikkonen brothers in 1970 in their garage at home, and today produces at three locations in Finland: Seinäjoki, Tampere and Helsinki. The company has been selling its cooling systems to the EU since the early 2000s; a Chinese licence partner has been manufacturing Lumikko solutions since 2012.