Mr. Hand­schuh, resource effi­ciency has become a hugely impor­tant topic in recent years. Why do you think this is?

Devel­op­ments in recent years have shown that we need to use the resources avail­able to us today more respon­sibly. This includes keeping and processing them within a circular economy that is as CO2e neutral and energy effi­cient as possible. ebm-papst recog­nized this change early on and posi­tioned itself accord­ingly. Short trans­port routes, opti­mized use of space, low space consump­tion, and energy-effi­cient oper­a­tion are all hugely impor­tant to us.

One result of this process is the devel­op­ment of high-speed drives – ebm-papst’s High­Speed prod­ucts. What makes this concep­tual approach so special?

The High­Speed busi­ness field repre­sents the perfect combi­na­tion of our resource and mate­rial flows. This enables us to develop high-speed drives for a wide range of appli­ca­tions, with a whole host of sustain­able quality features. These include dura­bility, low weight and mate­rial-friendly produc­tion, as well as lower power consump­tion and thus higher energy effi­ciency. The energy effi­ciency poten­tial of our new High­Speed refrig­erant compres­sors, for example, is between 10 and 35 percent depending on the appli­ca­tion.

“This progress not only bene­fits us, the customers, and end users; above all, it’s better for our envi­ron­ment and climate.”

Philipp Hand­schuh, Director of High­Speed Prod­ucts

Along­side smart fans, High­Speed is going to be one of the corner­stones of ebm-papst’s product port­folio as we look to the future. Does that surprise you?

No, not at all. High­Speed was and is a strategic expan­sion of the ebm-papst product port­folio. We used our existing core areas of exper­tise in aero­dy­namics, motors, and elec­tronics as a starting point. We then set up an inter­dis­ci­pli­nary team to expand on this exper­tise, adding oil-free high-speed bear­ings and the asso­ci­ated manu­fac­turing skills as new strings to our bow. With these future-proof prod­ucts, we can offer highly effi­cient solu­tions whose compo­nents work in perfect harmony. This is exactly what our customers need, as their demand for resource and mate­rial-effi­cient prod­ucts is constantly growing.

The inter­dis­ci­pli­nary team is the key, then. How does that collab­o­ra­tion work?

Right from the outset, the High­Speed product path was set up with a matrix orga­ni­za­tional struc­ture. The inter­na­tional team covers all the neces­sary disci­plines, from market and appli­ca­tion devel­op­ment to series process devel­op­ment. There are more than 60 employees on the team, all fully dedi­cated to High­Speed, albeit some are still primarily based in their specific depart­ments. Addi­tion­ally, having most team members co-located in two project houses at our Zaisen­hausen site facil­i­tates effi­cient collab­o­ra­tion, enabling quick deci­sions and fostering a strong spirit of inno­va­tion throughout the premises.

What do you see as the most impor­tant factors for our future when it comes to resource effi­ciency?

Take the mate­rials, for example. One of our most impor­tant fields of inno­va­tion plays a major role in this product path: ceramic mate­rials. These make PFAS-based coat­ings super­fluous, conserving our resources and protecting our envi­ron­ment and health – all while increasing the longevity of our prod­ucts. And while you can’t measure things like team spirit and staff loyalty in the same way as power consump­tion, for example, they are both hugely impor­tant to our work. People are our most precious resource, and we need to both hold them to a high stan­dard and treat them with the utmost care. It’s impor­tant to me that everyone on my team treats each other with respect and appre­ci­a­tion. When you think about it, this is also a form of sustain­ability – creating an envi­ron­ment that’s worth living in.