58 // Technology
ebm-papst Stays Ahead of the Curve
The manufacturer has designed its refrigeration fans to meet the growing demand in North America for environmentally friend ly, energy- effic ient an d sm a rt air-movement technology – By Michael Garry and Mark Hamstra
Lou Moffa, ebm-papst, at its U.S. headquarters in Farmington, Conn., with 1,250-mm diameter EC axial fan
In
whatever direction the commercial refrigeration market goes, ebm-papst is ready. “Our products are usually waiting for the industry to catch up,” said Lou Moffa, market manager for commercial refrigeration at ebm-papst.
The company manufactures fan systems for a wide range of uses, including supermarket display cases and rooftop condensers for stores and cold-storage warehouses. Founded in Germany in 1963, ebm-papst, which has its U.S. headquarters in Farmington, Conn., has long taken that proactive approach to environmental sustainability and energy conservation. In 2010 the company established its GreenTech standard, which stipulates continuous improvements in the efficiency and environmental friendliness of its products and its manufacturing processes. “Each new product we develop has to be better than the last one in terms of economy and ecology," said company co-founder Gerhard Sturm. This also means that ebm-papst's fans "are manufactured with a focus on high reliability and long life that further reduces environmental waste compared to other products with shorter operating lives," said Moffa. The focus on green prepared the company well for the growing commitment to environmental goals by refrigeration OEMs – one of the company’s main customer bases – and end users in North America. This includes the transition to energy-efficient natural refrigeration systems that use smart controls. To meet their customers’ needs, ebm-papst’s products have a number of distinctive features, all designed for noise
Accelerate America // June -July 2018