About ebm-papst ：In 1996, ebm-papst Ventilator (Shanghai) commenced local operations in China. Now, several companies of ebm-papst in China offer the complete program of motors and fans with a fast growing range of fully localized products. ebm-papst operates 17 sales offices, 2 factories, design and laboratory facilities in China.
Mr. Thomas Nürnberger, I am Fifi from Coowor, a specialized HVACR B2B platform. Thank you very much for you to accept our interview.
1. CouldI know more about you?
I am 48 years old, married and have 3 daughters;
I am German and living for more than 10 years in China;
I was 3.5 years working in Shenzhen and 7 years in Xi’an. During this 10 years I have learned a lot about doing business in China and the more relationship driven business in China.
But for business it is more important to understand the Chinese culture and the Chinese market – and for this I am an expert J
2. What attracts you to join in ebm?
In the past 20 years I was a customer of ebm-papst; ebm-papst fans are the best in the world; in this 20 years I never had any quality problem and was always supplied in a very reliable way.
ebm-papst is a world market leader with a very strong innovation orientation, which also shows our slogan “the engineers choice”;we are working in close partnerships with our customers and suppliers and offer beside best in class fans and ventilation systems also the required engineering support in China;The technical competence and the equipment of our local R&D Center in Shanghaiis higher than I expected;this is the perfect basis to develop further business in China;
3. You have been GeneralManager of the ebm-papst China since January 2017. What is your focus? Could you talk about the development point in next step?
I started already on Dec 1st 2016.
ebm-papst is today the innovation leader for fan & ventilation systems.
Stronger focus on local customer needs and gainingcompetitive advantages for our customers with innovative products;
Create customer benefits with => LOCAL for LOCAL strategy
=> Design to region:
follow local customer needs
=> Best price/performance ratio
=> Keep benchmark for innovation & quality
4. What are the chances for ebm-papst and what challenges will you face?
Ebmpapst is worldwide and in China a very successful company. We want to continue this success, this 20 years of innovation which leads us here today.
In many of our markets we see growth in the future. The Chinese government is working on environment protection and energy saving. This is a big chance for an innovation market leader like ebm-papst. We have the most efficient fans.
Our fan & ventilation system have the lowest energy consumption in the market, protect the environment with low noise and environmental friendly materials and production methods.
A big challenge in China is always the “speed”. The market demand is fast changing and the complete supply chain has to follow with the same speed. With our LOCAL for LOCAL strategy we are going to make ebm-papst China more agile.
5. What products do you bring in this exhibition and could you describe them briefly?
We have 3 highlights on the CR2017:
K3G800 incl. flow grid with frame/braket
Perfect solution for commercial ventilation & air conditioning
=> energy efficiency
=> noise reduction
=> highly efficient impeller
K3-560 with braket
R3G355 without braket
Axi Cool (W3G300; W3G800) our Innovation Product Award winner
for refrigeration
with streamer to extend the airflow (air guiding system)
ebm-papst has huge application knowledge with this system in Europe
and now this technology is also coming more and more in China
Radicall in scroll housing - All-in-one - 2ndInnovation Product Award winner
for Ventlation Systems;
Combination of all innovations
1) Best in class radical fan
2) New scroll housing – a patent of ebmpapst
3) Flow grid
4) Air flow measurement system
Customer benefits:
=> +30% efficiency
=> noise reduction
=> easy to install
6. I know you have been in China 11 years and what dos you think about the Chinese market?
The Chinese market is the biggest in the world and continuously growing.
Sometimes the market demand is changing very fast and the complete supply chain needs to follow.
What’s the difference between German and China market?
The German market is highly developed and innovation driven.
EC-Technology for better energy efficiency and low noise levels are a must.
In the next 5 years we see also in China a strong trend to increase the energy efficiency. More and more AC fans will be replaced by EC technology.
For example in refrigeration at supermarkets you can save up to 70% energy with EC technology in comparison to AC technology. This is not only a huge saving of energy cost but also a high contribution to our environment.
7. What do you think about the competitionin China? What makes a German company always keepsuccessful& competitive within these years?
In 2 words: It is Innovation leadership and LOCAL for LOCAL
As a foreign company it is important to understand the market and the customer needs. To realize a strong customer orientation foreign companies need to listen to the market and establish a strong product management to specify products who fulfil the local market demand. This is only possible if foreign enterprises have the decision power in the region close to the customers.
Ebmpapst created such an environment. With a local management, a strong local R&D center and local operations we are able to develop and produce what the customers need. With our more than 20 years application experience we are driving common developments with our customers to achieve best in class solutions and drive further innovations.
My colleagues really understand what our customers need!
Furthermore foreign companies need a stable team. Ebmpapst has a very stable team of high qualified engineers and specialists. This enables us to continuously develop our products and sustainable grow our business in China. Therefor we are a stable long term partner for our customers.
Thank you again for your time and wish your exhibition a great success.
Conclusion:
Mr. Thomas is really very kind man who is full of passion and motivation. He elaborates the local for local idea. 2017 China Refrigeration Exhibition is also a great success which shows ebm’s success in the Chinese market. I believe that under the leadership of Mr. Thomas, ebm in the Chinese market will rise to a new level! While the German companies’ rigorous work attitude and innovative idea are also very worthy of our Chinese enterprises to learn!
