Minister President Winfried Kretschmann visits the Tango Factory

On Friday, Winfried Kretschmann visited Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau AG at the company headquarters in Offenburg. During a tour of the company, the Minister President learned about the company's products and was impressed by the structural expansions.
Thanks to stable growth figures, Huber has considerably expanded the company premises with several new buildings in recent years. In three construction phases, a new administration building, a logistics hall with 2,000 m² and most recently a new production hall with 4,500 m² were added. As a result, the production area was almost doubled and new, state-of-the-art office and meeting rooms were created in the administration area.

During the tour, Winfried Kretschmann was shown the new buildings and the energy-saving measures. Executive Board member Joachim Huber explained: "With our products, we are ecological pioneers in terms of environmental protection. Beyond refrigeration technology, however, we also organize our corporate processes from goods purchasing to production in the most environmentally friendly and resource-saving way possible." For example, numerous energy-saving measures have been implemented in the company building: electricity is generated by the company's own photovoltaic system, supplemented by green electricity from hydropower. Lighting is provided by LED technology, heating is provided by waste heat from production, and air conditioning is provided by a deep well. In combination with concrete core activation and controlled ventilation, energy requirements are reduced to a minimum. Joachim Huber emphasized: "In this way, we not only fulfill our environmental responsibility with regard to our products, but also live it in our company buildings. Our father used to say with a grin, "We warm up to our customers' orders."

Following the plant tour, the Minister President and the management exchanged views on various topics. On the agenda were points that are particularly relevant for the future of the company, such as energy supply, natural refrigerants, shortage of skilled workers and the increasing administrative burden due to legal regulations. A lively exchange developed, about which both Minister President Kretschmann and the management were extremely satisfied. In addition to the general topics, the Minister President was also interested in the company's temperature control systems and their application. Winfried Kretschmann was particularly impressed that Huber relied on natural refrigerants such as propane and propene at a very early stage. As a result, the refrigeration machines built are environmentally compatible and largely climate-neutral, as they have no ozone depletion potential and only a very low greenhouse potential.

As the conversation progressed, the participants also touched on the Corona pandemic and its impact on the company. "Material bottlenecks and delivery difficulties with our upstream suppliers were and are a challenge. However, apart from this, we are in the fortunate position that our product portfolio comprehensively serves the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries," said Daniel Huber. The CEO continued, "Early on in the pandemic, we supported virtually all vaccine manufacturers with prioritized equipment deliveries. Our temperature control technology is in use at all vaccine producers worldwide, including BioNTech, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca and even the Russian Sputnik vaccine. The bottom line, therefore, is that we have benefited from the Corona pandemic."

This success is also reflected in the company's financial figures. In the past fiscal year 2021, the company posted record consolidated sales of more than 105 million euros. The number of employees has also increased to currently around 400. The rapid growth was confirmed last year with an award from the Handelsblatt as the fastest-growing medium-sized company in Germany. In the comparison, in which 4000 companies were evaluated, Huber landed in first place. The company has developed excellently since its foundation in 1968 and the order books are already well filled for the new fiscal year.

The management is correspondingly satisfied: "We are very optimistic about the future and expect further growth. The supply chains, constantly rising costs for raw materials and energy, and the shortage of skilled workers are causing us concern. Beyond that, however, we see ourselves well positioned to further expand our market-leading position," says Daniel Huber with conviction.

At the end, Minister President Winfried Kretschmann thanked the participants for the insights and the constructive exchange. "Baden-Württemberg is a state of high-tech companies: The backbone of our economy is the medium-sized businesses and the family-owned companies like Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau AG. It makes me proud that home-rooted companies in our state continue to produce innovations, create jobs and, in the process, make valuable contributions to the fight against the corona pandemic. Medium-sized companies are the original source of our prosperity and the pillars of our economic success. That is why the state government is pursuing a transformation agenda that has climate protection and structural change firmly in its sights, in order to sustainably strengthen the innovative strength and competitiveness of companies, especially in environmental and energy technologies (green tech), reduce bureaucratic burdens and counteract the shortage of skilled workers. The state government is doing everything in its power to ensure that the entrepreneurial calculus is in favor of climate protection, resource efficiency and the circular economy," commented Minister President Kretschmann on his visit to Offenburg.