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Looking at the complex portfolio in the field of energy technology, environmental technology and manufacturing, it is hard to believe that 160 years ago, the origin of Wehrle was in boiler manufacturing for the regional brewery industry.
“It was Wilhelm Wehrle who laid the foundation of our company in 1860 specialising in boilers for breweries. His business was booming and demand was strong. The focus on boiler construction has never left us but today’s boilers are a far cry from the steam boilers and water tube boilers that were built at the turn of the century,” points out Marketing and Strategic Sales Manager Robert Körner who has been working in marketing and sales since he joined Wehrle-Werk in 2012. “One prestigious project was the supply of boilers for Germania Brewery in China in 1902, famous today under the name of Tsingtao Brewery. We really built up a sound reputation and delivered our products worldwide.”
Over the course of the years, Wehrle-Werk developed a high level of competence in thermal waste treatment and provided solutions for waste incineration and waste disposal. “One milestone in our company’s history was the development of the first industrial membrane bioreactor, which marked our ground-breaking pioneering success in the treatment of complex wastewaters,” says Mr. Körner.
A focus on the future
In 2006, Wehrle-Werk introduced the first MYT plant for mechanical biological treatment of unsorted municipal solid waste which enables cost reductions in the field of waste disposal. The plant extracts maximum value from waste and reduces waste disposal charges to a minimum.
Currently, Wehrle-Werk is involved in issues such as small plants for decentralized special waste treatment with a wide fuel bandwidth, thus providing increased flexibility. The same plant can also be used for the thermal treatment of sewage sludge that is subject to ever-changing regulations.
We have built up a high level of competence in energy technology and environmental technology. Robert KörnerMarketing & Strategic Sales Manager
“This plant can be converted if required, giving the customer investment safety in the event of sewage sludge becoming unprofitable in the future,” explains Mr. Körner. “Slurry and fermentation residue are also important topics in this context which we aim to tackle with our solutions. We design and build plants for nitrogen elimination, which are already successfully operating in Russia. It is an approach to eradicate the problem of pig slurry for good, which we see as an important future market.”
In the field of environmental technology, Wehrle-Werk develops leachate treatment plants, also referred to as the first class in wastewater treatment, setting new benchmarks for modular solutions. “We are well-known for building plants with a long-term perspective with regard to customer relations. Customer satisfaction is our top guideline. We support our customers and provide them with flexible technology. It is our motivation that the customer tells us that he really feels well looked after,” points out Mr. Körner. “We are involved in a constant development process.”
Apart from delivering energy technology and environmental technology solutions to an international customer base, the company‘s mechanical large-part manufacturing is more limited geographically. “Many of our large and heavy components, manufactured at our production site in Emmendingen, are used for chemical, biological and physical process plants, and can weigh up to 80 metric tons.”
Energy and environmental technology generates about 80% of the company’s turnover which has risen to 35 million EUR recently. “We are active in promising markets and provide cutting edge technology. Our three-prong approach shows our diversification in future-oriented industries which have a huge impact on issues like energy and the environment,” says Mr. Körner. “For us, long-standing contacts will remain the basis for deploying innovative plants and components and we aim at stable and long-term growth, highlighting our competence in technology and engineering solutions.”
