An extraordinary anniversary took center stage at a ceremony held at LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG: Jürgen Walz, a welder in plant engineering, was honored by the management team and executive leadership for 45 years with the company – a testament to loyalty, professional expertise, and a deeply felt connection to the family business.

Jürgen Walz began his career on September 3, 1979, with an apprenticeship as a mechanic at LAUDA, which he successfully completed in January 1983. After a brief professional stint outside the company, he returned in May 1984 as a mechanic in the OEM Devices division – then known as Leitz-Bau. After completing his military service, which coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall, he rejoined LAUDA in September 1989. Since July 1998, Jürgen Walz has worked as a welder in plant engineering, where he has established himself as an indispensable expert. Over more than four decades, he completed numerous welding and brazing certifications as well as additional qualifications, including a crane and forklift operator's license.

Dr. Gunther Wobser, President & CEO, paid tribute to the honoree in his laudatory speech with personal words: “Jürgen Walz works very well and reliably under pressure. As a welder, he literally stands at the seam of the department – a demanding job in which every clean weld determines the safety of our systems. With energy and backbone, he has always contributed critical feedback and suggestions for improvement. An anniversary as long as this one is something special, especially because the recognition originally planned for his 40th anniversary could not take place in the usual setting during the coronavirus period.” In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Wobser presented the LAUDA certificate of honor to Jürgen Walz.

On behalf of plant engineering, its manager Thorsten Schyle paid tribute to the honoree and emphasized that such a long tenure with the company is anything but a given today. Machines, processes, and technology have changed fundamentally over the past decades, he noted. What has remained unchanged, however, is the honoree’s humor, sociability, and constructive criticism. His passion for travel – which has taken him all the way to Australia – and his strong sense of camaraderie have also shaped the team spirit.

The Works Council Chairman Uwe Stastny spoke on behalf of the workforce. He looked back at the year 1979 from an economic and political perspective and acknowledged Jürgen Walz’s 28-year membership in the IG Metall trade union as well as his eight years of involvement in works council activities. The countless welding training courses, he said, are an expression of exemplary willingness to learn. For the future, he wished the honoree good health and fulfilling travels, which he will be able to pursue more intensively from the start of the release phase of his partial retirement on November 1, 2026.

LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG is steadily expanding its portfolio of constant temperature equipment with natural refrigerants. After introducing the first LAUDA process thermostats to use CO₂ refrigerants, as well as LAUDA Universa bath thermostats, which run entirely on natural refrigerants, the world market leader in precise temperature control is now expanding its tried-and-tested Alpha, Integral, Ultracool, Microcool and Variocool product lines with new variants that use natural refrigerants.

Natural refrigerants as the strategic focus

The gradual reduction of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) through the European F-Gas Regulation and other international regulations creates a strong incentive to use technologies based on natural refrigerants. LAUDA started systematically transitioning its device portfolio and industrial systems engineering solutions years ago – and is now steadily continuing along this path with the comprehensive expansion of its portfolio.

While F-gases remain permitted in defined use cases, the transition to alternatives arises out of domestic and international agreements as well as LAUDA’s own ambitions. Two classes of refrigerant are used as a natural alternative:

• A1 refrigerants such as CO₂ (R744): stable performance, especially energy efficient at temperatures below 0°C, suitable for applications with high cooling capacity requirements

• A3 refrigerants such as propane (R290) or propene (R1270): universal, very low GWP value (Global Warming Potential), high energy efficiency, suitable for all temperature ranges, including under -50°C, equipped with integrated safety technology for larger quantities of refrigerant

Whatever the device category or individual requirements of the respective application, LAUDA always uses the most suitable refrigerant in its constant temperature equipment, to offer customers both the most cost- and energy-efficient solution.

Laboratory applications: Compact, efficient and suitable for air transport

For laboratory use, a compact range of bath thermostats, circulation chillers and process thermostats is available, based on high-performance natural A3 refrigerants like propane (R290). Thanks to their low refrigerant quantity of less than 100 g, these models are suitable for air transport and do not require any additional safety technology – making them usable worldwide without any special infrastructural requirements.

Bath thermostats – LAUDA Alpha: The long-established Alpha bath thermostats offer a cost-effective entry point into the world of temperature control.  With propane as a natural refrigerant, they use a refrigerant with a low carbon footprint while offering an effective solution in terms of price, performance and size. Below 0°C, the new thermostats even achieve a higher cooling capacity than their F-gas predecessors. When more cooling capacity and functionality are needed, the LAUDA Universa product line, which was fully launched this year, offers an extensive range of devices for numerous applications.

Circulation chiller – LAUDA Microcool: The Microcool product line offers four models based on natural refrigerants, a temperature range of -10 to 40°C and a cooling capacity ranging from 0.35 to 2 kW. New to the range is the Microcool MC 2000 with 2 kW cooling capacity: the most powerful available variant. The highlight of these devices is the high-quality pump with magnetic coupling. Magnetic coupling of pump and electric motor prevents seal issues from arising on the pump shaft.

Process thermostats – LAUDA Variocool: The Variocool device types VC 1200 and VC 2000, which use propane as a natural refrigerant, offer an expanded temperature range of -25 to 80°C, a higher cooling capacity in the lower temperature range and a speed-controlled compressor for efficient, silent operation.

Industrial and process applications: High performance with integrated safety technology

For applications with higher cooling capacity requirements – e.g. in production or industrial processes – a choice of powerful devices and systems with natural refrigerants like CO₂ (R744), propane (R290) or propene (R1270) is available. On LAUDA devices with an A3 refrigerant quantity of more than 150 g, safety technology is integrated as standard. A reliable power supply and ventilation system, integrated gas detection sensors and a safety shutoff mechanism ensure safe operation. 

Circulation chiller – LAUDA Ultracool: The high-performance Ultracool circulation chillers are now available in eight types with a propane refrigerant, ranging from 2 to 80 kW cooling capacity. In most cases, the cooling capacity is better than that of the previous F-gas predecessors. A variety of options – including stronger pumps, flow meters and noise-reducing variants – remain available. The devices are also suitable for outdoor installation.

Process thermostats – LAUDA Integral: The high-performance Integral product line is being expanded with multiple models based on natural refrigerants such as propane (R290), propene (R1270) and CO₂ (R744). The new variants combine proven flow technology using cold oil blankets with climate-friendly refrigerants, and stand out for their extremely low greenhouse potential and high energy efficiency, even at low temperatures. 

LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG honored Birgit Littmann-Breuer’s 40th work anniversary in a ceremony. In the presence of the management team and the executive board, the long-serving Purchasing employee was recognized for her loyalty, diligence, and reliability toward the family-owned company.

Birgit Littmann-Breuer joined LAUDA on April 7, 1986. Since then, she has worked continuously in Purchasing. Over four decades, she has not only witnessed all the company’s transformations but has actively helped shape them: from manually recording orders on a typewriter to building modern IT systems and on to group-wide intercompany processing and the organization of sea freight shipments from China. Her core responsibilities include processing purchase requisitions, posting invoices, managing supplier declarations, and handling Corporate Fashion – a range of duties that demands accuracy, reliability, and broad process expertise.

Dr. Gunther Wobser, President & CEO, paid tribute to the honoree with personal words in his laudatory speech: “Birgit Littmann-Breuer is a constant at LAUDA. What originally began as a six-month sick leave replacement turned into 40 years of loyalty, diligence, and precision. She has not only experienced systems, processes, and structures, but has actively shaped them – and has always remained true to herself: reliable, precise, and committed. She is the quiet star of the Purchasing department.” In recognition of her achievements, he presented her with the LAUDA certificate of honor and, on behalf of the IHK Heilbronn-Franken (Chamber of Industry and Commerce), its certificate of honor.

As Deputy Mayor of the City of Lauda-Königshofen, Hubert Segeritz conveyed the city’s congratulations and presented the certificate from the Minister-President of the State of Baden-Württemberg. He emphasized that LAUDA is deeply rooted in the city and stands by its workforce, especially in challenging times. Loyal employees like Birgit Littmann-Breuer are an expression of this corporate culture and strengthen Lauda-Königshofen as a business location for the long term.

Chris Moschüring, Purchasing Manager and Birgit Littmann-Breuer’s direct supervisor, emphasized that 40 years of service is outstanding. She has not only embraced changes in IT systems and work processes but has actively shaped them. He particularly values her reliability and openness, which enrich the entire team.

On behalf of her colleagues, Uwe Stastny – for the first time in his role as Chairman of the Works Council – extended his warmest congratulations to the honoree and praised her dependability and team spirit. Littmann-Breuer has mastered the entire breadth of Purchasing, from purchase requisitions to invoicing and reminders – always with exemplary willingness to learn. He also highlighted her long-standing membership in the IG Metall trade union.

Birgit Littmann-Breuer’s anniversary is emblematic of the corporate culture at LAUDA: reliability, continuity, and mutual appreciation as the foundation of a successful family-owned company. With her experience and process expertise, she remains a key pillar of the Purchasing department – and a testament to what strong cooperation can achieve over decades.