Tried and tested reciprocating compressors can now be used
in an even more versatile range of ways

• Greater energy efficiency
• Enhanced cooling capacity
• Extended application limits

Sindelfingen, 27.03.2012. At the Mostra Convegno Expocomfort trade fair in Milan, BITZER will be unveiling its extended range of BITZER ECOLINE reciprocating compressors. These compressors can now be used for an even more versatile range of applications. In addition to R134a, many other refrigerants can also be used, e.g. R404A, R407A, R407C, R407F and R507A. With this new range, BITZER has succeeded in leveraging all the benefits of the tried and tested BITZER ECOLINE series for refrigerant R134a for an even broader range of applications, as well as offering its customers significant added value. 

The extended BITZER ECOLINE range offers a great many product and efficiency benefits: With immediate effect, the compressors can deliver a 5-6% improvement in cooling capacity in medium temperature applications - and for low-temperature applications, these same compressors provide even more impressive improvements. At the same time, BITZER engineers have succeeded in increasing the coefficient of performance (COP) of this upgraded series by up to twelve percent for high as well as for low condensing temperatures. All compressors impress with substantially extended application limits when using refrigerant R404A and motor version 2 (medium and low-temperature applications), e.g. with condensing temperatures of up to +60°C and an evaporation temperature of 0°C.
Yet another attribute is the tremendous suitability of the new ECOLINE range for very favorable speed control by frequency inverter, a great bonus in terms of system efficiency. Irrespective of that, all 4 and 6-cylinder models can be equipped with cylinder head deactivation and this in turn delivers a very cost-effective form of capacity control. These measures already enable BITZER at this time to meet the foreseeable rise in requirements relating to energy consumption, while also meeting customer wishes for an exceptionally flexible range of compressors.

Versatile application options on a tried and tested platform
Thanks to the scope for using many of the commonly available refrigerants, these compressors cover a wide range of applications, and provide great added value to BITZER customers. BITZER ECOLINE compressors are used, for example, in medium and low-temperature applications in supermarkets, food storage facilities, condensing units, the chemical industry as well as large catering kitchens, the pharmaceuticals sector and in high-temperature heat pumps. All compressors in this upgraded range are based on the successful 2nd generation of semi-hermetic BITZER reciprocating compressors, for many years now a synonym for proven quality, great efficiency and reliability. For this recently upgraded range, BITZER has optimized the know-how gained from the successful ECOLINE series for R134a and made available for the use of other refrigerants. The tried and tested compressor platform has remained the same - which enables the updated BITZER ECOLINE range to completely replace the previous series. There are also no changes in the assembly hole pattern, the suction and discharge line connections and, in almost all cases, the valve position and installation space for the new series, compared to the standard range. This assures universal interchangeability.

In addition to the upgraded compressors in the ECOLINE range and the recently developed ORBIT 6 scroll compressors, BITZER will be unveiling a world first at the BITZER trade fair stand H29 K30.

In Stuttgart, the Management Board of BITZER SE named Polish distributor Berling S. A. “Distributor of the Year 2008”. During a meeting with distributors from Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), BITZER CEO and Senator h. c. Peter Schaufler presented the award to proprietor Hanna Berling. Her company, which is headquartered in Stefanowo near Warsaw in Poland, has been a partner of BITZER’s since 1992. Since then, Berling has won the Distributor of the Year award three times in all.

Friday, October 17th was the final day of the first Chillventa, and it set a record. The international trade fair for refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps attracted almost 30,000 visitors, clearly demonstrating the importance of this new exhibition for the entire refrigeration and air-conditioning industry.

"The success of the first Chillventa shows the importance of a revised trade fair concept, both for exhibitors and visitors," said Thomas Ernst, director of corporate communication at BITZER. "The fact that we had almost 30,000 visitors, all of them highly qualified, is proof that we have been working in the right direction in the past years." As the coordinator of the Chillventa advisory board, Ernst is one of the driving forces behind the new trade fair.

One of the highlights at the BITZER stand, besides the display of new products, was the presentation of the Valerius Füner Prize. The Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences gave the prize on the first day of the fair to Jürgen Essler, who completed his studies in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics at the top of his class with a mark of 1.2. In April 2008 Essler joined the research staff at the chair of refrigeration engineering and cryotechnology at the Technical University of Dresden, and he is now working in cryotechnology and various energy-related issues. Along with the prize he received a personal gift of 1,000 euros from Peter Schaufler, Senator h. c. and Chief Executive Officer of BITZER SE.

The date for the next Chillventa has already been set. The international trade fair will be held from 13 to 15 October two years from now, and it will again be in Nuremberg.

Product News Chillventa

The new Internet appearance of BITZER Kühlmaschinenbau GmbH is on-line: Since the beginning of September, the visitors of the www.bitzer.de website can access the desired information more quickly and more easily. In particular, the navigation structure has been improved and adapted to today's standards. The on-line connection has been the kick-off for an extremely wide-ranging project - to send your suggestions, feedback, ideas or criticism to the editorial team, go to redaktion@bitzer.de .

In May BITZER held its first 2008 workshop for customers from the Middle East. For three days some 35 participants benefited from expertise "made in Sindelfingen".

Fascinating cars, a boat trip on the Neckar - and screw compressors: the organisers of the BITZER Middle East customer workshop had come up with a varied programme. However, despite peripheral entertainments, the main focus for the 35 customer representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, the Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria was the technology. During the three-day workshop BITZER experts presented information on screw, scroll, and piston compressors, their functions and possible applications. Without doubt the screw compressors were the main focus of interest. Five whole presentations dealing with topics such as potential applications, inverter operations, repairs and maintenance were dedicated to this Rottenburg-produced technology.

Sun-drenched boat trip on the Neckar

After the first workshop day which was heavy with technology, participants were encouraged to relax a little in the days that followed. A visit to the Mercedes-Benz Museum and the history of the automobile made a lasting impression, as did the lush green banks of the Neckar, which they were able to enjoy during a boat trip: setting out in brilliant sunshine from the Wilhelma jetty in Stuttgart, the charter boat MFS Liberty headed downstream towards Ludwigsburg. The three locks that had to be negotiated on the way proved a particular highlight for the Middle Eastern participants. In Ludwigsburg a Mediterranean buffet was brought on board by the crew – and the boat headed back towards Stuttgart. The upstream leg of the journey took three hours, with the festively illuminated boat finally docking at the Wilhelma at 10 p.m.

Facility tour at Rottenburg

The morning of the third and final workshop day began punctually with compressor presentations given by the BITZER experts and then it was off to Rottenburg for all concerned. A further highlight had been lined up after a joint lunch – a tour of the Swabian town's BITZER screw compressor production facility. Drawing a positive balance at the end of the workshop, BITZER's Michael Hendriks presented participation certificates to the customer representatives: the possible technical solutions in particular would prove very useful for daily operations, as would the information provided on the compressors’ technical features. The participants themselves were quick to praise the fact that speakers had taken the time to answer individual questions professionally, comprehensively, and in detail. And the majority were also convinced they would relish the prospect of returning to Germany, not just because of the valuable expertise offered by BITZER, but also because of the friendly people and the beauty of the landscape.

Sindelfingen, September 2008. With the entry in the commercial registry of Stuttgart on 11 September 2008, the transfer of BITZER Kühlmaschinenbau GmbH & Co. Holding KG to BITZER SE (Societas Europaea), a European joint stock corporation, has now been concluded. The holding company of 33 subsidiaries around the world and the leading technology innovator in its field, BITZER SE is the first firm in the industry to enact this new corporate form. Along with the conversion to BITZER SE, the management levels of the joint stock corporation have also been restructured.

With the conversion of BITZER Kühlmaschinenbau GmbH & Co. Holding KG to the BITZER SE, the Sindelfingen-based company is adhering even more clearly to the global concept. ‘This change in the legal form of our company shows our understanding for an international and open corporate culture and our orientation towards global commitment,’ explains Senator h. c. Peter Schaufler (CEO). ‘The internationally recognized company form of BITZER SE will make it possible for us to handle our foreign activities less bureaucratically and more quickly, and is a consistent step in our corporate development.' At the same time, the manufacturer of components for refrigeration and air-conditioning systems is making an explicit commitment to its German sites in Rottenburg and Schkeuditz as well as Sindelfingen as the company headquarters.

‘BITZER SE is unreservedly the overall legal successor to BITZER Kühlmaschinenbau GmbH & Co. Holding KG,' says Senator h. c. Peter Schaufler. ‘With the conversion to a SE we are taking our strong growth and our size into account and are organizing ourselves responsibly for our 2,800 employees and 33 subsidiaries worldwide.’ To safeguard and create new jobs around the world, BITZER is steadfastly committed to retaining its independence – all shares of BITZER SE will remain in the hands of the sole owner Senator h. c. Peter Schaufler and will not be traded.

The merger is accompanied by a reorganization of the management level. The Board of Directors of BITZER SE is composed of Peter Schaufler, Senator h. c. (Chairman), Christiane Schaufler-Münch and Friedrich Stähler from Deutsche Bank AG. Ongoing business is the responsibility of the Managing Directors Peter Schaufler, Senator h. c. (Chief Executive Officer), Jürgen Kleiner (Chief Procurement Officer), Richard G. Kobor (Chief Technology Officer), Hans P. Meurer (Chief Sales and Marketing Officer), Dr. Christian Wahlers (Chief Financial Officer) and Christian Wehrle (Chief Production Officer). The changeover to BITZER SE was advised by the renowned law firms Baker & McKenzie and Dr. Scholz & Partner.

Auch in diesem Jahr verleiht der Verband der europäischen Hersteller von Kältemittelverdichtern sowie Regel- und Steuerungstechnik (ASERCOM) den Energy Efficiency Award. Der mit 10.000 Euro dotierte Preis zeichnet seit 2003 herausragende und innovative Energiesparkonzepte oder -systeme auf dem Gebiet der Kälte- und Klimatechnik aus – Wärmepumpen eingeschlossen. Energieeffizienz ist ein wichtiges Thema in der Industrie: Schließlich verbrauchen die Kälte- und Klimaanlagen mit 14 Prozent einen Großteil der Energie in Europa. Um in die engere Auswahl zu kommen, müssen die präsentierten Konzepte neu sowie technisch und wirtschaftlich realisierbar sein. Eine internationale Experten-Jury wird die vorgestellten Neuheiten bewerten und den Award anlässlich der offiziellen Eröffnung der Chillventa im Oktober verleihen. Anmeldeschluss für die Bewerbung ist der 30. Juni 2008.

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• E-Mail: winkler@asercom.org