The Friedhelm Loh Group employee magazine Fit for the Future

Friedhelm Loh Stiftung & Co. KG

Rudolf-Loh-Straße 1

35708 Haiger

Tel. +49 (0) 2773 924-0

Fax +49 (0) 2773 924-3129

E-Mail: [email protected]

www.friedhelm-loh-group.com

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Issue 02 | 2015

The Friedhelm Loh Group employee magazine

TeChNoLoGyProduction of the new Blue e+ cooling units starts in the Valeggio sul Mincio plant in Italy.Page 50

CommITmeNTThe Friedhelm Loh Group helps refugees gain qualifications in a unique pilot project. Page 24

maRKeTpLaCeThe Friedhelm Loh Group expands its product portfolio with Rittal Automation Systems.Page 32

New plant in Haiger – EUR 140 million invested in the world’s most modern production facility for compact enclosures. Page 10

Fit for the Future

happy BIRThDay, Rittal Norway!

CheeeeSe! Marketing Director Leela

Gangappa from India found herself at

Rittal in Herborn on her birthday – and

recorded the congratulations from

Corporate Communications on a selfie.

02 | 2015 RUNDBLICK 61

LaST BUT NoT LeaST ... FRIEDHELM LOH GROUP

SUppoRT Since its establishment in 2011, the Rittal Foundation

has provided €300,000 in financial and material aid for some

80 regional projects.

ThUmBS Up Rittal’s Product Management Head Uwe Scharf

(at right) and the Scandinavian Marketing and Product Manager

Hakan Persson were enthusiastic about the Global Marketing

Council in Germany and Rittal’s stainless steel solutions, which

they discovered on a company visit to the Krombach Brewery.

The members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees (from the left): Markus Betz, Chairman of the Rittal Works Council, Stefan Nadler, Deputy Works Council Chairman, Kerstin Gerbig, Managing Director of GWAB, Georg Müller, Medical Director and Board Member of Humedica, Dieter Scherz, Chartered Accountant, Friedhelm and Debora Loh, and Friedemann Hensgen, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation.

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Dear employees,

Are you fi t? Be honest – cross your heart – what are you doing to keep fi t? Jogging, swimming, Nordic walking, cycling or by eating healthily? And if you are doing that – why? Because it's fun, keeps you young and attractive, helps you to stay strong and grow old healthily? The reasons for keeping fi t and the ways of doing so may vary greatly but ultimately, the goal of all these efforts is to enjoy life, to be pro-ductive and to stay that way as long as possible! Yes, we really have to do something if we don’t want to become infl exible, immobile, sedate, unattractive or sick!

Being fi t for the future is a major expression of per-sonal responsibility. People who do not take a critical look at themselves and refl ect on their future ability must bear the consequences. Those who have trained too little, who have not invested enough in their own fi tness or who are content with their current condition are making the future uncertain for them-selves and for others. This applies both in terms of physical and mental fi tness. People who are not in-vesting in knowledge and skills will be living tomor-row with the knowledge and skills of yesterday. This is fatal.

Responsible management must do the same as you – and stay healthy, effi cient and attractive through continuous self-imposed challenges and changes. It’s not easy, but it is necessary. Standing still means going backwards – so the saying goes. Standstill not only means going back, it is entrepreneurial suicide.

Fit for the future there-fore represents an excit-ing and challenging task for us. Anyone who ap-proaches challenges this way with fun, optimism, commitment, courage and joy will work up a sweat but will also experi-ence success. Only those

who struggle to the top of the mountain can have the chance of a good view.

Fit for the future – the motto is anchored in our company principles. These describe the competi-tion, our customers’ expectations and the associat-ed “athletic” tasks, as well as the way towards a promising future. In sport as well in industry, compe-tition is a driving force, perhaps the driving force. It

is not just us who set goals for ourselves; they are often also defi ned by the competition. Those who do not want to let the competition dictate what they have to do (and are allowed to do) simply have to be the best!

Fit for the future – it means the challenge to ana-lyse, to learn, to plan and to act. That is exactly what we have done. At Rittal Software Systems, just as at Stahlo and Rittal, all the data and facts on the mar-kets and competitors have been analysed and eval-uated. The aim is strategic planning for our future and hence the guideline for our future actions. We have decided on our fi rst targets and measures. The result is a comprehensive programme with many individual measures.

The facts:

Fit for the future – Rittal Software Systems is in-creasing its activities in global markets in close col-laboration with Rittal. Besides the existing 16 sub-sidiaries, two new companies have already been established abroad in 2015. Another four start-ups are planned or are in the process of being set up. An attractive group with excellent growth prospects has emerged under the heading of “House of Mechatronics”.

Fit for the future – Stahlo and LKH are planning to gain greater market shares through investments and improved penetration in the supplier markets. For example, Stahlo will build a new steel service centre in eastern Germany, so doubling capacity. Things are also looking up for LKH. The high investments in the factory in Montabaur were justifi ed. We are con-tinuing to invest. The new injection moulding ma-chine has a closing force of 1,600 tonnes. This means that Rittal is now in the Premier League of plastics processors.

Fit for the future – Rittal, as a world market leader, is standing before the biggest challenges in its his-tory. The strategic planning and developments of the last few years clearly show that Rittal has to reinvent and reorganise itself. To be fi t for the future means new products and cutting-edge production proce-dures, leaner processes and, above all, higher im-plementation rates. The fi rst step towards ensuring cost leadership has been decided. With an overall investment of €140 million, the most modern com-pact enclosure plant in the world will be established at the Haiger site. At the same time as this new

eDIToRIaLFRIEDHELM LOH GROUP

2 02 | 2015 RUNDBLICK

“We want to continue developing – globally. Are you going to join us?! ”

Dear employees,

Are you fit? Be honest – cross your heart – what are you doing to keep fit? Jogging, swimming, Nordic walking, cycling or by eating healthily? And if you are doing that – why? Because it's fun, keeps you young and attractive, helps you to stay strong and grow old healthily? The reasons for keeping fit and the ways of doing so may vary greatly but ultimately, the goal of all these efforts is to enjoy life, to be pro-ductive and to stay that way as long as possible! Yes, we really have to do something if we don’t want to become inflexible, immobile, sedate, unattractive or sick!

Being fit for the future is a major expression of per-sonal responsibility. People who do not take a critical look at themselves and reflect on their future ability must bear the consequences. Those who have trained too little, who have not invested enough in their own fitness or who are content with their current condition are making the future uncertain for them-selves and for others. This applies both in terms of physical and mental fitness. People who are not in-vesting in knowledge and skills will be living tomor-row with the knowledge and skills of yesterday. This is fatal.

Responsible management must do the same as you – and stay healthy, efficient and attractive through continuous self-imposed challenges and changes. It’s not easy, but it is necessary. Standing still means going backwards – so the saying goes. Standstill not only means going back, it is entrepreneurial suicide.




is not just us who set goals for ourselves; they are often also defined by the competition. Those who do not want to let the competition dictate what they have to do (and are allowed to do) simply have to be the best!

Fit for the future – it means the challenge to ana-lyse, to learn, to plan and to act. That is exactly what we have done. At Rittal Software Systems, just as at Stahlo and Rittal, all the data and facts on the mar-kets and competitors have been analysed and eval-uated. The aim is strategic planning for our future and hence the guideline for our future actions. We have decided on our first targets and measures. The result is a comprehensive programme with many individual measures.

The facts:


Fit for the future – Stahlo and LKH are planning to gain greater market shares through investments and improved penetration in the supplier markets. For example, Stahlo will build a new steel service centre in eastern Germany, so doubling capacity. Things are also looking up for LKH. The high investments in the factory in Montabaur were justified. We are con-tinuing to invest. The new injection moulding ma-chine has a closing force of 1,600 tonnes. This means that Rittal is now in the Premier League of plastics processors.

Fit for the future – Rittal, as a world market leader, is standing before the biggest challenges in its his-tory. The strategic planning and developments of the last few years clearly show that Rittal has to reinvent and reorganise itself. To be fit for the future means new products and cutting-edge production proce-dures, leaner processes and, above all, higher im-plementation rates. The first step towards ensuring cost leadership has been decided. With an overall investment of €140 million, the most modern com-pact enclosure plant in the world will be established at the Haiger site. At the same time as this new




Editorial Friedhelm loh Group


production plant for steel and stainless steel enclo-sures is being completed, an entirely new product range is coming on the market. This is a great op-portunity for long-term success.

In this context, we will be reorganising the Rittal production sites to bring them in line with the new product groups. Kelvin, the central factory for cli-mate control units in Europe has been established in Italy. Rittershausen is the production competence centre for large enclosures. And the factory in Hof will continue to specialise in outdoor enclosures and customised solutions. The restructuring of the factories in Germany is set to be complete by 2018. There will be no chance of cost leadership and growth without successfully implementing these measures.

Fit for the future – Rittal is placing a greater focus on the growing IT market. We have repositioned ourselves by developing standardised data centre solutions and through a significant involvement in one of Europe’s largest underground data centres.

Fit for the future – we are on the move in a very rapidly changing world. The term “Industry 4.0” describes the new, networked world with its huge potential for increased efficiency. This development affects all divisions, from tendering procedures to delivery to the customer. The new factory in Haiger has been designed for the most modern planning

and production methods and will be unique among the international competitors. The result is a blue-print that is the basis for every Rittal production facil-ity around the world.

Clearly: The future is opening up great opportunities for us as a group, and so I wish us the sporting ambi-tion to try something new – and above all the passion to always be the best in the competition for our cus-tomers. Only this will produce the freedom and se-curity to develop sustainably and worldwide. Are you going to join us?!

2015 now is history. We have only grown very slightly and, despite making every effort, we have sadly not achieved our goals. I would still like to thank you for your wide range of support, and look forward to fac-ing the exciting challenges that lie ahead. We have all the chances of success. Let's use them!

For the New Year, I wish you health, personal well-being and God's blessing. I would also like to send heartfelt thanks to your families.

Yours

“Being fit for the future is a major expression of personal responsibility.

”

Friedhelm Loh

02 | 2015

10 Fit for the future Rittal to invest €140 million in state-of-the-art compact enclosure manufacturing over the next three years.

18 Under one roof “House of Mechatronics” range of services set to to foster the interplay of mechanics, electrical engineering and software.

34 Bright Northern lights Unique value chain helps the Friedhelm Loh Group to excel on Scandinavian market.

6 making kids tech-savvy Joachim Loh and Fried-helm Loh establish Rudolf Loh Prize to encourage young technical aficiona-dos.

7 News in brief

8 Strong initiatives Companies worldwide fos-ter development of Industry 4.0 (the Internet of Things). The Friedhelm Loh Group champions the process.

16 100,000 tonnes for enclosures Steel from thyssenkrupp and coils from Stahlo help to make the world-famous Rittal enclosures.

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22 News in brief

24 helping, not hounding The Friedhelm Loh Group’s unique pilot project helps refugees to become trained machine and system operators.

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30 News in brief

32 Kiesling becomes Rittal Rittal integrates Kiesling in new business unit.

38 Dear customer! Rittal designed its SAP documents to suit custom-er requirements

40 Service on four wheels Stahlo sales employees help boost the market share in the highly compet-itive steel sector.

42 Speed matters The Friedhelm Loh Group opens a new administra-tion and logistics centre in South Korea.

44 amplifying strengths New TS 8 marketing pro-gramme set to raise its profile.

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48 Not without my software! Kiesling software special-ists make Perforex easier to program and control.

50 Skilfully assem-bled Blue e+ cooling units production starts in Italy-based Valeggio sul Mincio.

54 Skilled support Press shop representatives of a prestigious German car manufacturer visited Stahlo in Gera.

55 Fruitful dialogue LKH Expert Day gives partners and customers a platform for discussing the latest trends in plastics technology.

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60 Last but not least

56 News in brief

58 pack your bags! Why cross-border working experience is a win-win for staff and employers alike.

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SoCIaL TRaILBLazeR The Friedhelm Loh Group is one of the first German companies to train refugees.

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making kids tech-savvyThe Rudolf Loh Prize was awarded for the first time this year. Joachim Loh was filled with enthusiasm by the passion, commitment and creativity of the winners.

RUNDBLICK: how did the idea for the Rudolf Loh prize come about?Joachim Loh: To mark the centenary of our late father’s birth, we thought about what we could do in his memory. I came up with the idea of establishing an award that bears his name, to encourage young people who were passionate about technology.

What goal are you pursuing with this prize?Friedhelm Loh: For students, the ability to learn, as well as commitment and cre-

ativity are important factors for a suc-cessful future. They can acquire these resources particularly well on project tasks, because here, expertise is devel-oped and applied through close cooper-ation. Our objective was thus to assess practice-oriented projects that were based on defined competition criteria, and to motivate the participants even more by awarding the prize.

What impressed you about the partic-ipants and the projects?Joachim Loh: The huge level of commit-ment shown by the 14- to 15-year-old par-ticipants from the Johann-Textor School left us speechless. Their solutions encom-passed creative ideas as well as techni-cal expertise, and had been created with a great deal of hard work. Of course, the bar was raised much higher at the voca-tional schools in Dillenburg because exam projects were being evaluated in this case. The decision was not an easy one for us, but the choice finally fell on a team that had to overcome mechanical, electrical and electronic challenges.

Why is good technical training so im-portant, especially today?Friedhelm Loh: Last year alone, the state of Hesse is short of 138,000 profes-sionals in non-academic ‘MINT’ (Mathe-matics, Informatics, Natural sciences and Technology) professions. This is a danger for the economy as a whole, though it does mean rosy prospects for trainees in this sector. Advanced qualifi-cation profiles for skilled workers are im-portant in the context of Industry 4.0. They safeguard healthy prospects in our region in the future!

JoaChIm Loh

aND The WINNeR IS … Joachim Loh (centre) and the jury presenting the young prize winners from the Johann-Textor school with their awards.

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peRSpeCTIveSNEWS IN BRIEF

Because we love our part of the world GNaDeNThaL This year’s motto for the Gnadenthal projects was “WE! For the future of our region”. It chal-lenged young people to improve conditions a little in their own neck of the woods. In November, executives of the Friedhelm Loh Group (on Facebook) nominated the ‘bee hotel’ as the winner of the best project award. Franziska Herrmann’s team, together with an elementary school, established two ‘hotels’ for insects. The information board accompanying the ‘hotels’ bears a QR code that redirects to a Facebook page. There, potential insect protectors can find a self-produced film about the “bees, the underrated heroes”, construction drawings for insect hotels and useful information on protecting endangered species. “People who get involved make the difference between a place where we can feel at home and one where we merely reside”, said Friedhelm Loh, praising the dedicated second-year trainees.


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Whether in the United States, China or Germany, the world is gearing up for tomorrow’s production processes: with “Industry 4.0”. RUNDBLICK explains what is happening and where.

Strong initiatives

In America, a number of major companies are driving the development. For exam-ple, AT&T, Cisco, General Electric, IBM and Intel have founded the Industrial Inter-net Consortium (IIC) in or-der to develop worldwide standards for communica-tion between machines and new security technologies. The American Government has launched the “Advanced Manufacturing Partnership” initiative aimed at ensuring US leadership in new tech-nologies and creating jobs.

The USA has not yet been able to live up to the pio-neering role that the country had when Industry 4.0 start-ed, when it held a predomi-

nant position in relation to the Internet, on-line ship-ping, and social networks. According to Pricewater-houseCoopers, only 24 per-cent of all US manufacturers currently use the Internet Protocol at the manufactur-ing level, while 31 percent have not even thought about introducing it.

Only 18 percent of US man-ufacturing companies have invested in new sensor tech-nologies. The IIC has recog-nised that working alone will not be enough to make pro-gress. In April 2015, the or-ganisation announced that it intended to work together with the German “ Industrie 4.0” platform.

Industry 4.0 is the current hot topic in global business. The designa-tion “4.0” refers to the fourth industrial revolution. The first industrial revolution, resulting from the development of the steam engine at

the end of the 18th century, eventually led to first ever automated pro-duction processes. The second revolution was based on electricity and made possible mass production with the aid of assembly lines at the start of the 20th century. The third industrial revolution in the 1970s was triggered by the introduction of PLC (programmable logic control), computers and information technologies, which greatly increased the degree of automation, for instance with the help of robots. Industry 4.0 means the full digitalisation and networking of all industrial processes based on standardised data models.

Increasing flexibility and productivityWith Industry 4.0, production interlinks with cutting-edge information and communications technology. All segments are networked togeth-er, from product development and ordering, to production and logis-tics and as far as the customer. This means: Intelligent machines think independently and help coordinate manufacturing processes or or-der necessary materials. Robots cooperate with people, while vehi-cles follow orders automatically. The core of Industry 4.0 is the smart factory, in which products are manufactured according to individual customer requirements. They are made flexibly and cost-effectively not just in terms of type, but also in terms of quantity and quality. Thus single items can be made in the context of series production. In addi-tion, resources such as materials, energy, space and personnel are being organised more efficiently.

This increased efficiency will help industry in high-wage countries like Germany to remain competitive in future. “It therefore offers great opportunities for companies like Rittal and Eplan, who are providing the infrastructure for industry with their systems and IT solutions”, says Friedhelm Loh. In 2020, a total of 50 billion networked devices will shape global industrial production significantly.

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The “Industrie 4.0” platform be-gan its work following the 2011 Hanover Fair. It had been set up by the German Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and Media (Bitkom), the German Engi-neering Federation (VDMA) and the Central Association of German Electrical and Elec-tronics Industry (ZVEI). The goal: To establish a leading German market for modern manufacturing technologies with the central themes of small and medium enterprises, stand-ards and IT architectures, IT security and qualifications.

So far, initiatives and compa-nies have only been able to agree to a limited extent on the common standards needed to ensure that machinery and products will communicate be-yond supply chains and indus-

tries in future. In February 2015, German Federal Economics Minister Sigmar Gabriel an-nounced his intention to let the “Plattform Industrie 4.0” grow within a new Industry 4.0 dia-logue platform overseen by the Economics and Research Ministries. In order to achieve results more quickly, Gabriel is also pursuing international cooperation to bolster the government’s own commitment.

According to the Roland Berger consultancy, Germany, Switzer-land, Sweden, Finland and Austria are among the pioneers. France, the United Kingdom, Norway and the Netherlands, as well as Hungary and the Czech Republic do have an industrial base to some extent but they have still not found a way to activate their potential.

When it comes to Industry 4.0, China is in the fast lane. As re-cently as March, the Chinese government announced the “Made in China 2025” strategic programme, through which chosen technologies are to be supported in Industry 4.0. The preparatory work has already been carried out: Chinese in-ventors filed more than 2,500 patents in this sector between 2013 to 2015.

China’s largest robot manufac-turer Siasun has been register-ing 140 inventions every year on its own. “In future, Chinese researchers will gain sover-eignty over production data in the fields of wireless sensor networks, embedded systems, low-cost robots and big data” predicts the Fraunhofer IAO institute for industrial engineer-ing.

Germany and europe

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The “SmartFactory KL” technology initiative in Kaiserslautern explores the question of how innovative industrial technologies can be developed, applied and disseminated, among other things. Alongside Eplan, Rittal has been a member of the initia-tive – regarded as paving the way for the smart factory of the future – since the beginning of October 2015.

As a leading centre of competence and a manufacturer-inde-pendent demonstration and research platform, the network is developing innovative factory systems together with renowned partners from industry and research, where the vision of indus-try 4.0 has already become reality.

IN JULy 2015, Germany’s Federal Economics Minister Sigmar Gabriel (left) and Miao Wei, Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, sealed a cooperation deal on digital industry technologies.

China

NeW memBeR In October, Prof. Detlev Zühlke (right), Chairman of the Board of SmartFactory-KL, welcomed Rittal (represented by Uwe Scharf, Head of Product Management) as the 40th member of the initiative.

Worldwide patent applications in the Industry 4.0 sector

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2,500ChINa IS The GLoBaL LeaDeR when it comes to Industry 4.0 patents. According to a study by the Fraunhofer IAO institute, it was clearly ahead of Germany and the USA from 2013 to 2015.

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€140 millionRittal will be investing heavily in its Haiger production site over the next three years so it can remain a leader in innovation and technology. This sets an important signal for the region and the workforce.

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“By investing in future technologies at the Haiger site we are shaping developments in terms of Industry 4.0, and so ensuring long-term competitiveness. ”

mIChaeL WeIheR, Managing Director Production at Rittal

I n the future, the world’s most up-to-date production plant for compact enclosures will be in Haiger. “Rittal 2020” is the name

of the programme for the future, which will see Rittal’s production in Germany reorganised by 2018. “We will invest at least €140 million in the region over the next few years,” says Friedhelm Loh, Rittal’s Owner and CEO. Only a few months ago, the Friedhelm Loh Group opened its new Global Distribution Center (GDC) in Haiger. The company invested more than €40 million in the ultra-modern building. With the new production plant for compact enclosures that will adjoin the GDC, Haiger is becoming a location of the future, one step at a time. Investments are also being made at the Rittershausen and Hof sites. Together with Haiger, they will form a modern production network for manufacturing Rittal’s high-qual-ity enclosures in an interlinked and highly flex-ible way.

The production network is strengthening the regionNot only will production be established in Haiger by 2018 – the new production net-work will also be a firm feature in the region. These locations, each with their own special expertise, will grow together successively to form a network: Compact enclosures, large enclosures and IT project business (see also next double-page spread on pages 14-15). The items produced at the Burbach site, for

I 02 | 2015 RUNDBLICK

1961 Rittal founded in Rittershausen

1977/78 Acquisi-tion of the former Val-vo site in Herborn

1990 Rittal takes over G + R Ortmann in Wissenbach

1991 Rittal takes over Herr in Burbach

2000 New factory for climate control units is built in Rennerod

2001 The manufac-ture of security rooms starts in Hof

2002 Education for the future: The Loh Academy opens

milestones in the region

II 02 | 2015 RUNDBLICK

hIGh Bay WaRehoUSe Haiger forms the heart of the entire glob-al Rittal logistics operation with its new high-bay warehouse and its fully automated small parts storage area and these are joined by the warehouse for large enclo-sures in Rittershausen. Every day, 10,000 articles speed through the modern high-bay warehouse.

SmaLL paRTS SToRaGe aRea “brings goods to the man": Work has become more ergonomic since the fully automated small parts storage area in Haiger opened in 2014. The paths have become much shorter since then, as almost all products intended for ship-ment are now transported directly to the employees.

INComING GooDS Products enter the gateway to the world at the incoming goods point. Here, at the GDC, around 1,500 prod-ucts start off on their journey eve-ry day, take a break at a logistics centre or are dispatched directly to the customer.

2018Room FoR The NeW Management, logis-tics, and production: In Haiger, the factories for small enclosures and stainless steel products are being built next to the new Global Distribution Center (GDC).

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pRoDUCTIoN Compact enclosures remain a measure of quality, thanks to cutting-edge technolo-gy. Example: spray-finishing plant: All the process parameter are automatically controlled via a visual-ised control system. Every hour, up to 380 enclo-sures and 2,000 individual items can be painted in the unit, which also features an innovative energy management system.

pRoDUCTIoN Hygienic Design production minute by minute: Compact stainless steel enclo-sures are manufactured here to the highest quality standards.

heaDqUaRTeRS Loh Services in Haiger is the Friedhelm Loh Group’s centre of operations. This is where the global interface functions (such as con-trolling, finance and accounting, IT and human resource management) for the operating businesses are concentrated.

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example, will largely be spread over these three locations to create an ideal environ-ment for future production. Manufacturing in stainless steel, as well as other production items are moving from the Wissenbach site to Haiger. Similarly, industrial and commer-cial training and vocational education are being pooled together in Haiger.

Following the ramping up of production at Haiger in 2018, production in Herborn will be gradually phased out. Rennerod has been home to cooling unit manufacture up to now. In future, Rittal will be concentrating this ex-pertise at the Valeggio site in Northern Italy, which has specialised in refrigeration for over 20 years. “We are relying on the long years of experience and the high Rittal qual-ity standards that our Italian colleagues have been proving to our customers on a daily ba-sis”, says Michael Weiher, Managing Director Production at Rittal.

Taking the staff alongFriedhelm Loh describes the plan as an “am-bitious project, which will mean a huge effort for the employees”. This is because the regu-lar high quality of Rittal products will have to be guaranteed despite the reorientation in production. Besides this, around 600 em-ployees will have to work at different loca-tions in future. For two thirds of them, jour-neys to work will become shorter or remain just as long. The remaining third will have to get used to slightly longer trips. At the same time though, Industry 4.0-compliant work-flows and highly qualified staff should both contribute to healthy productivity. This, alongside new lines of business and an or-ganisation aligned to growth markets, repre-sents “an essential contribution to our com-pany’s sustainable future and a ‘thank you’ to the region”, stresses Company Owner Loh. “Our employees have made our company internationally successful. Now we are mov-ing bravely towards the future together.”

The necessary adjustments are being made in a socially acceptable way, taking advantage of normal staff fluctuation and age-related departures. The deployment of temporary workers should ensure the flexibil-ity needed for the duration of the project.

02 | 2015 RUNDBLICK Iv

Continued on page 14

“Once the programme has been completed, Rittal will em-ploy fewer production staff in Germany. The necessary ad-justments will be carried out in a socially responsible way, based on the usual staff fluctuation, departures for rea-sons of age and the flexible deployment of temporary workers. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be regulating these conditions in a binding and trans-parent manner together with the works councils.”

JoaChIm homSCheID, Vice President Human Resources at Loh Services

“Manufacturing that is compliant with Industry 4.0, which is what we are establishing in Haiger, is extremely com-plex due to the continuous data networking. It means a number of major challenges for the planning team. That is why we are replicating every single process with the most advanced simulation programs. The result is a highly efficient factory, in which every production and logistics process is optimised. We now need the experience and commitment of the entire team in order to implement our plans.” CaRSTeN RöTTCheN, Executive Vice President Production at Rittal

“Haiger forms the focal point between the Rittal produc-tion sites in the region. And if we look at the main flow of goods within Germany, Haiger is also bang in the middle. We can now supply our international customers even faster from the new GDC, thanks to the automated logistics process-es. The new compact enclosure production plant, production and logistics are also closely linked, ensuring the shortest delivery routes.”

aNDReaS NöGeL, Vice President Global Logistics at Rittal

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“Although the economy is stagnating, we are now investing boldly in the future. ” FRIeDheLm Loh

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pRoDUCTIoN NeTWoRK A production network for large and small enclo-sures and IT containers, made in the centre of Germany and thus in the middle of Europe: The new production network will combine the production expertise of the staff at the respective locations.

Management and the works councils are drawing up the necessary agreements together, and regulating the framework conditions in a binding and transparent way.

“We stand for quality. This means we must be quicker and better than the competition, Friedhelm Loh added: “If we implement new ideas in a profession-al way, it will ensure our market advan-tage.” With the major investments in Haiger and at the production sites in the region, our group is showing a clear commitment to Germany as an industrial location, as well as to a region that many Rittal employees can call home. ■

Ritters-hausen

Haiger


Continued from page IV

Hof

207 mm

Large enclosures from RittershausenpoWeRFUL The place where Rittal’s international success story began is a conspicuous sight on the highway to Rittershausen. It all began on 1 April 1961 with four simple steel enclosures. Rudolf Loh revolutionised mechanical engineering and plant manufacturing with his idea of volume-producing en-closures for electrical control systems and delivering them from stock. Today, TS 8 large enclosures for industrial and IT tasks are being produced in Ritter-

pLaNT DIReCToR Norbert Peter is always accessible.

shausen over an area of more than 50,000 m². In the meantime, 10 million TS 8s are in use around the world. Many hundreds of enclosures leave the assembly lines here every day. Anyone who has visited the Rittershausen fac-tory will have clearly got a sense of the site's productivity.

Rittershausen will remain the centre for large enclosure production in fu-ture. Consequently, major investments will continue being made here over the

next three years. Not only will modern equipment and an optimum production environment be needed in order to succeed, so will team spirit, says Fac-tory Manager Norbert Peter: “At the factory, we have to act as a team. What interests me more than how indi-vidual areas function is the way that all the staff are pulling together.” The same goes for Peter himself, which is why he is on the move around the pro-duction area most of the day: “After all, I always want to be accessible and approachable for my staff.”■

Compact enclosures from haigerCLoSeLy INTeRLINKeD “Future through change” is how RUNDBLICK 1995 reported the takeover of the ad-ministration building and warehouse of the furniture company Franz in Haiger. This motto is more relevant than ever twenty years on: The headquarters of the Friedhelm Loh Group with Loh Ser-vices and the Loh Academy, as well as the fully automated high-bay warehouse and small parts storage area in the GDC have been built on storage and parking spaces, as well as on undeveloped real es-tate. By 2018, the site will be further expanded through the addition of two ultra-modern

pRoJeCT LeaDeR Carsten Röttchen is confident that digitised processes will soon be a standard feature of everyday life.

peRSpeCTIveSRITTAL

IT project business from hof ReaDy FoR The FUTURe For the Friedhelm Loh Group, the 1998 take-over of Otto Lampertz GmbH & Co. KG, at that time Europe’s Number One, was an important and correct step into the IT business. Since then, the FLG has been producing physical security systems and infrastructure solutions for IT; first as Lampertz, later as an integral part of Rittal. In 2001, the newly constructed factory in Hof (Rhineland-Palatinate) was another milestone towards the future of the project business. The factory offers ultra-modern, computer-controlled tech-nologies and automated working opera-

pLaNT DIReCToR Hubertus Spiekermann relies on his strong team for IT projects.

tions, as well as modern coating tech-nologies. To ensure that the factory remains fit for the future, production and painting technology are to be added to consolidate the project business here. “We still have room to expand on this 74,000 m² site.

The project business will also be in good hands with us in the future,” says factory manager Hubertus Spiekermann. “At present, on this 16,000 m² area, around 290 employees are manufactur-ing everything for IT: from Micro Data Centers through to fully equipped, turn-key data centres such as RiMatrix, in-

production plants, which will concen-trate solely on the production of com-pact enclosures. The group’s training and vocational education activities will also be based at the Haiger training workshop.

Industry 4.0 structures will form the foundation of the highly efficient produc-tion, logistics and communication pro-cesses of the future at Haiger, says Carsten Röttchen, Executive Vice Presi-dent Production: “We are investing

heavily in the latest manufacturing technologies. The intelligent

factory of the future will be based on data, which

means the focus of the new building will be on the networking of machines and the IT infrastructure. Here, we are play-ing a pioneering role in our industry and we will have one of the most modern plants in Germany.”

According to a study by the Bitkom association, 80 percent of German com-panies consider a focus on Industry 4.0 to be strategically important. More than 60 percent say that the high levels of in-vestment needed are the biggest obsta-cle to its introduction. “We are doing things differently – we are investing”, says Röttchen: “This way, a digitised process environment in our production activities will soon be part of our daily lives, just like smart phones and the Internet.” ■

cluding power supply and cooling, as well as monitoring and fire protection systems. The Hof workforce will grow as a result of the new production network. Spiekermann has been in charge of Hof since August 2015, though for the last eight years he has also overseen the plant in Burbach, which is to due be closed: “Even if the Burbach location it-self has no future, the people here are doing a great job.

We need to retain their skills and we want to keep as many of them as possi-ble within the production network in Haiger, Hof or Rittershausen.” ■

Hof


Haiger

Pho

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thys

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(P

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16)

100,000 tonnes for enclosures

around 90 metres high and hotter than 2,000°C: That is thyssenkrupp’s “Schwelgern 2” blast furnace in Duis-burg-Schwelgern. For over twenty years, workers in

silver protective suits have been producing approximately 12,000 tonnes of pig iron per day from iron ore and coking coal at the blast furnace. From this, the most important raw material for Rittal’s enclosures is created during the further course of production at the steelworks: Steel! “At the steel mill, the correct steel quality is already specified and produced while converting pig iron to steel, which later (as hot galvanized coils) finds its way into Rittal enclosures”, explained Edgar Schmücker, Spe-cialist Coordinator for industrial sales at thyssenkrupp.“ Around 1.50 to 3.00 mm thick, the steel coils (later they are hot galva-nized) are ideal for the special purpose of enclosure manufac-turing. “Besides this, the coils need a special surface finish that meets Rittal’s very varied demands as end customer”, Schmücker added. “That is done on the hot galvanizing line at our Ferndorf-Kreuztal factory in the Siegerland region.”

First-class enclosure quality The plant in Ferndorf-Kreuztal refines around 600,000 tonnes of steel each year. “This year we have supplied Stahlo with tens of thousands of tonnes to be further processed. We are de-

This year, for the first time, the thyssenkrupp industrial corporation delivered more than 100,000 tonnes of flat steel as coils to Stahlo in Dillenburg. This steel is then processed into sheets and slitted coils to make Rittal’s world-famous enclosures.

lighted that we, with our special product, have been chosen by our client Stahlo as a long-term strategic partner.”

Certainly, thyssenkrupp could indeed produce these quanti-ties of hot galvanized steel at another location, Schmücker suggested, but the short distances and regional proximity were important success factors for the current partnership. “And don’t forget: The special expertise of the employees in Ferndorf-Kreuztal, which has grown steadily over the years, is clearly a factor in favour of this finishing location.”

Several hundred tons of hot galvanized steel arrive daily by truck at Stahlo’s Dillenburg steel service centre, only about 50 km away. “We pro-cess about 70 percent of the coils in en-closure quality supplied by thyssenkrupp on our cut-to-length line to make cut-to-size sheets for Rittal”, Daniel Schäfer, Team Leader in Stahlo’s Purchasing De-partment, reported. “The remaining 30 percent are used to manufacture slitted coils for Rittal.” Slitted coils and cut-to-size sheets leave the Stahlo plant in Dil-lenburg “just-in-time”, so that Rittal al-ways has enough material on site to

eDGaR SChmüCKeR

aS haRD aS STeeL For over 100 years, thyssenkrupp (left: Tapping the blast furnace Schwelgern 1 in Duisburg) has been making pig iron from iron ore and coking coal. Every year, the galvanizing line in Kreuztal-Ferndorf (right) delivers tens of thousands of tonnes of refined steel to Stahlo for further processing.



CUT Stahlo makes cut-to-size sheets on its cut-to-length line from the steel coils supplied by thyssenkrupp.

pRoCeSSeD Rittal makes mounting plates for its world-famous enclosures from the cut-to-size sheets.

produce mounting plates and panels. “We keep a regular stock of various material and finished goods to work together efficiently”, explains Thilo Schneider, Stahlo’s Head of Purchas-ing. “That gives us the flexibility we need to respond whenever Rittal, our sister company, requests changes at short notice.”

Together at the negotiating tableThe cooperation between the three companies runs very smoothly, for one thing because they regularly sit down at the negotiating table together. “This means that we, as supplier, always know if and how Rittal’s requirements will change”, said Guido Spenrath, Stahlo’s Managing Director. “Take the change-over from painted to hot galvanized steels during the develop-ment of the TS 8 in the late 1990s, for example. It is only be-cause we were working very closely here with thyssenkrupp and Rittal that we were able to develop a conductive grade of steel that precisely meets Rittal’s needs. This is another reason why there are virtually no complaints in this area now.” Some

ThILo SChNeIDeR

GUIDo SpeNRaTh

additional steps are necessary before the cut-to-size sheets and slitted coils supplied can be used to make the mounting plates and TS 8 profiles for enclosures that Rittal needs. “The rounding off, notching and bending of the mounting plates, as well as the notching, punching, profiling, welding, cutting to length, threading-cutting and painting for the TS 8 profiles is carried out in Rittershausen on our automated production lines”, explained Markus Schmidt, Director of Steel Purchasing at Rittal.

Stahlo will soon be linking thyssenkrupp to its in-house SAP system in order to strengthen the future cooperation between thyssenkrupp and Stahlo, and to make Stahlo’s on-time delivery to Rittal much easier. “Stahlo accesses the thyssenkrupp data streams in real time via new electronic data interchange (EDI) interfaces”, Schmidt added. “This is making the cooperation between thyssenkrupp and Stahlo more efficient, and will sus-tainably support Stahlo in its just-in-time delivery to Rittal.”

However, Rittal wants to expand its cooperation with both companies greatly, not only in Germany but also in the regional offices world-wide. “Today, Rittal is represented worldwide – in India, China or the USA, for instance”, Schmidt said. “In future, we also want to work together with thyssen-krupp and Stahlo at our international locations because high quality and a se-cure supply of raw materials and fin-ished goods from abroad are important for us.” Never change a winning team!

DaNIeL SChäFeR


peRSpeCTIveSFRIEDHELM LOH GROUP

maRKUS SChmIDT

peRSpeCTIveS RITTAL SOFTWARE SYSTEMS


GeRhaRD WULFF (second from left) is Director Product Management at Cideon. BeRND SCheWIoR (second from right) is Senior Vice Presi-dent Professional Services at Eplan. They were interviewed by Hans-Robert Koch, Team Leader Trade Press at Rittal, and Technical Editor Dr. Jörg Lantzsch (right).

Under one roofMechatronics is bringing things together that belong together: mechanics, electrical engineering and software. With the new range of services at the “House of Mechatronics”, Eplan and Cideon are well prepared for this, as RUNDBLICK found out from two leading experts from both companies.


peRSpeCTIveSRITTAL SOFTWARE SYSTEMS

Fot

os:x

xxxx

xxxx

x/xx

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RUNDBLICK: perhaps there are still a few people around who cannot im-agine what “mechatronics” means. please could you briefly explain the concept.Gerhard Wulff, Cideon: Previously, a machine or system used to classically consist of a large number of mechanical components. With the continuing devel-opments in the areas of control technol-

ogy and software engineering, these disciplines have taken on an increasingly important role. The engineering process must also continue to evolve – towards mechatronic engineering. This means linking different disciplines during the planning process.Bernd Schewior, eplan: A sensor is a typical example of a mechatronic ele-ment in mechanical engineering. It has a mechanical component which describes, for example, the size and installation de-tails, an electro-technical element, such as the power supply and signal lines, and a software component, in which the pro-cessing of a signal is set to a measured value and its transmission. When such a mechatronic element has been defined during planning, one no longer has to wor-ry about the indi-vidual details in future.

RUNDBLICK: The importance of me-chatronics is increasing. how does this specifically impact eplan’s and Cideon’s business areas and the products and services they offer?Schewior: With our software products, such as Eplan Electric P8, we supply the right tools that our customers need for efficient engineering. Besides this, they can achieve significant efficiency im-provements through optimized engineer-ing processes. Thus, the combination of our software solutions and suitable con-sulting plays an increasingly important role for us.Wulff: And this is where we can both of-fer our customers quite a bit. In addition to our software products and services,

our main focus is on process con-sulting and analysis. This way

we offer our customers the opportunity to integrate software solutions optimal-ly in their engineering pro-cesses.

JUST WhaT IS ...?

meChaTRoNICS: it deals with the interdisci-plinary interaction of mechanical, electronic and IT elements and modules

CaD (Computer aided Design): Designing a product with the aid of computers and soft-ware

e-CaD: Designing electrical and electronic circuitry using CAD

m-CaD: Designing mechanical parts with CAD

pLm (product Lifecycle management): A concept for the seamless integration of all the information that arises during the life cycle of a product, from the development phase to its disposal as waste

eRp (enterprise Resource planning): The business task of planning and controlling resources (both capital and human resourc-es) in accordance with the corporate goal and based on needs.

Source: Wikipedia


peRSpeCTIveS RITTAL SOFTWARE SYSTEMS


RUNDBLICK: one can easily imag-ine electrical planning with eplan electric p8 or mechanical design with CaD systems such as autodesk Inventor. But how should mechatron-ic engineering proceed?Wulff: First of all, it is important that the various disciplines within the develop-ment department of a mechanical engi-neering company, in other words me-chanics, electrical engineering and software, look at a machine from the same perspective. The view is very differ-ent in each of the three sectors: While the mechanical engineer thinks terms of in assemblies that belong together, the electrical engineer is more likely to look at the machine’s functions. A tool spindle in a machining centre may be such an assembly; it is not just the mechanism that can hold the tool but also the drive technology and the sensors. In this case, the typical function is to accelerate the spindle to a specific speed.

RUNDBLICK: how are customers benefiting from mechatronic engi-neering?

Wulff: One typical benefit that we were also able to make use of in our previous introductory projects, is the ability to eas-ily reuse previously designed machine components in our future projects. What previously worked separately in the me-

chanical or electrical engineering field with a product data management system can then be implemented for modules that are enriched with mechatronic infor-mation. For example, a geometrically de-fined engine with its mechanical and electrical properties can be saved as a mechatronic unit.Schewior: It ultimately comes down to increasing the engineering efficiency. Previously, designers spent 30 or even 40 percent of their time dealing with admin-istrative tasks. For instance, they had to manage and organise the planning data of the different components and assem-blies. However, this also included the coordination between the various engi-neering disciplines. If this effort can be reduced, it will lead to a significant in-crease in efficiency.

RUNDBLICK: To what extent?Schewior: Today, mechanical engineer-ing, electrical engineering and software work is often begun with only an inade-quate level of coordination. So the de-mands in the specifications are often defined separately in terms of mechani-

It begins with communication between mechanics, electrical engineering and software. Efficiency can only be im-proved further if one brings these processes together. ”BeRND SCheWIoR Senior Vice President Professional Services at Eplan

“

Mechatronic configuration

Mechatr. release and change processes

Mechatr. parts list Mechatr. reuse

PLM and ERP integration

Mechanical CAD Electrical CAD Software• PLC software• Embedded

Software

• Enclosure production

• Plant design• Fluid power

design

• 2D and 3D planning

• Plant design• Visualisation

• Proven expertise in mechanics and electrical engineering

• Comprehensive interface and PLM expertise• Excellent process expertise

Today

Tom

orr

ow

peRSpeCTIveSRITTAL SOFTWARE SYSTEMS


cal and control technology. This costs companies a great deal of time and mon-ey. Parallel development processes are therefore a priority in mechatronic engi-neering. Wulff: Along with this, modifications to an existing machine are very elaborate with high needs for coordination. A holistic view is necessary, with an optimal com-bination of the different software solutions within the various disciplins.

RUNDBLICK: What can eplan and Cideon now do for the customers?Wulff: Together, our two companies have a huge amount of expertise in electrical engineering, mechanics and software. This is supplemented by a deep knowl-edge of processes, for example in inte-grating a PLM solution. Linkage to busi-ness processes and to the ERP system also forms part of our service.Schewior: These principles form the foundation upon which the House of Me-chatronics has been built. By this we mean a comprehensive range of solu-tions, with which we are supporting cus-tomers as they introduce mechatronic processes in engineering. To do this, we (together with the customer) define a common way of looking at the machine to be designed. Another result of this is a mechatronically coordinated parts list.

RUNDBLICK: how do the companies work together with the customer?

Schewior: Eplan’s and Cideon’s me-chatronic expertise complement each ideally, so that we act as a common point of contact for comprehensive mechatron-ic engineering with the customer. Wulff: We make it as easy as possible for our customers with the aid of our exten-sive knowledge!

RUNDBLICK: What does this mean for the employees?Wulff: The internal collaboration between the two companies’ employees is working very well. With our range of services, we are well positioned to keep our fingers on the pulse of the times. What is important is that all the colleagues work together optimally to provide customers with the maximum benefit – integrated and cost-effective engineering.Schewior: We are convinced that the market for mechatronic engineering will continue to grow very dynamically over the next few years, especially in mechan-ical engineering and plant manufacturing; both companies can look forward to an exciting future!

Our customers’ requirements are clear: products that are more innovative, cost very little, and that are available very quickly! Development times are shortened greatly and hence costs are reduced through the parallel mechatronic development process. ” GeRhaRD WULFF Director Product Management at Cideon

“ Sequential development process

MechanicsElectrical

engineering Software

Electrical engineering

Software

Development process: parallel and mechatronic

• Reduction in development times

• Reduction in costs

• Higher quality• More innovation

Mechanics

DoNaTIoN Chronically sick children and their families can gain a new quality of life at the new “KroKi” house for children in Gies-sen. Over the next three years, the Rittal Foundation will be support-ing this project of the Kroki associ-ation with €8,000 annually. This funding will make it possible to

BURBaCh How can wood be re-used, rather than disposing of it for a fee? Rittal in Burbach has one crea-tive solution: The staff take scrap wood home with them to burn in their fireplaces and drop off small “wood donations” at the plant manager’s as-sistant in return. This way, a sum of around €800 has been collected, to which the Burbach entrepreneurs working group then added roughly another €500. The money will benefit the local “Kinderzuhause” children home, where the “Bethel” support association is caring for severely disabled children, adolescents and adults. The donation will help fund music and art therapy. The company would like to continue the action: “Our employees have once again been busily bringing in scrap wood. This means that the next donation can definitely be looked forward to”, said Rittal Plant Director Hubertus Spiekermann. ■

empowering sick children

CommITmeNTNEWS IN BRIEF

Support – not disposal

publication detailsRUNDBLICK No. 118 02 | 2015 The Friedhelm Loh Group employee magazine. Cideon, eplan, Kiesling, LKh, Loh Services, Rittal, and Stahlo

Publisher: Friedhelm Loh Stiftung & Co. KG CEO: Friedhelm Loh Rudolf-Loh-Straße 1, 35708 Haiger, Germany Tel. +49 (0) 2773 924-0 www.friedhelm-loh-group.comResponsible for the contents: Regina Wiechens-Schwake Editorial staff: Dina Abel, Elke Abels, Elke Bieber, Christel Burghardt, Jana Diessner, Katja Döllfelder, Birgit Hagelschuer, Dr. Carola Hilbrand, Cornelia Jung, Verena Knopf (Editor in Chief), Dr. Jörg Lantzsch, Hakan Persson, Tina Pfeiffer-Busch, Christian Schreiber (Editor in Chief), Patricia Späth and Nina ZahrerPhotographer of the Friedhelm Loh Group and picture contact: Frank TramsPhotographic support: Valéry Kloubert, Michael KochDesign and production: muehlhausmoers corporate communications gmbh, Moltkestraße 123–131, 50674 Köln, Germany www.muehlhausmoers.comManfred Wirth (art direction), Joscha Duhme (project direc-tor), Camilla van Heumen (editing of the German edition), Rebecca Lorenz (project director), Elke Weidenstraß (editing of the German edition)Editorial team for the English issue: Linguatext Ltd. (transla-tion), Robert Sleigh (translation), Martin Planer (translation management and consultation)Print: Wilhelm Becker Grafischer Betrieb e. K., Haiger, GermanyLithography: purpur GmbH, Cologne, Germany

haNDoveR Prof. Burkhard Brosig (2nd from right), Senior Physician at the Centre for Pediatrics at the Gießen University Hospital, and Frank Stüber (2nd from left), Head of KroKi-Haus gGmbH, are delighted by the donation from the Rittal Foundation.


ReFUGee WomeN from Syria and Iraq expressed their thanks in Halabja, Iraq for a donation of €2,500.

Thank you very much!

provide a safe space for children and adolescents aged from 8 to 21, where they can take advantage of the therapy on offer or get involved in art and thea-tre projects. From spring 2016, the in-habitants of this house for young people will have twelve single rooms and one communal room for joint activities at their disposal. ■

Pho

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Loving life

CommITmeNTNEWS IN BRIEF


CommITmeNT Playing, making handicrafts, laughing – in socially deprived neighbourhoods like the Lusan district in Gera, there are far too little of these things. In order to create a focal point for children and families, the “Jumpers Gera” association opened a new children’s and family centre in the middle of this problem district in early October. With leisure activities and offers of as-sistance such as a theatre group, a music studio, or a bicycle repair workshop, the team aims to provide on-

site help and create new perspectives. “As we see it, the approach, which consists of helping to improve the situation as part of the local community itself rather than intervening from a distance, is as exceptional as it is promising”, said Friedemann Hensgen, Chair-man of the Rittal Foundation. For this reason, the foundation is supporting the project near Rittal and Stahlo’s eastern German location with funds worth €15,000. ■

helping, not houndingMany people are coming to Germany to flee from persecution, war and terror. Friedhelm Loh is one of the first entrepreneurs in Germany to have given the nod to a project that sets a trend in the State: Getting refugees involved in education and training.

CommITmeNT RITTAL


moTIvaTeD To LeaRN

Led by Jochen Gerhardt (left), Robert Habbaba (right) and Tobias Sohn (not in the picture), the eight refugees learned about the work of a machine and system operator during their three-month prelimi-nary internship on the Rittal training work-shop in Wissenbach.


CommITmeNT RITTAL

an apprenticeship at Rittal – that has been my dream since the be-ginning of the internship”, says

smiling Eyobel Gebreyesus. A brief look at the detailed component drawings on the workbench, then the 26-year-old turns to a large lathe again. Gebreyesus adjusts the machine with just a few flicks of the wrist. He nods with satisfaction as he removes the newly machined work-piece. “I really enjoy the work here”, Gebreyesus adds. “The colleagues are all very friendly. And it gives us is free-dom.” A freedom that the native Eritrean has struggled to achieve time and time again in recent years. “The political situ-ation in my country is difficult. That’s why I fled to Germany two years ago via the Sudan, Libya and Italy”, Gebreyesus ad-mitted. And then he added with a quiet voice: “I had to leave my wife and my par-ents behind. I miss them a lot.”

perilous escapeTwo years ago, searching for freedom and peace, his new colleague Khaibar Fatehzada also left his home behind him. “The war has destroyed Afghanistan”, the 26-year-old soberly recapped. “Life there is dangerous – you simply don’t have a chance. As a child, I wanted to become an engineer. But we only have a few schools and there are hardly any

teachers.” With his family’s savings, his father finally helped him to escape. “From Afghanistan I was then taken to Russia”, Fatehzada recalled. “There I had to climb onto the back of a truck. Be-cause it was dark, I had no idea where we were going. When I was let out, I found myself in Germany.”

There are many people like Gebreye-sus and Fatehzada. Last year, over 60 million people were on the run world-wide. They are waiting in numerous tent camps and refugee accommodation centres for the news that life will go on. And for the news that they will be allowed to stay, work and rebuild their lives. To stay in Central Hesse, for example. “We are happy and grateful to be living good lives in a country that is free from war and hunger. That is what we also want these refugees to enjoy too”, said Friedhelm Loh. He is convinced that “the

basis for this is a good job, one that helps people contribute to society.”

That is why the Friedhelm Loh Group has launched the “Qualification for Refu-gees” pilot project in collaboration with the Rittal Foundation, the Lahn-Dill dis-trict and the Lahn-Dill Chamber of Indus-try and Commerce. The aim: To give ref-ugees a new vocational perspective that gives them encouragement and confi-dence. A mammoth task, given the pres-ence of around 2,000 refugees in the Lahn-Dill district alone. “With the help of the local council, we held discussions with 14 refugees”, Friedemann Hensgen, Chairman of the Rittal Foundation re-called. Because a technical profession

ChaNGe oF peRSpeCTIve The pilot project offers young men a new professional perspective to encourage them and give them confidence. After obtaining the final certificate following their the internship, the refugees can then apply to take part in an apprenticeship scheme.

CLoSe TIeS Some warm friendships evolved between trainees and their mentors during the three-month preparatory internship.

“We have seen some great commitment here. The young people were very inquisitive, motivated and courteous. ” Matthias Hecker, Head of Training


CommITmeNT RITTAL

did not come into question for all the par-ticipants, eight young men began a three-month preparatory vocational in-ternship at the Rittal training workshop in Wissenbach in early May.

qualified employment instead of merely doing a jobBesides the basics of mechanical and electrical engineering, job-related Ger-man lessons were also on the curricu-lum. Once a week, the young men were given the opportunity to expand their vo-cabulary, practice grammar rules and ask questions on a three-hour language course at the Loh Academy. “As a result, the refugees’ language abilities quickly improved”, recalled Matthias Hecker, Di-rector Technical Training at Rittal. “While we still had a great deal to demonstrate at the start, these young people were able to understand even complicated in-structions by the end.”

Before the project began, he had only known about refugees from the newspa-pers and television, Hecker had to con-fess. “That’s why I wasn’t sure about what to expect at first.” The 55-year-old was pleasantly surprised: “We have seen some great commitment being shown here. The young people were very in-quisitive, motivated and courteous,” Hecker added. But he couldn’t have

The DIFFeReNT phaSeS oF The pILoT pRoJeCT

Selection: The Lahn-Dill district chose 20 refugees as participants and undertook an analysis of potential.

placement: Employers and 14 participants got to know each other at a five-day place-ment internship at Rittal. During the intern-ship, both sides tested whether the partici-pants knowledge of German was sufficient and if they had interest in and aptitude for a career in the industry.

preparation: In a three-month preparatory internship at Rittal, eight participants learned the basic skills of metal technology and elec-

trical engineering. During this time, they worked on projects alongside four trainee mentors and acquired valuable knowledge about machinery, systems, equipment and processes.

Certificates: Every participant received a certificate that confirmed his readiness for training.

Liaising: Two participants were awarded a training place at Rittal. The district is support-ing the other six participants in the search for training places at other enterprises.

done it all alone: Hecker was able to rely on the active support of his colleagues and the older trainees straight away. The refugees also received support from the four trainee mentors (Mirco Burbach, Noah Kirschniok, Gökhan Kilic and Gianluca Nana), in addition to the dedi-cated trainers Robert Habbaba, Jochen Gerhardt, and Tobias Sohn. At the end of the project, all eight interns received cer-tificates with which they could apply to businesses in the region to receive voca-tional training The trainers were so im-pressed by their protégés Gebreyesus

and Fatehzada that they offered them places on a two-year training course for machine and systems operators at Rittal.

The 22-year old Trainee Mentor Mirco Burbach, industrial mechanic in his third year of training, also got acquainted with some new aspects of his training during the project: “For me it was a great experi-ence to pass on my knowledge to the trainees and to assume responsibility,” said Burbach. “I think it’s it great that the refugees have been given the opportu-nity to learn something here.” Both sides have benefited from the intensive

ThIRSTING FoR KNoWLeDGe Besides turning on a lathe, grinding and milling (left-hand picture, left: trainee advisor Mirco Burbach) the curriculum also included job-related German lessons. Monika Behrend from the Loh Academy taught the young men German vocabulary and grammar every week.


CommITmeNT RITTAL

contact with the interns, Burbach add-ed: “We have not found it difficult at all to put ourselves in the interns’ situation.”

From colleagues to friends The interns and trainee mentors got to know each other much better during the pilot project, not only professionally but also privately. “I found it very warming to hear the reasons why the refugees came to Germany”, Burbach said. They had experienced a lot of terrible things in their own countries and while on the run. That’s why I was surprised to discover

that we still had so many interests in common.” One of these was: football. “After just a few weeks, two of the interns decided to take part in this year’s Rittal Cup,” Burbach added. “Meanwhile, a few of them are even playing with col-leagues in local football clubs.” The re-sult: a bond that goes far beyond that of the internship.

“In this pilot scheme, we have drawn up a blueprint that ought to motivate oth-er companies to take on refugees”, Own-er Friedhelm Loh said, as the project was launched in the presence of representa-

tives of the press and local politics. “Be-cause when we view this against the de-mographic changes that are occurring, companies will have to be grateful if they can find any qualified young staff at all.” The positive experiences at Rittal were the reason why the Limburg-Weilburg and Lahn-Dill districts submitted appli-cations for funding to the State of Hesse; approval was granted in October.

However, not only are the refugees’ talents and expertise in demand. As a globally operating enterprise, Rittal is also benefiting from their cultural back-ground: “Cultural insights are important for work in the global market. That is an-other reason why the project was a com-plete success for everyone involved. Whilst we as a company benefit from the potential of our two new trainees, the refugees also have a chance of a secure future.”

CommITmeNT The Rittal Founda-tion has donated €10,000 to the Cari-tas Association in Wetzlar/Lahn-Dill-Eder. A further €17,000 was collect-ed at two benefit concerts held on 31 October and 1 No-vember. The money will be used to buy a van that the refu-gees can rent for fur-niture removals, trips to the doctor, and to visit the authorities in order to attend to official business.

CaReeR STaRT In September, 55 new apprentices, including Eyobel Gebreyesus and Khaibar Fatehzada, began a new life in the Friedhelm Loh Group. They are completing their vocational training in 20 different trades.


CommITmeNT RITTAL

“Through our project, we are setting a positive signal for others. If we accept respon-sibility as citizens, we will have the chance to be seen and heard by the political world. ”

Friedhelm Loh

“The Friedhelm Loh

Group in Central Hesse

has made a top priority

of rethinking”

Gießener Anzeige/12 August 2015

“Rittal, the electrotechnical company in central Hesse is supporting a pilot project to help refugees gain preliminary qualifications and training.”

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung/13 October 2015

“The Rittal family business is training refugees to be skilled staff. Now, other companies can also learn from the pilot project.” Süddeutsche Zeitung/29 October 2015

“There is a shortage of skilled workers but refugees are arriving.

A blessing for industry?” [...] There have already been some successful examples.”

MaschinenMarkt/26 October 2015

Integrating refugees matters a lot at Rittal. Produktion/8 September 2015

“Discovering talent for the German labour market.” Handelsblatt/21 August 2015

“Getting refugees fit for training – how can that work?”Dpa news agency, Hesse/

11 August 2015

“Entrepreneur gets refugees fit for

training.” Welt.de/11 August 2015

exTeNSIve meDIa CoveRaGe All the institutions taking part outlined the pro-ject to the media at a press conference on August 11. It was met by a great deal of resonance, both among broadcasters and the press.


CommITmeNT RITTAL


vIeTNam The “Electric and Automation” trade fair was a complete success for Rittal’s Vietnamese subsidiary. The trade fair team (see photo, right) secured a new order for Rittal TopTherm compact cooling units, knocking one of the biggest competitors on the Vietnamese market out of the running

aUSTRIa In June, Cideon took over mcds datensystem gmbh, Linz, taking an import-ant step on the Austrian market. Both com-panies work primarily with customers in the mechanical and plant engineering sector and use Autodesk products as Platinum and Gold partners, respectively. Since

both Cideon and mcds place a great deal of value on holistic processes and end-to-end IT solutions, the two companies are an ideal fit. Together with sister com-pany Eplan, the business will also

be able to cover requirements in the mechatronics sector on the Austrian mar-ket. “Our partner of choice in Austria un-derstands what customers in the country want. It also offers outstanding expertise in the mechanical and plant engineering sector,” says Sebastian Seitz, Managing Director of Cideon Systems. ■

proud winners

orders received, market opportunities seized

maRKeTpLaCeNEWS IN BRIEF

UNITeD KINGDom The Eplan Ex-perience strategy plan helped Eplan win over a panel of judges in the “Food Processing Technological Development Awards” and secure a win in the “Technological Develop-ment” category. “It is extremely grati-fying that our efforts in rolling out the Eplan Experience concept have been acknowledged by the food industry.

We are extremely happy to have won this major industry award,” said Ken Christie, Country Director UK at Eplan (centre, with former BBC and Sky TV presenter Adrienne Lawler and Peter Whitfield, the former Publisher of “Food Processing Magazine”). The award was presen-ted by “Food Processing Magazine” and handed over at the food sector trade fair of the same name. ■

Cideon grows

award-winning trade fair appearanceINDIa Rittal India won gold in the “Large stands over 95m²” category at Automation 2015. The company’s participation in the fair was accom-panied by a wide-ranging marketing programme that included e-mail newsletters, outdoor advertising and additional activities that involved collaboration between several departments.

as a supplier. The team also worked on expanding the collaboration into additional product areas. Besides cooling units, the fair in Hanoi also focused on cabling, generators and green-energy devices for industrial and private use. ■

Refreshingly cool ChINa With or without caffeine, light, life or zero – virtually no other soft drink anywhere in the world is as popular as the branded products from Coca Cola. With more than twenty production sites in China, the US giant is also one of the biggest suppliers in the country’s food and drinks industry. To safeguard the qual-ity of its products for the long term, the company places a great deal of emphasis on cutting-edge technologies, sustainability and wide-ranging expertise – and not just at its own production facilities, but among its suppliers, too. That is why it has already installed more than 100 Blue e cooling units from Rittal at seven Chinese sites. ■

maRKeTpLaCeNEWS IN BRIEF


Pho

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Kiesling becomes Rittal

Kiesling has been an important member of the Friedhelm Loh Group for more than two years. In

that time, the German company has made a large and sustainable contribution to the value chain in enclosure production, first and foremost with its Perforex machining centre. On 1 January 2016, Kiesling was incorporated into the new Rittal Automation Systems business unit. This business unit extends the existing Rittal portfolio comprising “enclosures”, “power distribution”, “climate control”, “IT infrastructure” and “software & service” to include the machining and handling technology required in workshops.

Customer requirements are changingThe integration of Kiesling ensures that Rittal is adapting to changing customer

Rittal Automation Systems offers a professional portfolio of equipment for workshops that ranges from manual tools to fully automatic machines.

eveRyThING FRom a SINGLe SoURCe The launch of Rittal Automation Systems sees Rittal augment its solutions portfolio and means it now also supports production operations in panel building and switchgear manufacturing. The aim is to build up a comprehensive range of products from manual tools through to fully automated installations. Customers can find the solutions they require for process-optimised workshop operations – everything from a single source.

Handling systems

Manual tools

Machining enclosures

Machining components Assembly WiringWire

processing

Secarex Athex Semi-automatic machines

AverexPerforex LC

Perforex BC

a maTCh made in heaven: Trainee Yasin Esmekaya uses a Movex from Kiesling – now to be known as Rittal Automation Systems – to insert a heavy, configured mounting plate into a Rittal enclosure with ease.

maRKeTpLaCeRITTAL


maRKeTpLaCeRITTAL

Why is Kiesling becoming Rittal automation Systems?The strong “Rittal” brand and its global sales and distribution struc-tures provide a much better platform for the large-scale marketing of Kiesling’s automation technology. What’s more, by integrating Kiesling into the new business unit, we are able to offer a globally unique range of equipment for professional work-shop operation.

Does the new business unit bring us into competition with our cus-tomers?No, the extended Rittal solution port-folio enables us to help our custom-ers in the panel building and switch-gear manufacturing sector to further boost their productivity across all value creation processes. The big-gest advantage is that they will be able get all the tools and machinery they need from a single source – Rittal. We are operating as a value-creation partner to our customers, not setting out against them as a competitor!

Where will the machining centres be manufactured?Only the research & development, sales and marketing operations of Kiesling will be absorbed into the Rittal Automation Systems business unit in their entirety. The production of automation technology in Wierns-heim will continue to carry the Kiesling name. Like all other Rittal production plants, the manufacturing site there will be an internal and ex-clusive Rittal supplier.

ThRee qUeSTIoNS FoR ...

DR. ThomaS STeFFeNManaging Director Research and Development at Rittal

requirements. “Assembly-friendly enclo-sures, comprehensive accessories and intelligent software solutions help to boost efficiency in panel building and switch-gear manufacturing,” says Dr. Thomas Steffen, Managing Director Research and Development at Rittal. “By launching Rittal Automation Systems, we are offer-ing our customers not just technology and the corresponding software solu-tions, but also the necessary machining and handling technologies – from manu-al tools to fully automated machining cen-tres.” The key advantage is increased productivity, as customers can simplify and automate manual activities along their value chain.

As early as 1999, Kiesling developed the first machining centre for enclosure construction – Perforex. The machine system carries out precise and fully auto-matic drilling, thread-tapping and milling operations to prepare panels such as doors, side parts and mounting plates. What’s more, besides processing panels, the new Perforex LC 3015 3D laser centre

can also be used to machine completed enclosures quickly and accurately with laser cutting. The Secarex cutting centre cuts wiring ducts, cable duct covers and support rails to size, while the Athex as-sembly machine takes care of the time-consuming process of assembling and labelling terminals. Finally, the Averex wir-ing robot automates the manual wiring of mounting plates.

Unique and professionalEplan supplies all the data needed for wiring and assembling terminals. An in-tegrated interface ensures that the de-sign and engineering data can be used to control the Kiesling machinery direct-ly. “Through this portfolio, Rittal Auto-mation Systems is offering a range of equipment for professional workshop operations that is unique in the world. We offer various customisable automa-tion concepts that accelerate production steps,” explains Steffen.

During SPS IPC Drives at the end of November in Nuremberg, Rittal showed visitors what a complete value chain looks like and how it operates. The com-pany set up a realistic panel building and switchgear manufacturing workshop at the trade fair for electrical automation, systems and components. “The model plant proved a real talking point in our meetings with customers. We’re no long-er talking about products alone, but about productivity potential and pro-cesses,” says Steffen enthusiastically.

For more detailed information, go to the new Rittal Automation Systems website.

peRFeCT FIT Kevin Jung (left) and Etienne Heppner operate the Secarex, which cuts cable ducts and top hat rails to size with perfect precision thanks to end-to-end data.

SUCCeSSFUL The new laser machining center Perforex LC can machine complete enclosures fast and precisely. Three centers were sold on the SPS IPC Drives fair in Nuremberg!


haSSaN SoUSSI, Managing Director at Rittal Denmark

FReDRIK WÅhLSTRaND, Managing Director at Eplan Nordic

LeIF mIKKeLSeN, Managing Director at Rittal Norway

Head office

Eplan and Rittal sales office

Mod centre

Warehousing facility

Sweden

Norway

head office of Rittal and eplanängelholm

Denmark

oLe SveRRe SpIGSeTh, Managing Director at Rittal Sweden, Head of Hub Nordic

Göteborg

Ski

vallensbaek

maRKeTpLaCeFRIEDHELM LOH GROUP

Stockholm

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: Shu

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aNDReaS KeIGeR, Executive Vice President of European Sales at Rittal

„We should have the courage to put creative ideas into practice without spending too long debating the matter. ”

Bright Northern lightsTo stay competitive on the sprawling Scandinavian market, international companies have to make an extra special commitment. And thanks to its unique value chain comprising Eplan, Cideon and Rittal, the Friedhelm Loh Group is doing just that – to become the market leader.

Whether Tetra Pak, Ericsson, Ves-tas, Maersk or Ikea – an im-pressive list of global brands

have their homes in Scandinavia. Here, in the north of Europe, among the fjords, forests and rugged mountain chains, in-novative and environmentally friendly ideas can be assured of finding fertile ground where they can grow into innova-tions for information and communication technologies or the construction sector, for example. GDP (gross domestic prod-uct) in the Scandinavian market grows at a consistent rate of 1 to 2 percent, which makes the region highly attractive to both domestic and international companies. Stable political leadership, low construc-tion costs and easy access to renewable energies all help the economy to keep on growing.

However, since it was established in 1971, Rittal Scandinavia has repeatedly found that being located in a market is not enough on its own. Part of the reason for that is the often poor weather condi-tions in the region, which mean it can sometimes take more than three or four hours to travel to a customer. “Although we have offices in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and – when including Eplan Nor-dic – in Finland, it is still difficult to stay competitive in this remote geographical situation,” says Hakan Persson, Market-ing, Product and Business Development Manager at Rittal Scandinavia. “Every extra that we can offer is the key to our success. The added value that we pro-vide due to our association with other companies in the Friedhelm Loh Group is one of our biggest assets in the market.”

Based in a region spanning more than 1.1 million square kilometres, all the com-panies in the Friedhelm Loh Group – whether Rittal, Eplan or Cideon – benefit from their joint presence and comple-mentary service portfolios. “In a market

that is so big, it is fundamentally impor-tant to offer our customers added value,” says Persson. “Thanks to our comple-mentary components, software and pro-duction tools, we are doing just that.” The end result is that the Scandinavian re-gion comprising Rittal Sweden, Norway and Denmark has become the market leader over the past 15 years.

Broad-based core businessSince the first Rittal foreign subsidiary was established years ago in Sweden, the sales and marketing team has got to know all the peculiarities and features of the Scandinavian market. “Unlike in Ger-many, the United States and China, raw materials have a really dramatic impact on the markets here,” says Ole Sverre Spigseth, who has been Managing Di-rector of Rittal Sweden since October. The bulk of industry in the Nordic market is still highly dependent on oil and gas,

forestry, mining and water. “To be suc-cessful on a traditional market like that, we need to focus on individual market segments that have long-term potential,” says Spigseth. “Such segments include the transport sector, IT industry, energy sector (with a particular focus on renew-ables) and oil and gas.”

Although the Scandinavian market is also affected by sinking oil prices and ris-ing unemployment in the region, the con-ditions for growth are better than ever. “Thanks to the many fjords and wind farms, we have an abundance of water and renewable energy sources here in Scandinavia,” explains Magnus Almquist, Head of IT sales at Rittal Scandinavia. “Energy prices are permanently low and electricity supplies are virtually guaran-teed.” As a result, it is hardly surprising that one of the most energy-intensive in-dustries in the world is enjoying a boom in the region – the IT infrastructure sector.

“The Scandinavian governments have been supporting projects and initiatives in the IT sector for years,” explains Almquist. “The end result is that data centre projects have sprung up all over the region.” However, these projects don’t just focus on the needs of regional companies, they are also aimed at inter-national businesses, which means the data centres offer everything from empty space and public web servers (hosting) to the hiring of data centre servers (colo-cation) and end-to-end IT services. One of the biggest projects in the world is Lefdal Mine Datacenter. “Although we have to deal with tough competition in this new, up-and-coming market, it is a huge opportunity for a system supplier like us,” says Leif Mikkelsen, Managing Director of Rittal in Norway.

Mikkelsen and his Scandinavian col-leagues don’t see this competition as a disadvantage, but as a powerful

maIN INTeRSeCTIoN The headquarters of Rittal Scandinavia in Ängelholm, Sweden.

pRoJeCT aChIevemeNT oF The moNTh In August, the Nordic Rittal IT team celebrated the collaboration between Rittal and IBM Nordic in Ängelholm, Sweden. Trond Eidsjö (Nordic Leader at IBM), Thomas Striebel (overall project manager for Rittal at IBM) and Marcus Fischbach (overall project manager for IBM at Rittal) also took part in the kick-off meeting.


motivator. The team at Eplan Nordic has the same attitude, as Fredrik Wåhlstrand, Managing Director of Eplan Nordic, explains with a smile: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going. We are continuously working on innova-tions and have been rewarded with growth of 66 percent in the last three years. That shows we have the potential to change market requirements and make Scandinavian companies more competitive on the global market.”

efficient proceduresTrue to its promise, “Rittal – The System. Faster – better – everywhere”, Rittal has already found a way to continuously grow its market share. “There has always been close collaboration between the Scandinavian subsidiaries in Sweden, Norway and Denmark,” explains Ole Sverre Spigseth, Managing Director of Rittal Sweden. “Developing a hub con-cept, i.e. a network where key factors such as product management, finances and marketing are centrally organised, was just the next logical step.”

Today, all the Scandinavian subsidiar-ies share warehousing facilities, a Mod centre and administration offices, which helps to create intelligent and highly effi-

cient procedures. “We are always trying to improve our working processes,” says Hassan Soussi, Managing Director at Rittal Denmark. “The hub concept has helped us pool our expertise, which oth-erwise would have been isolated in indi-vidual subsidiaries.”

Being efficient is a must for all Scandi-navian manufacturers, as they are under pressure from global competitors. As a technology partner, the Friedhelm Loh Group supports its customers with inno-vative and cost-effective solutions that make their processes more competitive. Customers respond to that support with their loyalty. “The Scandinavian manu-facturing sector has always been very

conservative, but in a good way. Once a com-pany has decided on a supplier, it works to establish a stable business relation-ship,” says Andreas Keiger, Executive Vice President of European Sales at Rittal in Herborn. As traditional as the companies may be, they are equally for-ward-looking in terms of their strategy and operation. They don’t hold back when it comes to pushing new bounda-ries and reinventing themselves to tap into additional or completely new prom-ising markets.

The Friedhelm Loh Group is deter-mined to take on this challenge. “Previ-

1971

Establishment of Rittal Scandinavia.

144

The total number of Friedhelm Loh Group employees

in Scandinavia.


haKaN peRSSoN, Marketing,

Product, and Business

Development Manager

at Rittal Scandinavia

ous success is no guarantee that ‘busi-ness as usual’ is always the best alternative. We should have the courage to put creative ideas into practice without spending too long debating the matter,” says Keiger. He sees considerable growth potential in the IT segments of the healthcare, infrastructure and food sectors in particular. The Friedhelm Loh Group is focusing on these branches of industry and has set itself an ambitious target: “We want to increase our sales by at least 30 percent in the next few years.” That is a much faster growth rate than in the rest of the domestic Scandinavian economy. “Why not?” says Keiger. “I am certain that we can change market de-mand if we continue to force through ex-citing solutions that are what our custom-ers want.”

MarktFriedhelm loh GrouP


BIG DaTa: Lefdal Mine Datacenter is being built inside a mountain on the Norwegian coast, using the tunnels of a defunct ore mine. The site offers plenty of space – thousands of square metres spread over five subterranean levels built deep into the bedrock. Comparing it to the size of the Statue of Liberty gives you a good idea of just how big it is.

93 m



Whether Facebook, Google or Apple – lots of multinational companies have al-ready found that Scandinavia is an ex-cellent location for IT infrastructure. As a result a growing number of data centres are springing up throughout the whole of Scandinavia, offering everything from empty space and public web servers (hosting) to the hiring of data centre servers (colocation) and end-to-end IT services (managed services). One par-ticular stand-out project is Lefdal Mine Datacenter (LMD) in Måløy, Norway. The data centre, which is housed in a former ore mine and is due to enter operation in 2016, offers its customers 75 rooms and

more than 120,000 square metres of empty space over six levels – and the best climatic and stable infrastructure conditions.

The biggest data centre in the world, situated on the banks of a fjord, runs on, and is cooled by, wind turbines and hy-dropower alone. “We have found a per-fect location in the Lefdal mine,” says Mats Andersson, head of marketing at Lefdal Mine. “The mine was already there and, being built into a natural rock forma-tion, offers both cooling and security.”

The mine has just two points of access and offers natural protection against electromagnetic pulses, which

means that it boasts the highest possi-ble IT security level based on present standards (Tier III). Seawater from the fjord is used for cooling, which is then stored in a freshwater circuit comprising more than 5,000 Rittal Liquid Cooling Packages.

“The size and structure of the mine means we have flexibility for increasing and reducing customer capacity in the plant, when necessary,” explains Egil Skibenes, CEO of Lefdal Mine Data-center. The only prerequisite is the use of flexible racks. That is why Lefdal Mine Datacenter commissioned Rittal to sup-ply more than 1,000 RiMatrix standard modules and containers from the start of 2016.

“Over the next ten years, the digitali-sation of society is certain to go from strength to strength,” says Andreas Keiger, Executive Vice President of Eu-ropean Sales at Rittal. “That is why the global demand for data centres like Lefdal Mine Datacenter is going to con-tinue to grow.” That is a huge opportuni-ty for Rittal and its sister companies. “Given that just 2 percent of Lefdal Mine Datacenter will be in use at the start, there is still a lot of potential for further growth,” says Keiger.

The data mine

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How do you turn bare data into around 1.3 million items of transparent, considerate customer correspondence? The working group tasked with designing SAP documents to suit customer requirements has the answer.

Dear customer!

Let’s face it, who doesn’t get an-noyed by confusing sales quotes and invoices? Where is the article

number? What is the delivery date? An interdisciplinary working group at Rittal Germany overseen by Customer Excel-lence was tasked with analysing Rittal documents from the perspective of the customer.

The result of their work is a new, cus-tomer-oriented and standardised design for Rittal’s SAP documents. But why is the team of experts from sales, marketing, IT, development and product management so determined to scrutinise sales quotes, orders, delivery notes and invoices? “For one thing, there is a lot more behind the new design than just a layout,” says Pro-

ject Leader Johanna Archutowski from Customer Excellence. “Every year, we send more than 1.3 million documents to customers. Each of these represents Rittal in the same way as a business card does. And that means that even small details can be enormously important.”

The question of how to produce good customer correspondence is fairly easy to answer. The content has to be clear, the structure coherent and the look just right – what’s more, readers should be able to grasp the content quickly, easily and accurately. When analysing the old documents, it became clear that these requirements have not always been met. Internal abbreviations, different terminol-ogy for one and the same product and

delivery information that is not immedi-ately distinguishable – Rittal documents offered room for improvement. Now, cus-tomers receive a standardised, struc-tured overview from Rittal – regardless of whether the quote runs to two or 20 pag-es. A cover sheet lists the most important information, such as the order volume, delivery time and type of shipping. Prod-uct details are listed on the following pages.

The aim – to impress customers“We have established a dedicated logic for all article descriptions relating to standard products, and have standard-ised product texts and added a link to

oUTSTaNDING CoLLaBoRaTIoNThe interdisciplinary working group put the quotes, delivery notes and invoices issued by Rittal under the microscope. The end result was a new, customer-oriented design for documents. From left: Natascha Treml, Jessica Gamsjäger, Holger Schneider, Lydia Eichhofer, Arno Pfeiffer, Beate Kunz and Johanna Archutowski.

Our customers expect best quality from us across the board – and in every detail. ” DIRK mILLeR, Executive Vice President Marketing

“

maRKeTpLaCeRITTAL


3

1 2

product pages on the Internet. Measures such as these make things easier for those receiving the documents and help us to achieve our overarching aim of im-pressing the customer,” explains Jessica Gamsjäger from Product Management IT. Thorsten Weller, Director of IT Pro-jects: “We are using more standard mod-ules as text blocks that our colleagues can incorporate into quotes.” Besides making things more efficient for custom-ers, it also does the same for us. “The quotes become more compact and

clearer, which makes it easier for the customer to read them and easier for our staff to put them together,” explains Anna-Lena Arndt from the Internal Sales team. “Over the next few months, we want to go even further and create a standardised format for products that are not in the catalogue and are individu-ally configured,” says Arno Pfeiffer, Di-rector of the Internal Sales team.

Ready for dispatch in secondsIn response to customer requirements, it

was also decided to extend the SAP landscape for project quotes. For exam-ple, quotes for RiMatrix and Micro Data Centre will be completed with images and graphics or CAD drawings automat-ically and be ready to send out in a mat-ter of seconds. “The project is very com-plex but, basically, everyone has just been waiting to finally get to grips with this issue,” says Archutowski. Dirk Miller, Executive Vice President Market-ing: “Our customers can expect best quality from us in every aspect.”

1 The cover sheet focuses on key information, conditions and contacts. As a result, customers can see the all-important final sum at first glance, even when quotes stretch to several pages.

2 To develop a clearer and more easily understandable structure, the interdiscipli-nary team scrutinised all article descriptions, created a standardised logic and completely reworked the product texts.

3 Customers who receive a document electronically can click an article number to access a weblink with all the technical details and documentation.


maRKeTpLaCeRITTAL

maRKeTpLaCeSTAHLO

Service on four wheels

W hy do I love the world of steel? Just because it is so different to any other sector,” says

Norbert Ensinck, Sales Executive at Stahlo, smiling. “The steel industry is tough but fair. Once you’re in the sector, you never leave it.” The Dutchman is speaking from experience. He has been in the steel industry for several years and looks after the markets in the Nether-lands, Belgium, Luxembourg and north-ern France for Stahlo. “I visit two or three customers a day,” says Ensinck. “Then I reply to my e-mails and arrange new meetings.”

Stahlo organises workshops on a reg-ular basis where its Sales Team share information on the latest challenges and benchmark strategies of the industry.

More than 30 sales employees are joined at the conferences by the management team, Supply Chain Management and the company’s production management team. “These regular meetings are im-portant, as they enable us to accurately assess market developments,” explains Karsten Unzeitig, Head of Sales at Stahlo. “What kind of impact are current economic policies having? How are in-ternational conflicts affecting the mar-ket? We discuss questions like these as a way of working into our planning for the upcoming year.”

One of the biggest challenges for Unzeitig, Ensinck and their colleagues is making sure they don’t lose sight of the country-specific requirements of cus-tomers during planning. “It isn’t just price

and product requirements that vary from country to country,” points out Ensinck. “Customers also differ a great deal in terms of how they conduct negotiations. While entrepreneurs in the Netherlands are very direct and tough negotiators, the French take their ‘joie de vivre’ to heart.”

Successful salesIt is thanks to the commitment and effort of the sales team that more than 400,000 metric tons of processed steel leave the Stahlo production facilities in Gera and Dillenburg every year. Besides slitted coils, the company also supplies con-toured blanks, trapezoids, rectangles and cut-to-size sheets to customers including car makers and manufacturers of sani-

Stahlo has more than 30 sales employees across Europe. Norbert Ensinck is one of them. Working in the highly competitive steel sector, he travels several thousand kilometres a year to boost the market share of the steel service centre.

STaRTING CeNTRaLLy Norbert Ensinck, Sales Executive at Stahlo, sets off from Maastricht when on business trips to the Benelux countries. From here, he can reach any of his destinations in less than three hours.



maRKeTpLaCeSTAHLO

maRKeT INSID-eRS To ensure he can accurately judge market develop-ments, Karsten Unzeitig, Head of Sales at Stahlo (left), keeps a close eye on country-specific price and product requirements.

taryware and furniture. “In Germany alone, some 35 percent of industrial value creation is still based on steel,” points out Guido Spenrath, Managing Director of Stahlo. “That is also due to the huge ad-vances that have been made in develop-ment and expertise in our sector over recent years.”

However, sophisticated innovations and maximum quality are not enough on their own in the tough competition of the steel market. Good personal contact with customers also plays an important role. “For me, steel service centres aren’t so much a service provider as a partner for customers and suppliers,” says Spenrath. “That is why our staff are al-ways on hand to offer their expertise when questions arise regarding techni-cal applications.” Because Stahlo con-sultants operate independently of any steel plant, they can offer objective ad-vice for application, product and logis-tics problems and thus find the ideal so-lutions.

100

The average number of hours that Norbert Ensinck spends in his

company car each month. Essential kit – a notebook, business cards and

his smartphone.

90,000

The number of kilometres Ensinck travels each year to reach his

customers in Belgium, Luxembourg, northern France and the

Netherlands.

4

The number of languages that Norbert Ensinck speaks – he

conducts negotiations in Dutch, German, English and French.

SaLeS CoNFeReNCe At the start of October, the management, Supply Chain Manage-ment, production management and sales teams of Stahlo met in Gera, Germany, to discuss market developments and develop yearly planning.

xxRUBRIKxx RITTAL

CUTTING The RIBBoN (top image, from left): Ssangsue Kim, President of Ilsung Electric, Max Koo, Country Manager of Eplan Korea, Haluk Menderes, Managing Director of Eplan, Youngkeun Lee, Commissioner of Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, Friedhelm Loh, Martin Rotermund, Managing Director of Rittal Korea, Hans Sondermann, Managing Director Sales and Marketing Rittal, Kim Yoo-Suk, CEO of KACO New Energy, Stefan Halusa, President of Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sangcheon Han, Chairman of Seojeon Kijeon, and Chounho Kim, President of Winners Automation.

IN The ThICK oF IT The new administrative and logistics building of Rittal and Eplan is in the heart of the Incheon Free Economic Zone in South Korea.

GLoBaL DeLIveRy pRomISe Hans Sondermann, Managing Director Sales and Marketing at Rittal, wishes the workforce well in their new site.

BehIND The SCeNeS The South Korean visitors inspect-ed the new building, which includes a showroom, storage facility and modification centre.





Speed matters

quickly, quickly.” It’s a phrase you hear everywhere in South Korea. People there are always hurrying

– and that is partly how they have suc-ceeded in making the Republic of Korea, as South Korea is officially known, into an economic and educational miracle since the 1980s. Every teenager in the western world is familiar with Samsung, Hyundai and LG. Being based in South Korea is important, as the country is a key hub in the Asian market. “We frequently have to supply large volumes in a very short space of time,” explains Martin Roter-mund, Managing Director of Rittal in South Korea. The Friedhelm Loh Group has been represented in the east Asian model country since 1996. “The invest-ment in the new centre represents a com-mitment to the Korean market, where we have achieved double-digit growth rates for more than ten years,” explained Friedhelm Loh at the opening ceremony, which was attended by more than 200 guests.

South Korea is the third largest market in Asia for German companies. Although economic growth there has slowed a lit-tle recently, GDP still grew by 2.7 percent in 2015. According to estimates from the South Korean Industry Association, the country’s 30 biggest companies alone will be investing 120 billion US dollars this year – 16 percent more than in 2014. What’s more, many of these companies, including several car makers and me-chanical engineering firms, are custom-ers of the Friedhelm Loh Group.

The Friedhelm Loh Group’s new ad-ministration and logistics building is situ-ated some 50 kilometres to the south west of the capital Seoul, in New Songdo City, a huge commercial and industrial district that began to take shape in 2005.

It is part of the Incheon Free Economic Zone, an investment area that is support-ed by the government and offers tax in-centives and cutting-edge infrastructure. Numerous prestigious companies in-cluding IBM and Samsung, but also Ger-man SMEs such as automotive suppliers Brose and Hella, can be found there.

Serving the market betterThe building itself is exceptionally energy efficient and equipped with pioneering technology from Rittal. In addition to good thermal insulation, energy-saving water cooling from Rittal is used, while the technology for the power supply in the building is also from in-house pro-duction. Some 90 Rittal employees and around 20 Eplan staff are based at the site. They moved to New Songdo City

from Seoul, where the headquarters was previously located, and Ansan, the for-mer site of the manufacturing and supply centre.

That is why Rittal usually supplies its South Korean customers with pre-as-sembled systems. “We fit these with im-ported or regional accessories on site,” reports Rotermund, who is confident that “being able to assemble the TS on site helps us to satisfy project requirements and to serve the market even better.”

Eplan also anticipates that pooling strengths in New Songdo City will give it an extra boost. “The large premises open up completely new opportunities to make the value chain of the Friedhelm Loh Group really tangible to customers,” says Haluk Menderes, Managing Direc-tor at Eplan. Eplan is planning to open another, small office in the south of the country in the near future. During the opening ceremony, Hans Sondermann, Managing Director Sales and Marketing at Rittal said: “With this investment we are showing that we can implement our ‘Faster – Better – Everywhere’ promise worldwide. By pooling administrative and logistics capabilities, we have truly optimised the delivery times and availa-bility for our core range!”

In mid-November the Friedhelm Loh Group opened the new administration and logistics centre in New Songdo City near Seoul in South Korea. Large volumes can now be supplied quickly.

Pho

to: F

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e 4

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The FRIeDheLm Loh GRoUp IN INCheoN, SoNGDo

employees: 110, of whom 90 work for Rittal and 20 for Eplan

Total area: 10,000 square metres

Warehouse: More than 3,200 pallet positions

Investment: EUR 10 million

SeoULNeW SoNGDo CITy

NoRTh KoRea

SoUTh KoRea

BUSaN

maRKeTpLaCeRITTAL


amplifying strengthsQuality, reliability, flexibility, efficiency and productivity – those are the strengths of the TS 8 enclosure system from Rittal. An international marketing programme is now being run to raise the profile of this all-rounder enclosure and boost its market share.

a GLoBaL STaR The campaign tells the same story around the world, in 19 languages.

more than ten million units sold and customers won over across all sectors – after 17 years of market

success, what more can the TS 8 achieve? “Win market share on the inter-national market and boost system busi-ness,” replies Martin Kandziora, Vice President Market Communications at Rittal. This is particularly relevant to the growth markets in Asia and North Amer-ica, where the number of potential cus-tomers is huge. The task here is to con-tinue to tap into the market and make the brand even better known.

“Short delivery times, optimum avail-ability, free CAD data for all TS 8 enclo-sures, super-convenient enclosure build-ing with ProPanel from Eplan and a huge list of accessories – that is all added value that the competition can’t offer,” explains Natascha Treml, Team Leader, Product Management Enclosures. What’s more, whether in the saturated market in Germany or the boom region of the Far East, the same applies across the board – the potential for accessories and com-plementary parts is far from exhausted. Even more companies need to discover and appreciate the strengths of the TS 8, which include quality, reliability, flexibili-ty, efficiency and productivity. Produc-tion of the TS 8 is set to run steadily around the world.

Tools for the sales departmentThat is the aim of the international mar-keting programme launched last sum-mer. “We are developing a wide range of useful, primarily digital tools for our cus-tomers. Some 14,000 customers use the Large Enclosure Selector every month,”

moRe TIme Natascha Treml, Product Man-ager at Rittal, is well-versed in the arguments for the TS 8: “The enclosure can be planned very easily with Electric P8 and ProPanel from Eplan and saves time.” The patented profile ensures stability.


FaCTS aBoUT The CampaIGN

• Since July, 240,000 flyers have been inserted into TS 8 enclosures around the world to promote system accessories

• The website showcases the benefits in 14 languages and 20 videos

• Some 12,000 product links between all 265 TS 8 variants and accesso-ries such as cooling units can be explored online

• 14,000 customers visit the TS 8 selector every month

• 7,000 design data downloads each month

• 1,100 companies configure TS 8 and accessories

• 59 countries are covered by 54 CAD formats

aDDeD vaLUe Benjamin Esch, Sales Eu-rope, is confident that apps and similar fea-tures support domestic and export sales. Ul-timately, the applications provide important information and sales tools.

INTeRNaTIoNaL BooST Like many of her colleagues at the international subsidiaries, Shiori Yagioka, Product Manager at Rittal Japan, is very happy with the new marketing programme.

oNLINe “At the heart of the programme is the website for TS 8. This is where we spell out the benefits for customers,” explains Martin Kandziora, Vice President Market Communications.

points out Kandziora. The international subsidiaries are particularly appreciative of the strong support for their sales ac-tivities.

“Our software accelerates planning stages, which saves customers a lot of expensive engineering time that they can then invest in other projects,” says Treml, explaining the efficiency benefits. Flexibility, which is provided by features such as reliable cable infeed through the roof, walls and base, opens up a whole range of options in terms of installation sites and internal configuration.

The patented, 16-fold section profile boosts reliability by delivering added stability at a lower weight, while seals, closures and temperature regulation of-fer optimum protection for enclosures, components and users. When it comes to quality, the nanoceramic pre-treat-ment, electrophoretic dipcoat priming and powder coating are not extras – they set the standard. “We offer corrosion protection that is globally unique and en-sures our product is exceptionally dura-ble. That is a good sales argument,” says Kandziora.

The TS 8, the Rittal flagship, embod-ies the expertise of a team that launched a large enclosure system of unparalleled adaptability onto the market in 1999. What’s more, customers, the sales team, market research and expert workshops have all played a part in delivering a con-stant stream of innovations. “The unique character of the TS 8 system is rooted in innovation leadership for products and processes and rapid availability,” ex-plains Kandziora. “It pays to go out into the international markets and present

even more clear evidence of that. After all, large-scale production can’t be taken for granted. For example, customers vis-iting us in China experience our fully au-tomated production and ingenious logis-tics. They never fail to be impressed.”

Continuous innovationThe product, marketing and sales ex-perts are working flat-out on the pro-gramme. From customer mailshots, ad-vertisements, brochures and flyers to websites, apps and online videos – all marketing channels are being utilised. The brochure and website are being

translated into the 19 Rittal Catalogue languages and initial feedback from the subsidiaries has been encouraging. “We are currently preparing the TS 8 website and brochures for use in Japan and hope that sales will really pick up,” reports an enthusiastic Shiori Yagioka, Senior Marketing Manager Rittal Japan.

The website alone offers a whole host of practical and clearly presented infor-mation, including application videos and animations, technical data downloads, an enclosure configurator and webinars on topics such as “eliminating time wast-age”. Treml views time wastage in enclo-sure building as a cost that Rittal can help customers avoid: “The TS 8 contrib-utes to savings in planning, configura-tion and transport – that pays off very quickly.” The new marketing tools have proven just as valuable as the TS 8 is ef-fective in boosting efficiency in industrial sectors around the world. “We have no-ticed that the subsidiaries in particular have experienced an immediate added value,” reports Benjamin Esch, Sales Europe. “They have seen how they can use this approach to reel in business.” Treml: “This campaign is also important for Germany as a means of securing the loyalty of long-established customers and boosting the market share.”

maRKeTpLaCeRITTAL

Visit the TS 8 microsite from here to explore the benefits that the large enclosure system offers.

TeChNoLoGyNEWS IN BRIEF

Best product 2015!

Best supplier

INNovaTIoN aWaRD The ex-perts were in agreement: Blue e+ is the best product! A panel of special-ists from trade magazine Produktion and the management consultancy Staufen AG have presented the new generation of cooling units from Rittal with the Innovation Award German Industry 2015. “Through this innova-tion, Rittal is making an important contribution to environmental sustaina-bility in the industry,” said the panel,

explaining its decision. At over 75 percent, it was the extraordinary energy efficiency of the cooling units, coupled with their suitability for Industry 4.0, that won over the experts. Dr Thomas Steffen, Rittal’s Managing Director Research and Development (centre), Heiko Holighaus, Director of Pre-Develop-ment (right), and developer Juan Carlos Cacho Alonso accepted the innovation award. ■

aWaRD REMT, the Chinese subsidiary of Rittal, has been given the title “Best Supplier”. The team at REMT was awarded the accolade by ABB Robotics China for the high quality of its products, excellent service and reliable, on-time delivery, explains Ronghui Ding, Indus-try Sales Manager Traffic at Rittal. ■

ShoppING CeNTReS Maoye Inter-national Holdings Limited is one of the leading project developers and opera-tors of shopping centres in China. Solu-tion modules from Cideon Software are now helping the company plan and de-sign facilities. In 2014, Cideon Software helped Maoye launch a fully SAP-inte-grated solution for computer-aided facili-ty management – and it has been run-ning very well. The intuitive graphical interface from Cideon Software makes planning work easier and helps to boost profitability, explains Claus Ludewig, head of the Computer Aided Facility Management business unit at Cideon Software. The use of areas can be simu-lated and graphically evaluated. Tenants and sales figures can be depicted in real time, so that suitable shop categories can be planned very quickly. Securing the Maoye project has helped Cideon Software make a successful start in the Chinese market. Ludewig is confident that more customers in China will opt for solutions from Cideon Software. ■

Cideon Software moves into China

o F p e o p L e a N D m a C h I N e S

ReINhaRD pILeS Them hIGh Daily care and maintenance is a routine task at the end of every shift for Reinhard Grade. As far as possible, the 56-year-old never likes to leave a speck of dust on his Linde R20 reach truck. Cleanliness is next to godliness and that is why the order filler for the Assembly, Dispatch, Logistics and Incoming Goods department at LKH in Heiligenroth,

Germany, polishes his machine regularly. Grade, who joined LKH in early 2013, won’t even contemplate getting a dent in his truck, and so takes extra care. “I haven’t damaged it yet,” says Grade, whose top priority is always safety. He brings this responsible attitude to all his duties, which include structured stock placement. “Stocking related articles in the same rack is pretty straightforward, but I also make sure this is done in as space-saving a way as possible.” And of course he is never without his trusty Linde R20. ■


heavyWeIGhT With a clamping force of 1,600 metric tons, the new clamping unit exceeds its own dead weight of around 60 metric tons several times over.

entering a new dimension INveSTmeNT Three employees, one forklift and two days – that is what it took to get the new injection moulding plant into its designated position in the large production hall at LKH. “The arrival of the new plant has been the highlight of our autumn,” says Rüdiger Braun, Head of Sales at LKH. “Thanks to its huge clamping force of 1,600 metric tons, we can now manufacture the entire base tray of the new Blue e+ generation of Rittal cooling units in just one piece.” The plant is part of the major ‘Next step for LKH’ investment drive that the plastics specialist is using to propel its production operations into a whole new dimension, for the benefit of its customers. “We are shortly going to be starting up a new injection moulding plant with a clamping force of 450 metric tons, too,” says Braun. “This will give us even more flexibility and enable us to meet even demanding customer requirements with ease.” ■

TeChNoLoGyLKH



more than 60 Perforex machines sold in twelve months – it’s an outstanding achievement that not

even I, the product manager, had bar-gained on,” says a smiling Jens von Kiesling, Director of Development and IT at Kiesling*. “As you would expect, the success of our main product is great for the company. However, as the product manager, I can always see the remaining ounce of potential for improvement.”

That is also why the 51-year-old and his team were at last year’s SPS trade fair to exhibit an important new development for the large machine used to drill, mill and tap threads into flat parts.

experienced developers“Previously, our users had to work with two different software solutions to import article data from the Eplan Data Portal into our workshop programming,” ex-

plains von Kiesling. “Today, all the rele-vant data and engineering drawings can be controlled directly with our software.”

It is an important improvement that von Kiesling also credits to the software experts from the new Rittal Automation Systems business unit. One of those ex-perts is Dr. Ahmad Abrass, Project Lead-er Software and Electronics at Rittal. The 35-year-old has been a soft-ware developer for more than 16 years,

For years, the Perforex machining centre has been emerging as a customer favourite. However, software specialists are also playing their part in the machine’s success, making it easier to program and control.

Not without my software!

maKING ThINGS BeTTeR Jens von Kiesling (right) and Dr. Ahmad Abrass are always on the look-out for ways to improve “their” Perforex.

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No more errors!

Instead of resting on the laurels of their success with Perforex, Jens von Kiesling and his team are already working on the next improvement. “Perforex, Secarex and our laser are currently controlled with different software,” reports von Kiesling. “That’s not ideal, because the machines can be programmed and controlled simultaneously via the existing software applications.

As a result, machine operators can end up inadvertently changing or deleting en-gineering data. The developers are now aiming to ensure a clear separation between the two tasks and introduce a standardised software interface for all Kiesling* machines. “We are significantly reducing the likelihood of errors by imple-menting a standardised user interface that is separate from the programming process,” explains a confident Kiesling.

which is another reason why he knows what really matters in a successful devel-opment process.

“Before we start working on new soft-ware, we work with product manage-ment to establish all the relevant require-ments,” explains Abrass. “That includes, for example, the basic operating system and the software interfaces that are needed.” The developers then imple-ment two or three of these requirements during a two-week development phase

known as a sprint. “After that, we carry out testing with product management to check whether the requirements have been correctly implemented,” says Abrass. “If they have, a new sprint then starts.” This loop-like approach to the development process offers a major advantage for software developers: “Be-cause we are focusing on just a few, spe-cific requirements, the process is much clearer and development work altogeth-er easier,” says Abrass.

Software in focusWhether at Eplan, Cideon, Rittal or Kiesling*, the day-to-day work of every tenth employee of the Friedhelm Loh Group centres exclusively on software. “That figure is going to rise even further in the future,” predicts von Kiesling. “We want to make sure processes within the group are even more closely intercon-nected as part of our value chain.” How-ever, the sister companies are already benefiting from the associated synergies today: “From engineering through the enclosure system to the automated machining of the enclosure itself – effi-cient automation every step of the way along the value chain represents an im-portant unique selling proposition on the market.”

* Rittal Automation Systems starting on 01 January 2016.

aLL-RoUNDeR Tapping threads, drilling or milling: Perforex machines flat parts such as doors and side panels fully automatically.

We want to make sure processes within the group are more closely interconnected as part of our value chain.

” JeNS voN KIeSLING, Director of Development and IT at Kiesling*

“

TeChNoLoGyRITTAL


Skilfully assembled

valentino Mezzani deftly removes the board from the black box, scans it, positions it in the support

and screws it firmly into place. He can’t get it wrong – the screen tells him which is the correct step and the program checks whether he has the right part. Mezzani is part of the team assembling the new generation of Blue e+ cooling units in Italy.

Staff at Valeggio sul Mincio – a typical small Italian town south of Lake Garda – have been manufacturing the pioneering cooling units since July. “By the end of the year, we’ll have built almost 1,000 units,” says Tobias Heilmann, Team Leader Assembly Processes at Rittal Manufacturing Engineering (RME) 1. “Unlike our production facilities where we manufacture enclosures from steel, Valeggio is dedicated solely to the instal-lation of supplied components such as heat exchangers, fans and electronic parts. It is series assembly of the highest technical order.”

modular and flexibleThe assembly system that has been used since 2012 to build the Blue e series cool-ing units is modular and therefore highly flexible. Each of the four production lines comprises six stations that are each staffed by one fitter. After assembly, an automatic transport system conveys the completed climate control units to the central inspection and packaging area. This flexibility has now been further en-hanced with just a few additional mod-

Production of the new energy-efficient Blue e+ cooling units was launched in Italy in the summer. Before that, process engineers had worked long and hard on the unit’s design to ensure personnel can assemble it quickly and without error.

ules. As a result, units from all active gen-erations can now be built on one assembly line – quickly, flexibly and ac-cording to requirements.

“Each step has been specified and is displayed on the monitor in the form of digital workstation instructions,” says Matthias Buchner, Project Leader for the new cooling units. “Our colleagues have been trained to be flexible and can take over any step at any station as required. The touchscreen at each workstation is the cockpit for personnel. An overarch-ing system depicts the status of the rel-evant production process and issues clear error messages if, for example, personnel pick the wrong components or parts aren’t compatible. “The system controls, monitors and documents the production and assembly process,”

The digital workstation instructions help us safeguard the high quality of Blue e+. “ aNDRe BeNNeR, responsible for process development on the digital line

a STRoNG Team (from left): Bhuphinder Singh, Alberto Giaretta, Marco Zanotto, Davide Arioli, Nicola Salandini, Roberto Ziggioti, Vito Sorrentino and Luigi Magnani.

“

TechnologyRittal


STaTIoN 3: His recently acquired ergonomic lifting aid makes it easier for Rajinder Singh to install the pre-assembled basic support in the enclosure.

STaTIoN 1: Valentino Mezzani

installs heat ex-changers, inverters

and circuit boards in the basic support of

the cooling unit.

STaTIoN 2: Pietro Muto is a spe-cialist in bonding copper: He solders together the cooling circuit and expansion valve and the innova-tive heat pipe circuit.

Keep oN RUNNING:Davide Banali (right) is responsible for making sure work on the Blue e+ production line runs smoothly. He and Supervisor Bhupinder Singh ensure that the exacting Rittal production standards are met.

STaTIoN 4: Once Omar Piras has in-sulated the cooling circuit, he checks it for leaks to make sure the system is permanently sealed so that no refrigerant can leak into the environment.

STaTIoN 6:Marco Pozzerle is re-sponsible for the finishing touches – placing the cover and plastic grille on the Blue e+ cooling unit, programming the display and carrying out a safety test on the system as a whole.

STaTIoN 5:Oronzo Vannella fills refrigerant into the active compressor circuit and heat pipe. He then seals the connections with an ultrasonic welding gun.

TechnologyRittal


reports Andre Benner, who is respon-sible for process development on the digital line. “This helps us avoid errors before parts are installed. What’s more, scanning and saving the relevant com-ponents creates a seamless history for the unit.”

Thanks to this history, the parts that have been built into a product can be tracked and traced at any time. For ex-ample, if a board turns out to be faulty, the company can identify the manufac-turer of the board and the units that have been fitted with it. “This boosts the

“made in Italy”

Nicola Salandini has even more to celebrate besides the successful start of production for the new Blue e+ cool-ing units. As part of a production investment package, the Plant Director and his team in the northern Italian Valeggio sul Minco site will be manufacturing everything Rittal supplies in relation to climate control – from recooling systems to heat exchangers. That makes the climate control solu-tions from Rittal 100 percent “Made in Italy”. To make that happen, Salandini and his German colleagues at Rittal Manufacturing Engineering (RME) have put a great deal of energy into mod-ernising the 9,000 m2 plant over recent years. “We are operating at the cutting edge of technology and the very

quality of the cooling units enormously,” says Benner, highlighting a key benefit of the intricate new production line. Another reason why the new cooling units can be assembled quickly, easily and without any errors is that Heilmann and his team were brought on board very early on in the development of the new units. “We worked closely with the Research & Development department right from the development of Blue e+,” explains Buchner.

This approach has been proven effec-tive and will be adopted on a much

broader basis in the future. “Thanks to long-term, very intensive collaboration with all the departments involved, we were able to optimise the design of Blue e+ for both our customers and our own production systems.” As part of this work, Ali Akkus, who is responsible for planning assembly sequences and the ramp-up on site, first calculated how long each small step would take. “Ulti-mately, this enabled us to identify the op-timum assembly sequence and evenly distribute the workload.” The result is clear to see!

highest quality standards. That offers our cus-tomers genuine added value and gives our workforce something to be proud of, too,” says Salandini, describing how the plant has de-veloped since it joined the Rittal production

network in 2000. Since 2012, Rittal has in-vested in new production lines at the northern

Italian plant to further expand manufac-turing capacities there. Thanks to the use of ultra-modern manufacturing and

assembly processes, several hundred cooling units, including Blue e+, are produced at the plant every day. The investment over re-cent years has brought the workforce at the Valeggio plant up to around 220.

ToBIaS heILmaNN

aNDRe BeNNeR

maTThIaS BUChNeR

aLI aKKUS


TeChNIKRITTAL

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Blue e+ conquers the market RoaDShoW In October, the team at Rittal UK unveiled the Blue e+ generation of cooling units to customers, decision-makers and sales partners in the UK. The tour bus stopped off at unique venues including historic Oulton Hall in Leeds, futuristic London Docks showroom “The Crystal”, the prestigious National Railway Museum in York and the cutting-edge production facilities of Jaguar and Land Rover in Solihull. “A great product attracted strong interest at exceptional loca-tions,” says Simon Kelemen, Strategic Marketing Director, describing the successful promotional tour.

Explore a fascinating roadshow photo album compiled by Rittal UK here.

WoRKING ToGeTheR Bernd Lischke (left), Head of Quality Control at Stahlo, Wilfried Rudolph (centre), Team Leader Production, and Frank Werner, Team Leader Quality Assurance, gave the visitors from the car manufacturer useful tips for their splitting line.


TeChNoLoGyRITTAL

Skilled support

T hursday, 30 July – it is 6 a.m. in Gera and just another normal working day at Stahlo. Production

personnel criss-cross the plant, heading to their workstations. Forklifts carrying huge pallets hum as the make their way to the warehouse. And the cutting-edge splitting line is working non-stop, churn-ing out silver coils of steel. However, to-day is no ordinary working day for Wilfried Rudolph, Team Leader Production, Frank Werner, Team Leader Quality Assurance or Bernd Lischke, Head of Quality Con-trol. They are making their final prepara-tions for a very special meeting – they are about to put their heads together with staff from the press shop of a prestigious German car manufacturer.

The meeting has been arranged be-cause the press shop is experiencing certain difficulties with its slitted coils. Deviations in edge straightness are prov-ing problematic when processing the slitted coils. “Although the deviations are so small they don’t provide sufficient

grounds for lodging a complaint with the car maker’s supplier, they are big enough to make it difficult to reshape the steel into body parts such as doors,” explains Werner, outlining the issue. To find a so-lution as quickly as possible, the prestig-ious company arranged to visit Stahlo in Gera.

putting specialist expertise into practiceIn the steel service centre, the visitors saw for themselves how Stahlo cuts the steel with absolute precision on its slit-ting line. “To manufacture steel coils with millimetre precision, the machine opera-tor needs to have a sound understand-ing of the properties of both the material and the machine,” says Werner. “That requires a great deal of skill, which our staff have acquired over years of experi-ence in the business.” And now the car manufacturer is also benefiting from this specialist expertise. “The fact that the press shop chose to come to us with

their specific requirements was a huge compliment,” says Rudolph. “That shows we have a reputation as a dependable partner in the industry.” However, that is not the only reason why the team was so enthusiastic about the meeting with the automotive company. “Both sides always profit when they pool their expertise,” emphasises Lischke. “That is why ser-vices like this are very important to us.”

It is no surprise then, that the feed-back from the meeting was resoundingly positive on both sides. “This unusual and straightforward collaboration was very helpful for us,” sums up a visitor from the quality team at the press shop. “We en-countered a great deal of specialist ex-pertise at Stahlo that the company was very open in sharing with us.” The team from Stahlo was also very satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. “We want to maintain and perhaps even expand this collaboration in the future,” says Lischke. “That is why we are planning to visit our partner soon.”

What does a big-name German car manufacturer do when they encounter material problems in the processing of slitted coils? They turn to Stahlo! That is a huge compliment for the steel experts in Gera.

RUNDBLICK asked Steffen Diehlmann, Key Account Manager at LKH, what makes the new series of events run by the plastics specialist so special and why it is so important to support dia-logue between experts.

In the past it was “LKh Innovation Day” and now it’s “LKh expert Day” – why the name change?In recent years, visitors have shown a lot of interest in discussing industry-specific issues. That’s why we decided to switch the focus to industries and issues. At the start of September, 30 colleagues discussed thermally conductive plastics and their use in the electrical and elec-tronics sector. Next year, we’re inviting the automotive industry along.

What role do these inter-company expert meetings play for LKh?Intensive dialogue with research estab-lishments and companies is very impor-tant to us. Events such as the LKH

Expert Day give us a great opportunity to solidify existing contact with custom-ers. It is not uncommon for this kind of dialogue between experts to result in joint projects!

how have customer requirements changed for LKh over recent years? The timeframe between product devel-opment and market launch is getting in-creasingly tight. That is why our custom-ers need fast and innovative solutions. As a development partner, we support them from the start with innovative ideas and specialist expertise. Our forward-looking partnership with the Rittal en-dowed chair at Technische Universität Chemnitz is already bearing fruit.

LKh IN heILIGeNRoTh was the venue for a meeting attended by 30 plastics experts from industry and research in September to discuss the latest trends in electronics and electrical engineering. The delegates were also treated to a tour of the company.


TeChNoLoGyLKH

Fruitful dialogueDuring the first “LKH Expert Day” on 10 September, 30 experts from industry and research met to discuss the latest trends in plastics technology.

peopLeNEWS IN BRIEF


SUpeRvISIoN Soldering, wiring and insulating: This year, “ad-venture technolo-gy” was again on the timetable for the holiday pro-gramme for em-ployees’ children. On three after-

noons, Rittal trainees were able to pass their knowledge on six to ten-year-olds. The girls and boys worked, spar-kled with enthusiasm, and showed great skill. Since last year, the Friedhelm Loh Group has been cooperating with the Comenius school to offer a programme for the children of employees during the Easter, summer and autumn school holidays ■

STUDy In July, 15 young people began their “StudiumPlus” degree with the Friedhelm Loh Group. To create a sense of community right from the start, the freshers spent their intro-ductory week at Wetzlar climbing park. Five of the partici-

pants knew each other already: They had already completed a course of training at the compa-ny. One of them was the 23-year-old Torben Frey, who had worked at the Rittal factory in China for one year following his apprentice-ship: “The Friedhelm Loh Group has offered us a great chance to work abroad at such an early stage.” ■

New managing director at Cideon

New head “Down Under”

NeW FaCe Reno Staschinski has been strengthening the management of Cideon Software GmbH in Görlitz since August 1, 2015. Together with Clemens Voegele, Managing Director of the Cideon group, and Maximilian Brandl, Chairman of Cideon Holding, Staschinski will now be responsible for the continued development of the SAP-based solution provider. For the previ-ous six years, Reno Staschinski the 52-year old applied computer scientist had been the managing partner head-

ing Mehrwerk AG, a provider of corpo-rate software and business processes. Before that, Staschinski had spent more than ten years in a number of manage-ment positions for SAP. These long years of experience make him particu-larly valuable for Cideon. “In Reno Staschinski, we are gaining an experi-enced person who knows the market well and who will help in shaping the future of CAD interface solutions”, said Voegele. Brandl is also convinced: “We are not only strengthening Cideon

enthusiasm for technologyReINFoRCemeNT Michael Mallia is Rittal’s new Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand. Mallia took over his new function on October 1. He will report directly to Hans Sondermann, Managing Director of Sales and Marketing. He is responsible for growing Rittal as a company in the two

countries. His main goals include gaining market share through strate-gic activities and innovations. He is also working to expand the existing business and organisational struc-tures. Mallia studied electrical engi-neering at the New South Wales College and gained a masters de-gree in Business Administration at the University of Sydney. Most re-cently, he had been General Manag-er for the region at Eaton Industries in Sydney. ■

software’s SAP PLM competence with his experience and expertise; we can now also accelerate the development of mechatronics together with the sister company Eplan.” ■

Jumping up the career ladder

LoyaLTy Ciu Haifeng was also honoured at the end of April for his fifteen years of commitment to Rittal China.

Fifteen years of loyalty CeRemoNy In late April, Tang Jun and Ciu Haifeng were honoured by Friedhelm Loh for their many years of service at the Rittal plant in China (REMT). At the presentation of the “15 Years of Loyalty” award, both prize-winners gave moving speeches in which they were able to relive their experiences over the last 15 years. “When I started off as a factory worker at Rittal China, I knew nothing about the enclosure business”, Jun said with a grin. “Today I work as an assembly foreman at the Shanghai site. This development would have been impossible without my superiors and colleagues. That‘s why I am very grateful to you and the company.” ■


peopLeNEWS IN BRIEF

pack your bags!

making it possible to gain interna-tional experience represents a special challenge for the com-

pany and the employees”, said Lulzim Gojani, Vice President for International Personnel and Policy Issues. “But so far, it has always proved worthwhile.” Provid-ing cross-border expertise, becoming involved in new teams, getting to know foreign markets, as well as implementing quality and technology standards is excit-ing and helps gain a better understand-ing for global action. In this sense, work-ing abroad is an effective means of fostering qualified employees and help-ing bond them to the company.

everybody can join in“Managing foreign assignments well forms the basis for the flexibility that we will need in the future. Staff who have mastered tasks and projects abroad have a better understanding of the pro-cesses and problems involved in foreign subsidiaries. In other words, a foreign posting is also a tool for personnel devel-opment, which prepares employees for further possible career moves in the company”, added Marcus von Pock, Senior Vice President Human Resourc-

es. “It represents personal development and a win-win situation for all those in-volved.” In the Friedhelm Loh Group, missions abroad are equally possible for entry level and experienced employees, executives and office staff. Regardless of whether the interest comes from the employees themselves or the idea is suggested by supervisors: A number of models are available. They start with maximum six-month project assign-ments for student trainees, other trainees and apprentices.

Moreover, thoses employees who are already in employment can be sent abroad if they want, for three to 18 months in the short term or for up to as long as five years. The major Rittal loca-tions of China, India, the United States, Italy and the UK are the destinations most frequently chosen. However, that does not make links to the other subsidi-aries weaker. “In any case, most interna-tional exchanges take place in a variety of different ways in day-to-day business: from phone calls to video conferences and even business trips”, Gojani said. Whether in Lima, Herborn or Singapore – employees are coming together every day.

A global business will not work without international ex-change. That is why the Friedhelm Loh Group is encour-aging young professionals to gain experience abroad.

pRaCTICaL heLp FoR expaTRIaTeS

Language testing and training: If better language skills are required for the country of destination, the employees are enrolled on a course. They can attend inter-cultural training via the Loh Academy.

medical examination: The factory doctor gives vaccinations and performs examina-tions, which are often visa requirements.

advice, etc. The Human Resources De-partment advises the person being as-signed a foreign posting about the host country, and organises a trial visit before-hand if needs be.

Support at the location: The major sub-sidiaries help in finding accommodation, or-ganising journeys and providing orientation. The smaller ones engage specialised ser-vice providers for these tasks.

oveRComING oBSTaCLeSSImoNe JöRReN I’m doing my semester abroad at the Obuda University in Budapest. I want to acquire some inter-cultural skills and assist the Friedhelm Loh Group through my experiences in cooperation with the Budapest location. However, the language spoken in the country does bother me somewhat. There are some good reasons why Hungarian consid-ered one of the world’s ten most difficult lan-guages. But even if the language barrier is a big one, it is worth to coming into contact with Hungarians: They are all very pleasant and helpful.

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The INSIDeR aaRo LehTo I have had the desire to go abroad since I started work at Rittal Finland. Therefore the position in Herborn, which was limited to two years, was ideal. Now I am an “insider” as far as my colleagues are cocerned. I support them in the inter-site exchange.

ToUR oF eURopeNIKhIL SheTe I have been working at Eplan in Monheim for the last two

months. During this time, I have already managed to improve my language

skills and I have become familiar with German working practices. I will now be spending six months in England on the

Eplan International Graduate Trainee Programme – a welcome addition to the

experience I gained in Germany. This way, I want to expand my inter-

cultural competence and become an effective team player.

NeW FRIeNDS FRom aLL oveR The WoRLDFeLIx mICheL As a student at the University of Applied Sciences in Giessen, I am currently studying “Brand Management” at the Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland for one semester. The aim is to further my own abilities, especially my language and intercultural skills. But of course, I would also like to make new friends from all over the world and have some fun. I am in touch with Dirk Miller, my mentor at Rittal, via Skype and I report regularly to the Loh Academy.

BRoaDeNING KNoWLeDGeTom BeWeRS I work at Rittal CSM in Plymouth, England. My supervisor supported my own desire to spend the summer in Germany. He also arranged my stay over there. I had the opportunity to become acquainted with the factories in Herborn, Wissen-bach, Hof, Burbach and Rittershausen for three weeks. I was able to expand my knowledge of machines and pro-cesses, and learn more about machine programming.

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ThySSeNKRUpp LIve! Stahlo employees and customers

visiting the plant in Duisburg together.

STUDeNTS FRom BeLaRUS STop By Twenty-three students from Belarus stopped off in Herborn during their trip to Germany. They took information on the dual studies system back home with them, along with many positive impressions from Rittal.

TaLKING Shop No less than 140 customers

looked at things in detail at the 11th Cideon users’

meeting in Dresden.

ReSpeCT! LKH made 180 new customer contacts at this year’s “Fakuma”, an international trade fair for plastics processing.

DID yoU KNoW? You can open a terminal box without

removing the earthing strap with the

aid of the new cover retainer.

Last but not least…

WheN USeRS BeCome FaNS...

like Bernd Gischel, author and Eplan

user, they write a book that every Eplan

administrator needs to have on their

shelf. The “Eplan Electric P8” manual is

now commercially available.


happy BIRThDay, Rittal Norway!

CheeeeSe! Marketing Director Leela

Gangappa from India found herself at

Rittal in Herborn on her birthday – and

recorded the congratulations from

Corporate Communications on a selfie.


LaST BUT NoT LeaST ... FRIEDHELM LOH GROUP

SUppoRT Since its establishment in 2011, the Rittal Foundation

has provided €300,000 in financial and material aid for some

80 regional projects.

ThUmBS Up Rittal’s Product Management Head Uwe Scharf

(at right) and the Scandinavian Marketing and Product Manager

Hakan Persson were enthusiastic about the Global Marketing

Council in Germany and Rittal’s stainless steel solutions, which

they discovered on a company visit to the Krombach Brewery.

The members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees (from the left): Markus Betz, Chairman of the Rittal Works Council, Stefan Nadler, Deputy Works Council Chairman, Kerstin Gerbig, Managing Director of GWAB, Georg Müller, Medical Director and Board Member of Humedica, Dieter Scherz, Chartered Accountant, Friedhelm and Debora Loh, and Friedemann Hensgen, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation.

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Dear employees,

Are you fi t? Be honest – cross your heart – what are you doing to keep fi t? Jogging, swimming, Nordic walking, cycling or by eating healthily? And if you are doing that – why? Because it's fun, keeps you young and attractive, helps you to stay strong and grow old healthily? The reasons for keeping fi t and the ways of doing so may vary greatly but ultimately, the goal of all these efforts is to enjoy life, to be pro-ductive and to stay that way as long as possible! Yes, we really have to do something if we don’t want to become infl exible, immobile, sedate, unattractive or sick!

Being fi t for the future is a major expression of per-sonal responsibility. People who do not take a critical look at themselves and refl ect on their future ability must bear the consequences. Those who have trained too little, who have not invested enough in their own fi tness or who are content with their current condition are making the future uncertain for them-selves and for others. This applies both in terms of physical and mental fi tness. People who are not in-vesting in knowledge and skills will be living tomor-row with the knowledge and skills of yesterday. This is fatal.

Responsible management must do the same as you – and stay healthy, effi cient and attractive through continuous self-imposed challenges and changes. It’s not easy, but it is necessary. Standing still means going backwards – so the saying goes. Standstill not only means going back, it is entrepreneurial suicide.




is not just us who set goals for ourselves; they are often also defi ned by the competition. Those who do not want to let the competition dictate what they have to do (and are allowed to do) simply have to be the best!

Fit for the future – it means the challenge to ana-lyse, to learn, to plan and to act. That is exactly what we have done. At Rittal Software Systems, just as at Stahlo and Rittal, all the data and facts on the mar-kets and competitors have been analysed and eval-uated. The aim is strategic planning for our future and hence the guideline for our future actions. We have decided on our fi rst targets and measures. The result is a comprehensive programme with many individual measures.

The facts:


Fit for the future – Stahlo and LKH are planning to gain greater market shares through investments and improved penetration in the supplier markets. For example, Stahlo will build a new steel service centre in eastern Germany, so doubling capacity. Things are also looking up for LKH. The high investments in the factory in Montabaur were justifi ed. We are con-tinuing to invest. The new injection moulding ma-chine has a closing force of 1,600 tonnes. This means that Rittal is now in the Premier League of plastics processors.

Fit for the future – Rittal, as a world market leader, is standing before the biggest challenges in its his-tory. The strategic planning and developments of the last few years clearly show that Rittal has to reinvent and reorganise itself. To be fi t for the future means new products and cutting-edge production proce-dures, leaner processes and, above all, higher im-plementation rates. The fi rst step towards ensuring cost leadership has been decided. With an overall investment of €140 million, the most modern com-pact enclosure plant in the world will be established at the Haiger site. At the same time as this new




Dear employees,

Are you fit? Be honest – cross your heart – what are you doing to keep fit? Jogging, swimming, Nordic walking, cycling or by eating healthily? And if you are doing that – why? Because it's fun, keeps you young and attractive, helps you to stay strong and grow old healthily? The reasons for keeping fit and the ways of doing so may vary greatly but ultimately, the goal of all these efforts is to enjoy life, to be pro-ductive and to stay that way as long as possible! Yes, we really have to do something if we don’t want to become inflexible, immobile, sedate, unattractive or sick!

Being fit for the future is a major expression of per-sonal responsibility. People who do not take a critical look at themselves and reflect on their future ability must bear the consequences. Those who have trained too little, who have not invested enough in their own fitness or who are content with their current condition are making the future uncertain for them-selves and for others. This applies both in terms of physical and mental fitness. People who are not in-vesting in knowledge and skills will be living tomor-row with the knowledge and skills of yesterday. This is fatal.

Responsible management must do the same as you – and stay healthy, efficient and attractive through continuous self-imposed challenges and changes. It’s not easy, but it is necessary. Standing still means going backwards – so the saying goes. Standstill not only means going back, it is entrepreneurial suicide.




is not just us who set goals for ourselves; they are often also defined by the competition. Those who do not want to let the competition dictate what they have to do (and are allowed to do) simply have to be the best!

Fit for the future – it means the challenge to ana-lyse, to learn, to plan and to act. That is exactly what we have done. At Rittal Software Systems, just as at Stahlo and Rittal, all the data and facts on the mar-kets and competitors have been analysed and eval-uated. The aim is strategic planning for our future and hence the guideline for our future actions. We have decided on our first targets and measures. The result is a comprehensive programme with many individual measures.

The facts:


Fit for the future – Stahlo and LKH are planning to gain greater market shares through investments and improved penetration in the supplier markets. For example, Stahlo will build a new steel service centre in eastern Germany, so doubling capacity. Things are also looking up for LKH. The high investments in the factory in Montabaur were justified. We are con-tinuing to invest. The new injection moulding ma-chine has a closing force of 1,600 tonnes. This means that Rittal is now in the Premier League of plastics processors.

Fit for the future – Rittal, as a world market leader, is standing before the biggest challenges in its his-tory. The strategic planning and developments of the last few years clearly show that Rittal has to reinvent and reorganise itself. To be fit for the future means new products and cutting-edge production proce-dures, leaner processes and, above all, higher im-plementation rates. The first step towards ensuring cost leadership has been decided. With an overall investment of €140 million, the most modern com-pact enclosure plant in the world will be established at the Haiger site. At the same time as this new




Friedhelm Loh Stiftung & Co. KG

Rudolf-Loh-Straße 1

35708 Haiger

Tel. +49 (0) 2773 924-0

Fax +49 (0) 2773 924-3129

E-Mail: [email protected]


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Issue 02 | 2015

The Friedhelm Loh Group employee magazine

TeChNoLoGyProduction of the new Blue e+ cooling units starts in the Valeggio sul Mincio plant in Italy.Page 50

CommITmeNTThe Friedhelm Loh Group helps refugees gain qualifications in a unique pilot project. Page 24

maRKeTpLaCeThe Friedhelm Loh Group expands its product portfolio with Rittal Automation Systems.Page 32

New plant in Haiger – EUR 140 million invested in the world’s most modern production facility for compact enclosures. Page 10

Fit for the Future

Documents

The Friedhelm Loh Group employee magazine Fit for the Future