LAUDA has tailored the SUK 350 process cooling units specifically to the requirements of the hydrogen market. / © lauda.de
World market leader receives major order for cooling hydrogen filling stations
LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG has received a major order for hydrogen technology. The world market leader will provide around 20 process cooling units for a French manufacturer of hydrogen filling stations. These will be responsible for an essential part of the refueling process – cooling the hydrogen to -40 °C – as part of the application. The filling stations will be used throughout Europe. LAUDA is stepping up its activities in the field of hydrogen technology in order to provide customers with urgently needed temperature control expertise and to make an active contribution to environmental protection. The production of green hydrogen is one of the key technologies for a successful energy turnaround.
LAUDA will manufacture industrial process cooling units of the type SUK 350 as well as industrial circulation chillers from the LAUDA Ultracool product line for the French customer. Delivery of the systems will be completed by the end of June 2022. The process cooling units will be used to cool the hydrogen pumped into the vehicle tank under high pressure with a short-term high cooling capacity. The process cooling unit provides a peak cooling capacity of 40 kW at -40 °C and was especially designed for use in hydrogen filling stations. The LAUDA Ultracool circulation chillers, which have been specially optimized for this application, are used simultaneously for cooling a high-pressure hydrogen compressor to a constant temperature of -18 °C.
The demand for professional hydrogen cooling is growing
“The order from our French partner is a clear indication for us that temperature control solutions from LAUDA are a critical high technology in the development of a functional and safe hydrogen logistics system,” says Dr. Gunther Wobser, President and CEO of LAUDA. “We have significantly increased our activities in this area in recent years and see a lot of potential for precise temperature control technology from LAUDA there.”
“We can offer the experience gained from more than 60 years of system engineering, and many customers appreciate that,” adds Alfred Semrau, managing director for Heating and Cooling Systems. “In addition to electrolysis and hydrogen refueling – two fields in which equipment and systems from us are already in operation – there are many other applications for energy-efficient cooling in the hydrogen sector. We are very much looking forward to working with our customers to develop many other exciting solutions.”
The 4,000 m² of new production space and the offices in LAUDA Ultracool's prestigious new building in Terrassa, Spain, will soon be ready for occupancy. In the picture (from left to right): Xavier Armengol (General Manager LAUDA Ultracool), Lluís Roig Garrido (Production Manager LAUDA Ultracool), Oriol Bach (Project Manager), Managing Director Daniel Puente, both from the regional general contractor DSL, Dr. Marc Stricker (COO LAUDA), Artur Gispert (Site Manager DSL) and the President and CEO, Dr. Gunther Wobser.
Completion of a new LAUDA production facility in Spain at the beginning of 2022
Construction of the LAUDA Group’s new production facility in Terrassa, Spain, is progressing. The temperature control specialist is building a state-of-the-art production facility in the immediate vicinity of Barcelona for the Spanish company LAUDA Ultracool S.L., which was acquired ten years ago for the development and production of circulation chillers. After the laying of the foundation stone in January 2021, LAUDA expects the building to be completed and LAUDA Ultracool S.L. and its sales subsidiary LAUDA Ibérica Soluciones Técnicas S.L. to move in during the first quarter of 2022. LAUDA is investing around 7 million euros in the new building in Spain.
The new production facility means that LAUDA will double its production and storage area for industrial circulation chillers, which are used e.g. for cooling in the field of mechanical and system engineering. LAUDA is therefore continuing to drive forward the continuously positive development of its Spanish subsidiary and is meeting the growing global demand for energy-efficient temperature control solutions. Approximately 4,000 m² of new production space and more than 850 m² of office space will be created on the 9,000 m² site. "With the new building, LAUDA Ultracool is consistently gearing up for growth," explains Dr. Marc Stricker, COO at LAUDA and responsible for Development and Production. "We are not only increasing the production capacities of our Spanish subsidiary but have also deliberately created new office space to further expand the operational and technical capacities of LAUDA Ultracool," continues Dr. Stricker.
Sustainability and energy efficiency were important factors in the construction of the new complex. For example, concrete slabs with enhanced thermal insulation were used to minimize energy losses. Photovoltaic systems with a peak output of 310 kWp will be installed on the roof to generate electricity for the company’s internal consumption. As a result, LAUDA Ultracool will cover 65 percent of its internal electricity consumption and save emissions amounting to 104 tons of CO₂ per year.
Representatives of the parent company's management team were able to see the progress for themselves during a site visit. “We are delighted that the new building is progressing well despite the difficult pandemic situation and the global resource bottlenecks,” said President and CEO, Dr. Gunther Wobser. "The expansion of the site in Spain is of enormous importance for the strategic growth of the LAUDA Group. Not only are we meeting the demand for industrial circulation chillers by increasing production capacity, but overall we are strengthening the future viability of industrial temperature control technology."
The Bavarian Minister of State for Digital Affairs, Judith Gerlach, visits LAUDA together with the CEO and President Dr. Gunther Wobser, the COO Dr. Marc Stricker and CFO Dr. Mario Englert (from left).
Minister Judith Gerlach visits LAUDA headquarters
The Bavarian Minister of State for Digital Affairs, Judith Gerlach, has awarded LAUDA DR. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG in the neighboring state of Baden-Württemberg. Thereby, the politician, who heads the first nationwide Ministry for Digital Affairs only in 2018, was able to get an idea of the digitalization and innovation activities of the world market leader for precise temperature control. In lively discussion rounds, the participants, including the three managing directors of LAUDA, Dr. Gunther Wobser, Dr. Marc Stricker and Dr. Mario Englert, as well as the managing director of new.degree, Birgit Dillmann, were able to constructively discuss the insights gained and exchange practical views with the Minister of State on necessary measures for the digitization of German SMEs.
Judith Gerlach gained a detailed insight into the digital agenda of the medium-sized company from Tauber-Franconia at three stations that had been specially prepared for the minister at LAUDA's headquarters. For example, Managing Director Dr. Marc Stricker impressed her with a hands-on presentation of LAUDA.LIVE, a digital platform that allows temperature control units to be controlled, networked and monitored in real time via a cloud application. In addition to a virtual reality demonstration of the virtual LAUDA showroom, the managing director of Brainstation GmbH & Co. KG, Lisa Straub, wowed the audience with a detailed presentation of the vision of a supra-regional innovation center that is to be built at the Lauda train station.
"Digitization knows no borders," said Judith Gerlach in her keynote speech at the event. Direct exchange like here at LAUDA is important, especially in times of Corona. After all, it's all about changing structures and processes. The momentum that digitization has gained from the pandemic must now become a pendulum movement.
Group picture among good partners: Mag. Helmut Schemitsch, Department Manager Global Supply Chain Management Instrumentation and Test Systems, AVL List, Thorsten Eilers, General Manager OEM, LAUDA, Felix Heinrich-Bignasse, Sales Manager OEM, LAUDA, Prof. Helmut List, Chairman and CEO, AVL List, Dr. Gunther Wobser, President and CEO, LAUDA, and Marcus Puntigam, Director Global Supply Chain Management, AVL List (Copyright ©AVL List GmbH, Supplier Day 2021/Picture: Peter Riedler)
LAUDA receives AVL Supplier Award 2020
As part of the AVL Supplier Day 2021 on October 18, 2021 in Linz/Austria, LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG was honored as a long-standing partner in the category ›Supply Excellence‹. At the ceremony in Graz, LAUDA's President and CEO, Dr. Gunther Wobser, accepted the award together with the General Manager OEM, Thorsten Eilers, and the Sales Manager OEM, Felix Heinrich-Bignasse. The event was attended by 250 suppliers and partners of AVL. The Chairman and CEO of AVL, Prof. Helmut List, personally presented the important award in the category ›Supply Excellence‹.
AVL List GmbH, headquartered in Graz, develops, simulates and tests drive systems in the automotive and other industries. Worldwide, the company employs more than 11,000 people with an annual turnover of 1.7 billion euros. LAUDA has already been a firm and trusted partner of AVL for several years, and since 2019 this cooperation has been further expanded and intensified. The Austrian company relies on LAUDA's temperature control equipment and systems to offer solutions in the field of testing systems. For example, AVL uses the powerful LAUDA Integral process thermostats together with a flow control unit for test processes in the automotive sector. »We have a cooperative and future-oriented relationship with AVL, where we try to identify tomorrow's needs together in order to be able to offer technically and commercially attractive solutions at the right time,« says Thorsten Eilers, praising the relationship with the Austrian partner. For LAUDA, the award is a »significant and very appreciative distinction,« explains Dr. Gunther Wobser: »LAUDA is a reliable partner for all customers worldwide, which is confirmed by this award.«
Three jubilarians with 40 years of service at LAUDA: the President and CEO of LAUDA, Dr. Gunther Wobser, Mayor Dr. Lukas Braun, Anette Wiltschek with jubilarian and husband Peter Wiltschek, Chairman of the Works Council Elmar Mohr, jubilarian Peter Spitznagel with his wife Beate, Head of Electronics Development Georg Barthel, jubilarian Sonja Hörner-Dürr, Head of Logistics Daniel Härtel, CFO Dr. Mario Englert, Head of Refrigeration Assembly Thomas Hahn, COO Dr. Marc Stricker (from right to left).
LAUDA celebrates three 40-year anniversaries of service to the company
For the second time this year, LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG was able to host a traditional ceremony. Three employees were honored for 40 years of service at LAUDA. Sonja Hörner-Dürr, Peter Spitznagel and Peter Wiltschek all began their training at LAUDA on August 24, 1981. In addition to the general management and the LAUDA management team, the congratulators included colleagues and companions of the employees as well as the mayor of the city of Lauda-Königshofen, Dr. Lukas Braun.
Sonja Hörner-Dürr, born in Bad Mergentheim in 1964, began her training as an office administrator at LAUDA in 1981. Since then, with brief interruptions in accounting and order processing, she has found her professional home in order processing. Since April 16, 1997, she has been working there as a department manager. From there, she masters the demanding tasks and challenges of customs and foreign trade with precision, knowledge and the necessary bite. Ms. Hörner-Dürr has thus taken on "incredibly important tasks for which I personally have a great deal of respect," explained Dr. Gunther Wobser, President and CEO of LAUDA, in his laudatory speech.
Peter Spitznagel started his career in 1981 with a combined apprenticeship as an electrical appliance mechanic and energy appliance electronics technician, which he successfully completed in 1985. Peter Spitznagel initially found his place at LAUDA in electrical assembly before moving to the electronics laboratory of the Research & Development division in January 1997, where he still works today. There, according to Dr. Gunther Wobser, he was "heavily involved in the creation of new devices" and "had his finger on the pulse of LAUDA's technical development", for example by building sample circuit boards. Peter Spitznagel was also regularly on hand at national and international trade fairs to provide expert support in setting up and commissioning the new temperature control units and systems. This required flexibility and resilience, Dr. Gunther Wobser attested to the jubilarian.
The third person to celebrate, Peter Wiltschek, also began his training in 1981. As a mechanic, he first worked in test construction, later in special equipment construction and in the large refrigeration department, before taking over the assembly of hypothermia equipment in February 2003. Since 2007, Peter Wiltschek has been the group leader for hypothermia equipment assembly, where special temperature control units for use during operations are manufactured for a major medical equipment manufacturer. With a keen eye for quality and a great deal of passion for his work, Peter Wiltschek has been meeting the particularly demanding, strictly regulated requirements of medical device production for years, said Dr. Gunther Wobser. After his speech, Dr. Gunther Wobser presented the three jubilarians with LAUDA's certificate of honor and thanked them for their many years of service.
As a welcome guest of honor and representative of the city, the mayor of Lauda-Königshofen, Dr. Lukas Braun, delivered words of greeting and the honorary certificate from the state of Baden-Württemberg, signed by Minister President Winfried Kretschmann. "The frequency of LAUDA's long-standing honors is impressive," stated Dr. Lukas Braun. The fact that entire family cohorts complete their careers at LAUDA is unique in the region, he said. "LAUDA is an anchor of stability for the business location." A long length of service is also a sign that employees feel very much at home in the region, Dr. Lukas Braun emphasized. Addressing the jubilarians, he said, "You have been a part of the wine town of Lauda-Königshofen for 40 years. As a result, you have helped shape the success of the world market leader."
Companions and colleagues also took the opportunity to congratulate the three employees on their jubilee and to pay tribute to them in personal words. Finally, Elmar Mohr, Chairman of the Works Council, expressed his thanks on behalf of the workforce. In return, the honored Sonja Hörner-Dürr spoke words of thanks in the direction of Dr. Gun-ther Wobser and extended these to his father, the former CEO and President, Dr. Gerhard Wobser. She concluded: "LAUDA is one of the top employers in the region and offers secure employment. That is certainly not something that can be taken for granted."
