Ziehl-Abegg offers an extremely broad range of products with a consistent user concept
“All of our products have the same genetic code”, says Peter Fenkl, CEO of Ziehl-Abegg at the Chillventa. Anyone who can operate one device can easily cope with any other device from the Künzelsau-based fan manufacturer. “Many visitors were interested in this unique logic that our expectations for the show were clearly exceeded”, said Fenkl. We have obviously touched on a key topic here." The company has been able to achieve this because the in-house development, programming and manufacture of motors and control devices has been the strength of the technology leader from Künzelsau for decades.
Service technicians and facility managers often work under time constraints: ventilation systems have to readjusted, customised control units adapted accordingly, or a system needs to be expanded. Even if an element has to be replaced, a continuous operating and communication concept helps to save time. Uniform concepts in all Ziehl-Abegg products provide the essential basis both for internal and external communication. “Anyone connecting one of our EC fans also automatically knows how to connect a Ziehl-Abegg frequency inverter”, says the CEO, explaining the ZAcode.
From the moment Ziehl-Abegg products are installed the systems designer doesn’t need to bother him/herself with different electronic systems. Ziehl-Abegg is the only manufacturer in the market that can connect, control and regulate all systems and products with a single logic. “This has enabled us to reduce the complexity and eliminate error sources” emphasises Fenkl.
The integrated operating concept extends across the wide performance range from a small 1 kW to approximately 30 kW output. It includes axial fans and centrifugal fans. In addition, the company offers solutions both with the energy-saving EC technology as well as the conventional AC technology. The uniform handling is particularly important with applications in which EC fans and frequency converters are used to equal extent. So all Ziehl-Abegg’s products have standardised connections and can also be expanded on a modular basis.
The basic structure, the so-called “basic design”, is the same for all products and offers the option of analogue control at any time. Up to now this has been the preferred application in the systems. With the help of an add-on module, a bus interface can be fitted to a basic design at any time so it can be integrated into modern system concepts. This product design reduces inventories as there is no need to hold multiple versions in stock. At the same time, the user retains the flexibility to expand a simple and inexpensive product at any time – “Buy only what you need”. Ziehl-Abegg offers various pluggable, add-on modules for integration into the desired bus systems on the customer side: CAN-open, Lon, Modbus, PROFIBUS; PROFINET or EtherCAT are currently available. Add-on modules for other systems are developed and supplied as required.
