Erzhausen, Germany, June 2021
This year, Geppert Rührtechnik GmbH in Erzhausen in southern Hessen, Germany, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. On this occasion, we want to take a brief moment to look back at half a century of mixing technology achievements and their developers. Managing Director Markus Fuchs explains the secret of the company’s success, and the three major milestones that mark its history.
In 1971, when engineer Horst Geppert established the company in the small town of Dreieichenhain, not too far from where it is located today, he definitely had no idea that it would grow to become a solid, medium-sized company within five decades.
Consistently new and improved developments of agitators for any kind of application led to a significant product portfolio and, combined with expertise and specialized consulting, appealed to a large group of customers from large-scale industry and medium-sized companies. A full range of customer types from all branches of the processing industries, such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, pulp and paper or food as well as in water and wastewater treatment.
Thanks to 50 years of experience in mixing technology and expertise in process engineering, the company today occupies a market position that allows it to offer tailored solutions, even for the most challenging task, like no other competitor.
Together with INVENT prepared for growth
The current management team made up of Stefan Heuter and Markus Fuchs has designated three events after the move to Erzhausen in 1993 as milestones in the company’s history. The milestones include the transformation from a manufacturer of agitators to a specialist for potentially explosive atmospheres and certified in 2003 in accordance with ATEX RL 2014/34/EU. Other milestones included the construction of a state-of-the-art company building in 2011, which houses expanded production and testing capabilities and, more recently, investments in high-performance machines for series production.
In response to the question about the secret of success, Markus Fuchs says: “We are a proven partner for our customers both for small to medium batch quantities, but also for individual products ranging from tripods with agitators to large agitators or in the ATEX version (i.e. those that feature explosion protection).”
Geppert Rührtechnik experienced a boost in terms of fluid mechanics expertise when it merged with INVENT Umwelt- und Verfahrenstechnik AG from Erlangen in 2016. It develops, produces and distributes innovative components and reliable plants and systems designed to clean and treat wastewater energy efficiently. Since then, many processes have been updated, digitalized and the course has been set towards more standardized processes and growth.
“The right product at the right time in the right quality!”
Even last year, when we were all affected by COVID-19, the company managed to stabilize lead times – despite material bottlenecks, price increases on the material market and other delays caused by the pandemic.
“I am pleased and relieved that even under pandemic conditions we were able to adjust our processes within the company to allow the customer to benefit,” Markus Fuchs sums up the current situation. “The right product at the right time in the right quality! That’s what sets Geppert Rührtechnik apart.”
The CEO is looking toward the future with optimism and has plans to continue to expand the leadership role in the market the company has achieved, while continuing to play an increasingly active role in the international market. The envisaged expansion will require qualified staff, and this is probably the greatest challenge, because skilled workers are in short supply. “Our employees are our most valuable asset. Without the dedicated team at the Erzhausen site, we wouldn’t be able to get anything done,” Markus Fuchs knows and is soon planning an employee celebration to mark the anniversary, which will of course adhere to COVID-19 requirements.
