Power products Trench Austria

by production and then assembly. We also have the additional specialism of producing rubber and silicone components for all of the group’s companies (as well as for our own production processes). These components are also sold to external clients. Furthermore we are the group competence centre for dishwasher dispensers and washing machine aqua-stop safety valves.”

As well as being conducted at group level, with the involvement of prestigious universities and research institutes, including the Turin Polytechnic and Salerno University, R&D is also carried out at the local level. Bitron Poland has both a technical department and a laboratory, where research takes place and new products are developed. “We are mainly developing new products within the boundaries of our current product families. In particular, we are going to develop electronic components for electric vehicle charging stations We are also developing new truly revolutionary dishwasher dispensers.”

Bitron Poland’s geographical product distribution markets are northern and eastern Europe, with Germany playing a particularly important role. However, there are no geographical boundaries with regard to the products for which it is a competence centre and these are supplied all over the world. Its clients include all major automotive and household appliance manufacturers (these are the two main sectors, with respectively a share of 38 per cent and 45 per cent of turnover at group level).

Since 2004 Bitron Poland has been operating from a new plant, equipped with 24,000m2 of covered space. “We have outsourced some of our logistics and warehouse processes, so as to increase the space for our internal production processes. We have ambitious expansion plans. We invest a lot in research and in new production machinery, both at Polish and group levels.

“Bitron Poland is very strong and competitive in electronics. I expect future growth to come from this business area, as well as from its automotive counterpart. In terms of the household appliance market segment I feel that our penetration is so high that we are almost at saturation point. HVAC and energy are growing, but they are new sectors for the group. Geographically we have plans for expansion in eastern Europe. The group is already present all over the world, so there are no plans for entering totally new markets.”

Human beings are central to our success

While acquisitions were a strong feature in the past, there are no current or future plans for further purchases. Future growth will be achieved organically, with a focus on innovative products and high technology. “We are continuously trying to improve our technology and products. The human element is vital to this and for this reason we are always searching for young engineers.”

Because of the nature of the products offered (in terms of the automotive sector and safety valves, for instance) the quality is extremely high, with a ratio of defective pieces to overall output of 10 to 1,000,000.

“Our suppliers are important for our quality and innovation. For this reason, we have implemented a benefit-sharing programme, whereby they are encouraged to supply us with new ideas and innovative products and are rewarded by being able to fully keep the increase in profit for the first year and then enjoy a 50:50 share the second year.”

“I would also like to mention something which makes us particularly proud. Bitron Poland won the ‘Safety Culture Award 2013’, a national contest organised by Kirschstein & Partner of Krakow, the Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute in Warsaw and the European Agency for Safety and Health at work (OSHA). Seventy companies took part across Poland and we came first, ahead of some very prestigious names. This competition was part of the European campaign ‘Partnership for Prevention’, whose aim was that of determining the level of safety culture among manufacturing companies employing more than one hundred workers.” n

After 60 years in business, Trench Austria GmbH has made a name for itself as a global leader in the niche area of high voltage reactor and coil products. Julia Snow spoke to Senior Executive Manager for Marketing and Sales, Klaus Pointner, to find out more about the Austrian and global operations of the group.

POWER PRODUCTS

The Trench Group is a world leader in power engineering and the design of specialized high voltage electrical products serving major customers in the utility and industrial markets around the globe. The product portfolio includes instrument transformers, bushings and coil products.

Trench products are installed in every corner of the world and have proven their reliability over decades. The company prides itself on its extensive experience, a culture of innovation and a truly global perspective. As a member of the Siemens family the group is well represented throughout the world with four manufacturing plants in North America, six manufacturing plants in Europe, two in Asia and one in South America. A worldwide sales network ensures efficient knowledgeable communications with all customers.

Austrian roots

In 1954 Trench Austria GmbH was established by Alois Esslinger, an electrical engineer known beyond the borders of Austria. In 2014 the company therefore can celebrate 60 years of success in the chosen field of development and production of reactors for electrical power systems. While in the 1950s the use of glass fibre reinforced plastic as part of the insulation of reactors was considered revolutionary, only ten years later Trench Austria gained significant reputation internationally when it started to supply high current and high voltage test reactors for international test laboratories like KEMA in Arnheim, the Netherlands, in the 1960s.

Until 1990 the company traded under the name of Spezielektra Esslinger KG. Then

the merger with Trench Electric Ltd. Toronto/ Canada took place and marked the starting point for the formation of the Trench Group.

Today 270 employees in the Trench Austria facility in Leonding near Linz exclusively produce coil products for medium and high voltage electrical systems, both in dry type as well as oil immersed technology. “For air core - dry type reactors we have four production sites, one in Austria, one in Canada and one in Brazil and Shanghai each.” explains Mr Pointner. “While we currently do not have concrete plans for the expansion of these capacities the group has recently made a serious investment in our plant in Brazil. The site was moved from Contagem/Belo Horizonte to a new location near Sao Paulo and as part of this process the production and testing facilities were modernised and extended.” The Austrian plant is focused on a healthy sustainable growth at the current location.

Technology leaders

Trench Austria offers a broad product range and solutions covering various applications and voltage levels in order to meet our customer`s expectations. The portfolio includes Air Core Reactors, Line Traps, Arc Suppression Coils, Earth Fault Compensation Controllers and Earth Fault Detection Devices, variable oil insulated Shunt Reactors, Dry Type Iron Core Reactors and Capacitor- / Filter Protection Relays.

“In Austria we have an even distribution of sales across air core - dry type reactors and oil immersed reactors.” says Mr Pointner. “This is a very favourable situation to be in, because the trends in both markets often move against each other, so that we have a higher demand for one just when the other one is dropping off and this evens out the fluctuations for us.”

The most important product groups for Trench Austria are the HVDC air core - dry type reactors up to ultrahigh voltage levels and the earth fault protection systems, because the company holds a technology leading position in both. There is much emphasis on research and product development activities, he adds: “Here in Linz we have a properly staffed Research and Development department – there is a regular exchange with the development partnership the group has going in Toronto, Canada. Our team here mainly works on material research, and on the reduction of noise emissions. Also, there are still more

Lumpi-Berndorf Draht –und Seilwerk GmbH, a traditional company in the ‘conductors for electrical energy transmission’ sector has been offering special solutions for the electrical uprating of existing overhead lines for years.

Great signifi cance is attached to electricity generation from renewable energies and the transmission and distribution of electricity today, due to constantly increasing energy requirements.

Lumpi-Berndorf accommodates this development and offers tailor-made solutions for the cost-effective transmission of electrical energy on existing lines.

The product and service quality of Lumpi-Berndorf is unconditionally geared towards customer requirements.

Lumpi-Berndorf Draht-und Seilwerk GmbH Binderlandweg 7, A-4030 Linz Phone: +43 732 383 8480 - Email: office@lumpi-berndorf.at