Despite numerous challenges, 2024 was a successful year for the mechanical engineering company Flottweg. As expected, sales of around EUR 285 million were around 4 % below the excellent figure for the previous year. Results continue to be affected by the tense geopolitical situation in Europe and the economic challenges that exist in many target markets worldwide. Nevertheless, the centrifuge manufacturer is looking ahead to 2025 with confidence due to a strong inflow of orders.

“We would like to thank all employees, all of whom worked together to ensure the success of Flottweg during the past year. Despite the difficult conditions, we have achieved a great deal together as a team,” explains Dr. Kersten Christoph Link, the company’s CEO. “The decline in sales is attributable to external factors such as the weakening global economy. However, the increased interest rates also influence our customers’ investment decisions and have impacted business developments in 2024. Nevertheless, order intake in 2024 was good, which is why we are cautiously optimistic about 2025.”

Flottweg currently employs around 1,230 people worldwide, 1,000 of whom work at the company’s Vilsbiburg location. Among these are 60 trainees. With an export ratio of over 80%, Flottweg’s internationalization strategy continues to prove successful.

Groundbreaking ceremony for the Process Center – focus on innovation and progress

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Process Center in June 2024 signaled the start of a new major project at Flottweg. The Process Center is an extension of plant 2, which opened in Vilsbiburg in 2021, and represents a valuable new addition to the site. The new technology center, with its laboratory, testing, office, and storage areas, will provide the opportunity to design customized solutions for customers even more specifically on an area of around 2,000 square meters. This will allow the separation technology specialist to meet growing customer requirements and support the development of new innovations and technologies. With around EUR 15 million for the Process Center, Flottweg is making a long-term investment in the future of the company and creating a basis for sustainable and innovative growth in the coming years.

Jörg Lengenfelder – new board member at Flottweg SE

Since November 1, 2024, Jörg Lengenfelder has been supporting the Board of Directors of Flottweg SE. Mr. Lengenfelder joins the team of directors alongside Dr. Kersten Christoph Link as CEO and Klaus Huber as CFO. As chief operating officer (COO) and chief technology officer (CTO), Mr. Lengenfelder is responsible for the technological and operational management of the company. “As the new board member of Flottweg SE, I am delighted to be working with our team to shape the future. Resilience and speed in the supply chain are more crucial today than ever. It is very important to me to develop our company together and ultimately to be successful as a team,” explains Jörg Lengenfelder. With the combined experience and commitment of each and every one of us, we at Flottweg will continue to be leaders in the world of separation technology, in line with our brand promise ‘Engineered For Your Success.'”

Flottweg SE is strengthening its management team and appointing Dipl.-Ing. Jörg Lengenfelder as a new member of the Management Board. Mr Lengenfelder joined the Flottweg SE Executive Board team on 1 November 2024, assuming responsibility as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO). In this role, he will work with Dr. Kersten Christoph Link as CEO and Klaus Huber as CFO to further develop the company and drive forward its technological and operational focus.

Jörg Lengenfelder studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University in Nuremberg, specialising in production technology. He then held various management positions in the greater Munich and Erlangen area before running his own company for several years. His focus there included the development and production of automation systems for medium-sized production companies. In recent years, Mr. Lengenfelder worked in a managerial capacity for the Netzsch Group. As a member of the Executive Board and the global management team, he was responsible for operations at the plants in Germany, Spain, Brazil, India and China, among others. In addition to strengthening the supply chain, several new construction and expansion projects were realised under his direction.

The starting signal for Flottweg’s new Process Center was given last week, on June 13th. In future, the Technology Center will offer the opportunity to implement customer-specific solutions and innovative approaches in an even more targeted manner. With a floor area of around 2000 square meters, the Process Center is divided into laboratory, technical center, office and storage space. Flottweg, a leading global manufacturer of mechanical separation technology and separation solutions, is thus continuing to pursue its long-term growth strategy. The new Process Center is scheduled to open at the end of 2025.

Dr. Kersten Link, Chairman of the Management Board, believes this is an important step for the future of the company: “By building the Process Center, we are not only strengthening our headquarters in Germany, but also creating the basis for sustainable and innovative growth. Flottweg has grown steadily in recent years, so the new Process Center is an investment in the future of the company. It is a signal to our customers and business partners that Flottweg will continue to provide the best solutions for demanding separation tasks in the future.”

Focus on customer-specific solutions

Both the laboratory and the pilot plant are divided into sub-areas in order to process the various application areas individually. The focus here is on the application-specific processing of customer samples on a laboratory and pilot plant scale. With the help of the results, Flottweg can provide the customer with targeted feedback on the feasibility, design of the machine and system technology as well as the efficiency of the planned separation processes. Due to the close proximity of the laboratory and the technical center, customer inquiries can be processed even more flexibly in the future.

“With state-of-the-art laboratory technology and versatile machine equipment for analytics, we can further increase the efficiency and sustainability of our solutions and implement tailor-made processes for our customers worldwide,” explains Stefan Bichlmeier, Head of Process Engineering at Flottweg.

Dedicated process line for plant proteins and starch

In order to meet the requirements of the food sector in particular, especially for plant proteins, permanently installed systems with corresponding special equipment are provided in the laboratory and technical center. “We have extensive process expertise in plant proteins – regardless of whether the customer requires an entire plant with engineering or just a machine,” says Dr. Mathias Aschenbrenner, plant protein specialist at Flottweg. “With our new Process Center, we can present the processes for our customers even more comprehensively. This investment underlines Flottweg’s commitment to the food sector.”