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
T
he Trench Group is a world leader in power engineering and the design of specialised 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 manufactur-
ing 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
