A special highlight for the trade visitors of the LABO Forum – the new LAUDA LOOP.
Future-oriented innovations for temperature control solutions in Paris.
Future-oriented innovations for temperature control solutions in Paris
For LAUDA, the world's leading manufacturer of temperature control devices and systems, this year's Forum LABO, which took place in Paris from March 28 to 30, 2017, has been very successful with numerous interesting technical discussions. A very special highlight for the trade visitors was the presentation of LAUDA LOOP, a novel thermoelectric circulation thermostat based on Peltier technology.
Future-oriented innovations for temperature control solutions in Paris
For LAUDA, the world's leading manufacturer of temperature control devices and systems, this year's Forum LABO, which took place in Paris from March 28 to 30, 2017, has been very successful with numerous interesting technical discussions. A very special highlight for the trade visitors was the presentation of LAUDA LOOP, a novel thermoelectric circulation thermostat based on Peltier technology. By means of a current flow, the LAUDA LOOP temperature is generated by semiconductors and can be used for either heating or cooling, simply by reversing the current direction. The air cooled LAUDA LOOP device types L 100 and L 250 are suitable for external applications in a temperature range of 4 to 80 °C. For the pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology sector, LAUDA LOOP provides real added value thanks to its compact and space-saving design. LAUDA LOOP can be flexibly used for the temperature control thermostating of refractometers, bioreactors, electrophoresis chambers or for sample preparation. In industrial cooling applications, LAUDA has presented the Ultracool UC Mini compact process circulation chiller for cooling outputs between 2 and 5 kilowatts. The size of the device has been reduced considerably compared to the established previous models. The square design with a side length of only 64 centimeters allows the customer to spatially position the Ultracool UC Mini in a very flexible manner. The impressive product portfolio at the fair was rounded off by the LAUDA PRO product line. For the first time, there are powerful bath thermostats for exact, internal temperature control from -100 to 250 °C and efficient circulating thermostats for dynamic heating and cooling of external applications from -45 to 250 °C. During the three exhibition days in Paris, these new devices also underlined the new benchmark for uncompromising temperature control from LAUDA.
Dr. Gerhard Wobser, Dr. Gunther Wobser and Karlheinz Wobser following the awarding of the first Golden Dr.-Rudolf-Wobser medal.
The need for office space at LAUDA has greatly increased in recent years.
Official opening of the new office building and 60-year company anniversary
There were two occasions at LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO KG in Lauda-Königshofen last Wednesday afternoon at a festive event with a large number of honored guests. On the one hand, a new administration building with offices and conference rooms could be officially opened a mere six months and a few days since the cornerstone was laid at the beginning of March and, on the other hand, the official ceremony formed part of the celebrations to commemorate the company's 60th anniversary.
Official opening of the new office building and 60-year company anniversary
There were two occasions at LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO KG in Lauda-Königshofen last Wednesday afternoon at a festive event with a large number of honored guests. On the one hand, a new administration building with offices and conference rooms could be officially opened a mere six months and a few days since the cornerstone was laid at the beginning of March and, on the other hand, the official ceremony formed part of the celebrations to commemorate the company's 60th anniversary.
"We are celebrating 60 years of successful company history. With the dedication of our new office and meeting rooms we are also working to shape our future. To me maintaining a balance between Honoring the achievements up to now while keeping an eye on the future at the same time," emphasized President & CEO Dr. Gunther Wobser, who was able to welcome a large number of honored guests from business, community and politics. They included such guests as MdB Nina Warken, MdB Alois Gerig, Landrat Reinhard Frank, Bürgermeister Thomas Maertens, Dr. Harald Unkelbach, President of IHK Heilbronn-Franconia, the two executive chairmen of Sparkasse Tauberfranken, Peter Vogel and Wolfgang Reiner, Architect Klaus Schreiner, the managing directors of the Faul and Bethäuser construction company, Herbert Bethäuser and Norbert Groß, former LAUDA managing director and current advisor and shareholder Dr. Gerhard Wobser, former managing director Karlheinz Wobser and shareholder Christine Koschker.
The six-decades of company history did not just have highly successful phases, but it also had difficult ones, admitted Dr. Gunther Wobser. The company faced a crisis in the 1990s due to high investments and dwindling sales. "This experience has humbled us," he emphasized. For this reason, the company has been pursuing the "STEP" site development program for the past ten years, which LAUDA is implementing to modernize step-by-step from the inside out. This includes the now completed new construction, with which the existing administration wing is being expanded by the addition of floors to the production hall built in 2013.
LAUDA is more than just a business enterprise, however; it is also committed to art, emphasized Dr. Gunther Wobser. A total of 124 art exhibits have been put on display since 1995. As a highlight, the president & CEO referred to an exhibit of the internationally renowned Professor Ben Willikens, whom he was also able to welcome to the festive event as an honored guest.
"What does the year 1956 mean to you? was one of the themes based on LAUDA's founding year, which was included in a round of podium discussions with Warken, Gerig, Maertens, Unkelbach and Dr. Gerhard Wobser. "LAUDA is an important part of the hometown and business history of this city and region," emphasized Maertens as an example in the discussion round moderated by Michael Dickescheid, Head of Marketing and Communication at LAUDA.
Unkelbach then awarded an honorary certificate of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) to Dr. Gunther Wobser on the occasion of the anniversary and for the company's special commitment to the economy. Maertens also presented an art gift to Wobser on behalf of the city of Lauda-Königshofen. In turn, Dr. Gerhard Wobser and Karlheinz Wobser were honored by the President & CEO with the first award of the Golden Dr.-Rudolf-Wobser medal, dedicated to the company founder, for their special services in the ongoing expansion of the company, which they took over in 1977, after the sudden death of their company founder and father.
"The sphere of architecture emerges wherever technology is genuinely fulfilled", said architect Klaus Schreiner, quoting the famous architect Mies van der Rohe, since his belief according to this quote applies perfectly to the new LAUDA office building. Schreiner mentioned the construction of around 4000 cubic meters of converted space, and the installation of 38 tons of steel components, 800 square meters of concrete flooring, and 850 square meters of glass facade surface with internal solar protection as examples of the building's technical data.
Towards the end of the festivities, the new building wing was formally blessed by the two clergymen Stefan Märkl and Volker Lenz. "I am proud to be able to be here at LAUDA", emphasized Dr. Marc Stricker in his closing words.
The festive event was musically framed by the fascinating and enthralling beat-boxing, sound effects and vocal acrobatics of "Robeat“" alias Robert Wolf from Stuttgart.
Following the celebration, LAUDA officially opened its third "Worldmeeting" in the Lauda vineyard on Wednesday evening with employees from both the headquarters in Lauda and the international LAUDA subsidiaries. As part of this multi-day meeting, the agenda included such activities as a company tour with all of the foreign guests and a large internal celebration of the 60th company anniversary on Thursday evening in the Lauda City Hall.
As a further and final highlight of its 60-year enterprise, LAUDA will be holding an open house on Sunday, 9 October, 2016 from 10 am to 5 pm, to which all interested citizens are invited. A company tour will provide the visitors with insight in the production and working world of the global market leader. The opportunity will also be offered to view the new administration wing with offices and conference rooms.
The LAUDA Group in facts and figures
- The temperature specialist LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG was founded on March 1, 1956 by Dr. Rudolf Wobser in Lauda, as a measuring device factory.
- Today, the company is the world's leading manufacturer of innovative constant temperature equipment
and installations for research, application technology and production, and high-quality measuring devices. - With more than 60 years of experience and the unique product range of compact laboratory thermostats, via industrial circulation chillers up to customer-specific projected heating and cooling systems, having more than 400 Kilowatt cooling capacity mean that LAUDA is the only company that can guarantee their customers (numbering more than 10,000 worldwide), the optimum temperature throughout the added value chain.
- At the current time, around 420 staff are employed by the company, together with its twelve foreign companies, and around 320 of them are located in the headquarters in Lauda.
- Group sales amount to around 70 million Euros.
The complete LAUDA brochure for temperature control devices 2016/2017 — also with the new LAUDA product lines PRO, Kryoheater Selecta and Ultracool Mini — as well as the new LAUDA heat transfer liquid brochure to ensure the optimum usage of devices.
The full spectrum of LAUDA product lines in one brochure
The new complete LAUDA brochure for thermostats, circulation chillers and water baths for 2016/2017 is now available. Its 120 pages provide readers with information and technical data on all LAUDA temperature control devices. The full spectrum of LAUDA product lines is illustrated and described in detail with informative images, graphics and diagrams. The compact layout of the brochure makes it easy to find the information you need.
The full spectrum of LAUDA product lines in one brochure
The new complete LAUDA brochure for thermostats, circulation chillers and water baths for 2016/2017 is now available. Its 120 pages provide readers with information and technical data on all LAUDA temperature control devices. The full spectrum of LAUDA product lines is illustrated and described in detail with informative images, graphics and diagrams. The compact layout of the brochure makes it easy to find the information you need. The clearly structured page layout makes it even easier to choose the right device. The technical descriptions are rounded off with an overview of the main temperature control-related terms and their definitions. The brochure is available in German, English, French and Spanish. Additional language versions in Russian and Chinese are available in a digital format. To complement this brochure, there is also a new LAUDA brochure for heat transfer liquids for thermostats, circulation chillers and water baths. Users can choose the right heat transfer liquid from a range of 16 products. The new brochures are free and can be requested directly from LAUDA at sales-cte@lauda.de.
The LAUDA heat transfer system ITH 250 will be used in the basic research of nuclear fusion of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Garching. The LAUDA plant is placed in the basement of the fusion power plant.
Representations in 3D simplified communication with respect to formation planning and maintenance.
LAUDA Heating and cooling systems designs heat transfer systems for temperature control of liquid water up to 230 °C
LAUDA Heating and cooling systems has received a special type of order from Max-Planck-Institute of Plasma Physics. The Institute of Garching, which is engaged in the basic research for fusion power plants, plans for a future power plant to allow hydrogen atoms to fuse into helium - a similar process as produces solar energy. For the temperature control of tungsten bricks, which are needed as an energy absorber in diverters of fusion reactors, the temperature specialist LAUDA was commissioned to develop a heat transfer system for use at the ASDEX Upgrade [Axially Symmetric Diverter Experiment] experiment in Garching.
LAUDA Heating and cooling systems designs heat transfer systems for temperature control of liquid water up to 230 °C
LAUDA Heating and Cooling Systems has received a special type of order from Max-Planck-Institute of Plasma Physics. The Institute of Garching, which is engaged in the basic research for fusion power plants, plans for a future power plant to allow hydrogen atoms to fuse into helium - a similar process as produces solar energy. For the temperature control of tungsten bricks, which are needed as an energy absorber in diverters of fusion reactors, the temperature specialist LAUDA was commissioned to develop a heat transfer system for use at the ASDEX Upgrade [Axially Symmetric Diverter Experiment] experiment in Garching. The unusual thing about this system: The heat carrier used is fully de-ionized (DI) water, and the temperature range of the system is between 20 and 230 °C - which requires a resistance to high pressures. This requirement had to be carefully considered in the planning of all components in regard to materials and properties.
A significant advantage of LAUDA heat transfer units of the ITH series lies in their modularity. The system consists of replaceable individual components such as radiators, circulation pumps, expansion tanks, and additional heat exchanger modules. For system, as an example, a tubular heat exchanger was used. The air flowing through the cylinder medium is at 20 °C here; the hot water flowing through the pipes is up to 230 °C. A further technical challenge was the need for the components to resist the high nominal pressure of PN 63. For example, the pump has to compensate for high pressure drops in the system at a lifting height of 175 meters at 20 °C. There are three different operating modes: The high pressure region works with 32 bar in the temperature range of 20 to 230 °C. Low pressure of 10 bar is possible in the range of 20 to 150 °C. Each circuit is monitored with various safety components. A third possibility is a cold-drive without pressure in the temperature range of 20 to 70 °C. This mode is necessary for filling of the system and for complete water deionization as well.
The open communication between the Max-Planck-Institute and LAUDA was of particular importance, due to the specific technical requirements. An illustration of the complex system in 3D simplified communication enormously in terms of plant layout and future maintenance. Before delivery, the system was tested in the LAUDA test area in the presence of the customer. Included in the scope is the functional testing of all components and settings, heat carrier pressure and leakage tests, cabinet tests, and control accuracy. During the FAT (Factory Acceptance Test), a first test was carried out successfully, directly according to customer parameters.
Karlheinz Wobser celebrates his 80th birthday on 28 June 2016.
Karlheinz Wobser, who is well known throughout the region as the long-serving former President & CEO of LAUDA and for his service to the community, celebrates his 80th birthday this Tuesday.
Karlheinz Wobser, who is well known throughout the region as the long-serving former President & CEO of LAUDA and for his service to the community, celebrates his 80th birthday this Tuesday.
Karlheinz Wobser was born in Dresden on 28 June 1936 as the first child of Dr. Rudolf Wobser and Dorothea Wobser, née Nitzki. In 1942, the 4th year of the war, he started school in Medingen around 20 kilometers away, where his father had been given the task of setting up an apparatus engineering department in the Medingen testing instrument factory. Wobser frequently had to throw himself into the roadside ditch to evade attacks from low-flying aircraft on his way to school, a distance of approximately 1.5 kilometers. The night of 13 February 1945, when Dresden was reduced to ash and rubble, was a traumatic experience. The communist-dominated school system in the Soviet-occupied zone after the end of the war in 1945 also made its mark on the education of the young Karlheinz, who stayed at Medingen elementary school until 1950, learned Russian and was a "Young Pioneer". He passed the Abitur (high-school diploma) at Dresden-Süd high school in 1954. Like most others, Wobser was also a member of the so-called "Free German Youth (FDJ)" and the "Sport and Technology Association (GST)". He studied mechanical engineering at Dresden Technical University from the fall of 1954, specializing in precision mechanics. During an internship semester, Wobser learnt practical skills at the Medingen testing instrument factory, amongst other places.
In May 1955, his parents took the decision to leave the GDR, since the political pressure on his father had been steadily increasing. During an internship in Berlin-Teltow organized especially for this reason, he managed to take a total of 13 suitcases to relatives in the west of Berlin, which had not yet been divided by a wall. The Wobser family escaped to West Berlin in August 1955 and took a flight to Frankfurt-on-Main one month later. The family found accommodation in Schwenningen on the Neckar for a while. Karlheinz Wobser worked as a mechanic in the Wigo factory in Schwenningen until March 1956, whereas the rest of family had moved to Burlafingen near Neu-Ulm in the meantime. During this time, his father was on a nationwide search for investors and had found a site and potential customers for his own company and met with interest from the city government of Lauda as well as the factory owners Erich Widmann and his friend Paul Hagspiel. The measuring instrument factory of LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER KG, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, was founded on 1 March 1956.
In the meantime, Karlheinz Wobser was threatened with deportation back to the GDR after the failure of his admission proceedings for the Federal Republic of Germany. However, he obtained an identity card, and therefore Federal German citizenship, more or less by chance several years later. The foregoing uncertainties were a major reason why Wobser did not resume his studies. Nevertheless, he played a key role in the development of the new LAUDA measuring instrument factory of his father. As one of the first employees, he learned the theoretical and technical basis of refrigeration engineering, amongst other things. The fact that low-temperature thermostats from LAUDA gained an excellent reputation throughout the world in the years that followed is mainly down to Karlheinz Wobser.
Karlheinz Wobser met his future wife, Gudrun Schüssler from Tauberbischofsheim, in January 1957. The wedding took place four years later in October 1961. They had three children, Andrea (1962), Gabriele (1963) and Ulrike (1964). All three daughters have their own families and children in the meantime. In addition to this, two of his daughters work at the company. A continuous upward trend now began for the young company with a newly developed and revolutionary program, more and more employees were taken on and new construction was followed by new construction. Wobser was the technical director of the company from 1957 to 1977. When the company founder, Dr. Rudolf Wobser, died on 17 June 1977 at the age of only 66 after a short serious illness, his two sons, Karlheinz Wobser and Dr. Gerhard Wobser, became managing directors of the LAUDA company. Karlheinz Wobser retired at the end of 2002. His nephew, Dr. Gunther Wobser, who currently runs the family-owned company in the third generation, was appointed as the new President & CEO. He ran the company together with his father, Dr. Gerhard Wobser, until 2010, when the latter also retired after 39 years.
Apart from his work and family, numerous honorary activities have shaped the life of Karlheinz Wobser. He was member of the executive committee of the Sparkasse Tauberfranken bank from 1985 to 2008, a lay commercial judge of the Chamber for Commercial Affairs at Mosbach Regional Court from 1996 to 2004 and a member of the Representatives' Assembly of the AOK health insurance provider for many years. He is also a member of several clubs in Lauda and has done a great deal for the Lauda tennis club and the Bauland aviation sports club as a long-standing committee member. He has been a member of the Glashofen-Neusaß golf club near Walldürn for several years. Apart from playing golf, other hobbies of the birthday boy include traveling, e.g. river cruises, playing the accordion and keyboards, the upkeep of his koi fish ponds, sports boating on the lakes of Mecklenburg, especially with his four grandchildren, as well as painting, which he took up recently. He celebrated his golden wedding anniversary with his wife Gudrun five years ago.
Wobser followed the reconstruction of the Frauenkirche in his hometown of Dresden with great interest and made substantial donations to the friends' association, of which he is still a member. As a result, Wobser was also a guest at the dedication ceremony of the Dresden Frauenkirche in October 2005. "Despite all the difficulties, my childhood in Medingen was a happy time, even if it has been romanticized by memory", says Wobser, who continues to maintain contact not only with his old home but also with old school friends after he had great pleasure in attending the first class reunion in the fall of 1985, i.e. still during the time of the GDR. "Live and let live” is a key guiding principle for Wobser, which has him helped in the eight decades of his life and has always been very important to him.
