125 years GEA Separation – From machine manufacturer to integrated solution provider and global technology leader
Oelde, November 28, 2018 – 1893 - It was the year of inventions that are still indispensable today, such as the diesel engine by Rudolf Diesel and the zipper by Whitcomb Judson. And 1893 also showed what persistence means. Andy Bowen and Jacke Burke fought a seven-hour, 19-minute boxing match over 110 rounds – with no winners in the end. At the same time, the businessman Franz Ramesohl and the cabinetmaker Franz Schmidt in Oelde, Westphalia, proved their innovative strength, creativity
The roots of the company developed into today's GEA site, the most modern separator plant in the world. The products "made in Oelde" are supplied all over the world. The export quota is currently over 80 percent. GEA's expertise now encompasses over 3,500 different processes and 2,500 products for various industries ranging from food and beverage, marine, oil and gas to power, chemical, pharmaceutical
Regionally rooted, globally active
Today, Oelde is GEA's largest
The company's own Process Test Center (PTC), which opened in 2014 and provides extensive specialist support for customers' investment projects, also enables even greater customer orientation: Starting with the specification of product properties through the determination and design of machine types to pilot tests at GEA and
In order to reliably ensure maximum customer satisfaction and continuous machine availability during operation, the supply of spare parts is coordinated centrally from Oelde and in cooperation with renowned logistics companies via so-called hubs. These spare parts centers are currently located in Cologne, Germany (since 2011), Singapore (since 2014) and Naperville, USA (since 2017). At the European Parts Logistics Center (EPLC) in Cologne, around 21,000 different articles – from 5 mm diameter sealing rings to machine parts weighing several hundred kilograms – can be retrieved in the shortest possible time; on average, 250 shipments are handled daily. GEA customers can call this service 24/7 via a hotline. If an order is received by 3 p.m. local time, it is guaranteed to be ready for dispatch on the same day. Particularly urgent shipments even leave the site within an hour.
Challenge yourself again and again – technology from Oelde all over the world
Being successful for 125 years also means rethinking proven product and process solutions and pushing the boundaries to set new standards through new and further developments. In most
Example: Dubai, The Palm. The artificial islands in the shape of a palm tree, visible even from outer space, are built on – and thus produce wastewater. They are cleaned in an underground sewage treatment plant with GEA decanters. The plant has a capacity of up to 15 cubic meters per hour.
Or the water treatment of metropolises: Whether in Singapore or India, GEA water treatment plants perform very important services for people, especially in regions with little water but high demand.
Another example: cruise ships. GEA separators are used here for heavy oil treatment as well as for treating bilge water, an oil-water mixture. Simple "discharging" into the sea is strictly prohibited – so solutions have to be found, and GEA is developing them.
In the shipping sector, for example, the new GEA marine Separator with
"All these examples demonstrate our innovative strength and the commitment of the entire GEA team. I am convinced that our will to constantly develop and improve ourselves and our feeling for our customers will continue to make us successful," says Steffen Bersch. GEA is already a solution provider for all kinds of applications. The company has innovative service concepts covering the complete life cycle of the machine and plant, such as monitoring, asset management, consulting and performance optimization for the customer. Continuous innovation and proximity to the customer through the global network and competence centers such as Oelde are further advantages. GEA is already well positioned, says Bersch. However, further major efforts are needed to stay at the top of the world league. And this is where digitalization comes in.
"Only by using digital solutions and technologies is it possible to create sustainable and future-oriented products and structures to increase efficiency," says Tobias Brinke, Head of Product Group Management Separation. According to Brinke, GEA is already in the middle of a digital journey to continue playing at the top of the world league in the future. GEA
Exploiting the opportunities offered by digitization
The continuously and ever
A current example from the service sector: GEA PerformancePlus includes service packages that go far beyond traditional maintenance and are an ideal complement to an industry 4.0 strategy. This uncovers optimization potentials that enable sustainable plant operation. Modern technologies for condition monitoring combined with the know-how of GEA employees provide the customer with meaningful condition analyses and information for decision-making with regard to possible process optimizations – with the aim of permanent availability and maximum productivity. At the same time, changed production requirements can be better assessed and orders can be scheduled in an economically optimal manner.
Strengthened by 125 years of success, GEA Separation continues to follow in the footsteps of digital transformation – and so this anniversary not only marks a milestone in the company's history. At the same time, it is an incentive to push ahead with innovations and continue to improve customer processes and, not least, people's lives in the long term – in other words, "engineering for a better world".
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