In 2015, Strategy 2020 was developed at NEUMAN & ESSER with a focus on technology and quality leadership, flexibility vis-à-vis the market and intelligent solutions. Meanwhile, firstclass technology and quality have become the absolute prerequisite for successful consideration as a supplier within the lasting buyer’s market for already in excess of 10 years. Therefore, we already inaugurated the “Strategy 2025” process last year.
Using the comparison who we are, what we are capable of and where we want to go, we have developed a GROUP Directive. We quickly became aware of where our strengths lie. We are a family business with a mid- to long-term perspective. Its basis is a traditional foundation of values which bears us and yields loyalty, trust and responsibility. Values which are really special in today’s fast moving times – in collaboration with our employees just as with customers and suppliers.
They include innovative strength, the ability to change and creativity – all topics which can only be achieved with a superlative team. We are proud to have this team. A team of experts. Experts who assume responsibility and take decisions, who can identify with NEUMAN & ESSER and apply all activities for the wellbeing and continuation of our family business. Our team and our short decision routes make us versatile, enabling us to adapt flexibly to constantly changing market situations. Strategically, we orient our company GROUP towards becoming an even stronger solution provider. Using the four business units, we can offer a wide-ranging portfolio of services – broad and respectively in-depth. Moreover, our international infrastructure enables us to act “glocally”, meaning that we take local requirements into account whilst concurrently setting global trends.
We bank on efficient manufacturing of the core components at our own premises in Germany, central logistic concepts and expertise at all NEA GROUP locations worldwide. Here, we focus on the customer. We wish to offer sustainable solutions.
We hope you enjoy reading the NEA NEWS and NEA eNEWS!
Stefanie Peters und Alexander Peters
Managing Partners of NEA Holding
If servicing work has to be carried out on the gas grid anywhere in the Netherlands, the consumers are luckily not confronted with a supply bottleneck, because the State company N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie guarantees the supply of natural gas for the entire 12,000 km gas pipeline in the Netherlands. For this, Gasunie holds several mobile high-pressure containers ready which, as required, feed the natural gas into the consumer grid locally.
The containers are located in Deventer, directly on the river IJssel. As of recently, these containers are filled using two ultra-modern NEUMAN & ESSER compressor units. The machines deployed to-date with a maximum discharge pressure of 150 bar.
Except for some of the earthworks and foundation works, NEUMAN & ESSER Deutschland designed, procured, supplied, installed and commissioned all system components. Thus, the scope of supply comprised not only the two size SZL63 compressor skids, but furthermore the pressure lines, the gas dryer as well as the sound protection buildings equipped with technical ventilation, which is necessary to ensure safe handling with explosive gas. Switchgear and control cabinets as well as frequency converters are located in a separate control room.
The frequent load changes are a special feature at the Deventer filling station. As opposed to a continuous process, the pressure for the system here is relieved from 250 bar back to the grid pressure of 32 to 42 bar after each container is filled. NEA designed the entire compressor system for 14,500 pressure and load changes – i.e. including the vessels, coolers and valves.
The NEA engineers met the challenge of relieving the pressure of the unit via clever switching and setting of the fittings as well as a sophisticated control system. Instead of draining the residual gas into the atmosphere, it is fed back to the grid, not only providing ecological but also economic advantages for Gasunie. As additional emission protection, the compressors are equipped with a piston rod sealing system incorporating an oil trap.
Because the filling station is located in the middle of the 100,000-inhabitant town, the sound pressure level during operation is limited to 55 dB(A) – even in the worst case, this not being a lot more than whispering. The fact that Gasunie now feels provided for in all respects also has to do with the 5-year maintenance contract concluded with NEAC Compressor Service, which has been in force since the button was pressed to start commissioning the complete compressor system.
NEAC Compressor Service with its global network of some 100 service technicians is continuing to grow. Bernd Wagner, Managing Director of NEAC in Germany, who has constantly fine-tuned strategies with his team to develop the NEACs at ten locations worldwide since 2003 ensures this. Martina Frenz, Head of Corporate Communications would like to know what inspires him.
Mr. Wagner, what motivates you? What keeps NEAC on its growth course? We want customer proximity! That is what drives us. We achieve this in many different ways. Our OEM strategy with original manufacturing drawings and order documents for 13 licensed third-party brands places NEAC in the unique situation to be able to offer its customers the best solution for wear parts, and that with a view to the life cycle. NEAC is an OEM service company which has acquired knowledge over several decades on handling legacies. We can represent all reciprocating compressor manufacturers as an OEM today. This resulted in interesting collaboration with further OEMs on the market. They are mostly restricted to territories as is the case for Siemens in Germany or recently with Peter Brotherhood in parts of Europe and the Middle East.
Where does NEAC still demonstrate its global
strengths?
Repairs and turnarounds are key fields. Here, NEAC relies on professional project management which coordinates the complex technical processes. Critical components are manufactured by the production sites, others processed by the global Repair Coordination Center (RCC). Our local technical managers are trained and certified regularly at
headquarters in order to ensure local technical expertise.
During the past few years, NEAC succeeded in concluding regional and global framework agreements with many global companies in the petrochemicals and gas industries. Our customers coordinate this through their Category Management (Central Purchasing). Thus, they can order fast and easily from the local NEACs via their on-site subsidiaries, using the globally agreed, attractive terms.
What are you proud of? Integrating HOFER in several phases took a good deal of work and dedication. We succeeded due to close collaboration in and with Mülheim. It is the first non-piston product in our portfolio worldwide. The advantage is that HOFER machines are used often by the same customers we have anyway. Therefore our customers are able to integrate them in the existing framework agreements.
What plans do you have for the close future? One major focus is on digitalization. NEAC has worked on gaining a precise 360° image of the commercial and technical conditions of a system via the linkage and structure of data platforms for almost 10 years. This was important to be able to now start with customer portals. These will offer a selected view for specific customers and specific machines, allowing review of historic and order-related information. Here, we have succeeded in connecting all NEACs worldwide with a unified data platform. Great attention is also paid to Condition Management, which, as opposed to pure monitoring, incorporates further-reaching customer support for service calls, warehouse stocks and purchasing activities. This means that active support is provided, but the customer has the final say.
Is NEAC ”glocal”?
Absolutely! One of the main efforts is that all
NEACs feel that they are part of a large service family. We demonstrate and live this during the global meetings and practically every day. It is important that we support local freedom in decision-taking, but we all work under the large “process umbrella” and have our standards as guidance. Glocal pinpoints it!
NEUMAN & ESSER has manufactured modern grinding and classifying systems for almost 90 years. During the course of time, the market has repeatedly posed new system performance requirements. As a solution provider, NEUMAN & ESSER Process Technology’s core competency is to create innovations in response to changing market requirements.
Currently, customer inquiries received by NEUMAN & ESSER are geared to increased fineness with simultaneous top efficiency. In order to achieve this target, NEA has expeditiously created a new product family within no time: the classifiers GRC, DC, DCX and the mills ICX, PMX and ICD. Customers realize better product quality combined with lower manufacturing costs applying these innovative components.
Marc Giersemehl, VP Operations, explains the procedure for innovations: “Our development method includes a number of interdisciplinary expert team meetings during which we collect and debate ideas and proposals. Here, participants may doubt everything which was considered to be established good and common engineering practice. After no stone has been left unturned, we develop solution approaches with which the new task should be achieved.”
The ensuing draft is then analyzed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the improvement potential identified and thus further optimized.
“This is a huge difference to the past”, as Marc Giersemehl explains. “We used to build, test and repeatedly modify prototypes, resulting in innovations often dragging on for several years. With our current development method, we are able to forecast the processes considerably more reliably. As a result, our prototypes normally work instantly!”
Thus, the grinding and classifying experts also developed the new PMX mill for fine grinding. The PMX provides unique means of material transportation and guidance in order to grind and separate the particles ideally.
The PMX has completed its prototype phase and is as a size PMX 05 currently available for grinding tests at the Übach-Palenberg Test Center. The new PMX demonstrates its strength in the range between 5 and 50 μm. For product fineness between 20 and 50 μm, the PMX achieves up to 50% higher throughputs with simultaneous lower specific energy requirements than traditional pendulum mills.
Fineness of less than 20 μm had not yet been achieved by pendulum mills or only in connection with products with a high solid density. In this area, the PMX as a pendulum mill system offers a viable alternative to ball mills or even jet mills for the first time. Here, the new NEA mill provides several decisive advantages: it only requires roughly half as much energy as a ball mill and, compared with a jet mill, the PMX is even more efficient.
Furthermore, the PMX requires a lower pre-crushing ratio for the feed material, which may have a diameter of up to 25 mm (1 inch). Simultaneous drying of the material is also easy to realize. The integrated classifier with an innovative deflector classification module efficiently allows for sharp top cuts. This module is also available as an independent deflector classifier, the DCX, for operation with all different mill types or as an offline device.
This innovative solution provides NEUMAN & ESSER customers with a clear competitive advantage.
Everyone’s talking about Industry 4.0 and the digitalization it involves. Following intense analysis of the value chain, the NEUMAN &
ESSER headquarters production site has prepared a project schedule for the digital transformation of its operational business for the NEA GROUP’s production companies in collaboration with its sister company NEA X. Its target is to optimize benefits for the customer whilst simultaneously integrating the NEA GROUP’s most important capital: the NEA experts’ production and logistics know-how.
The next NEA NEWS issues will scrutinize individual parts of the overall project. This issue starts with the four phases of the “high resolution supply chain” and the efforts it has initiated in the logistics area.
Thus, the initial project phase was to ensure seamless WiFi coverage for the production and logistics halls and the adjacent areas – the basis for lossfree data exchange with the ERP system.
The second step was equipping the employees with scanners, which ensure the direct mobile booking of goods receipt without delay. Therefore, NEA suppliers will also increasingly provide their deliveries with codes during the course of the year, which can be directly read by the scanners. This will result in a further reduction of the work for recording goods receipt. Depending on the respective components and requirements, some deliveries are subject to quality control beyond normal goods receipt checking and photographed using the cameras integrated in the scanners. Also, the acknowledgment of these test steps will soon be extended with a mobile solution. Following this, the parts are either moved directly to mechanical manufacturing or assembly or stored for later use.
The third step consists of the establishment of a localization system within the scope of internal company logistics. For this, production supply areas will be set up at the machines and workplaces, ensuring transparency regarding the whereabouts of parts via scanners and back posting in the ERP system at all times. The individual transportation is controlled via a logistics management system, providing the advantage that the list of the sequence for transport orders is stored for the employees, including forklift truck drivers, on their end devices’ display. Thus, it is guaranteed that all parts required are correctly located in good time.
The fourth step, the efficient storage of parts and components, has already been implemented. In addition to the identification of the storage shelves defined in the ERP system using scanner-readable codes, three vertical lift shelf systems have also been installed. In addition to so-called C-parts, they also house components supplied loose with the order or which are installed within the course of later assembly. Due to direct connection with the ERP system, these items can already be booked as part of the delivery order and removed by the employee as needed for assembly. This saves time when preparing delivery documentation and accelerates the delivery process.
Future steps will be taken in particular in the area of outbound logistics. Here, packing units will be built and documented using mobile end devices. With an app from the NEA X Digital Technology Solutions portfolio, it will then be possible to carry out a goods receipt and completeness check comfortably on mobile end devices at the destination – either by the NEA employee or by the customer.
The measures described above will be rolled out step-by-step for the other production locations. Linked with further digitalization activities, in particular in the area of mechanical manufacturing and assembly, they support NEA employees in remaining successful in global competition.
STASSKOL is a demanded specialist for sealing rotating shafts. In addition to largely standardized gas seals for lower pressures used in ventilators and blowers, seals for higher pressure ranges are also manufactured which are used in turbo compressors and turbines. Within the scope of a development project, these seals have been considerably improved compared with the established industrial standard.
At low pressure, contacting sealing rings are used, similar to those most frequently used for building reciprocating compressors. The rings are manufactured using PTFE compound materials or various coal-based materials. At higher pressure, due to the high shaft speeds for turbines and turbo compressors, normally contactless carbon material sealing elements are required. They are characterized by very low frictional loss, resulting in little wear and slight heat development. Naturally, the leakage behavior of contactless seals is worse than for contact seals. Whether leakages are synonymous with the loss of valuable process gas or with the consumption of cost intensive purge gas depends on the seal configuration. Even internal leakages without external gas loss lead to additional energy consumption. The minimization of inevitable leakages is therefore of great importance.
A shaft seal design which is as compact as possible was a further development target, in order to make ideal use of the available installation space for the seal. This was achieved by using wider rings with a constant sealing line. The seal effect is further improved with specially shaped grooves which are integrated in the sealing rings. The ideal geometry of these grooves was established with flow calculations using CFD software. These calculation results were confirmed by several test bench experiments. As a result of the improved sealing ring design, the number of rings in an individual seal could be drastically reduced. Depending on the pressure range, for example it is possible to halve the number of rings from 6 in the standard version (see illustration below) to 3 and at the same time reduce leakages by up to 50%. This considerably more compact design of the SDS100 (see the illustration above) not only has an improved sealing efficiency, but is also far easier to assemble.
The sealing concept can be applied for virtually all different conditions of use. The sealing geometry can be adapted constructively to the available installation space and the shaft diameter. Depending on the pressure range and the type of medium to be sealed, intermediate
relief, buffer gas or purge gas connections can be provided.
as Leo D’Anna, IGP Pulvertechnik AG Member of the Board states.
The NEA INNOVATION DAY and POWDER COATINGS COMPACT events on Sept. 26 and 27, 2018 at the Übach-Palenberg headquarters offered powder coating industry and process technology experts a 360° specialist symposium, which provided answers to a multitude of grinding and classifying technology questions.
As representatives of their family company, the two Managing Partners Stefanie and Alexander Peters welcomed some 400 international visitors from Europe, Asia, North and South America on both days. To kick-off the program, Managing Director Manfred Salgert used the forum to present his guests the rebranding as NEUMAN & ESSER Process Technology within an official framework.
as he explained before welcoming the guest speakers. These included representatives from well-known companies such as Mondo Minerals, KABE Farben, Schaefer Kalk and Jotun.
Outstanding innovations
Both event days were fully packed. Thus, the NEA INNOVATION DAY repertoire ranged from technical process basics and new knowledge in
this area via the mode of action of the new classifier generations DC, DCX and GRC to the revolutionization of pulverizing technology using the ICX and PMX mills. Industry 4.0 or Big Data – discussed all over the world, but seldom anchored with a clear picture was knowledgeably filled with targets and contents by sister company NEA X Digital Technology Solutions.
Whilst the first day was aimed at treating various process technology topics as an overview, the second day focused systematically on the powder coatings sector. The program included a powder coating-specific exhibition incorporated in a lecture series about innovations and a realized best practice solution in the area of Industry 4.0. The visitors were guided through the inhouse exhibition as a “rotating podium” with 13 “Who is Who” European quality manufacturers presenting their products and companies. Who could have been more appropriate to lead the groups than NOX the robot? The manned, 2.30m tall robot knew how to gain the visitors’ attention in a few seconds.
The in-house exhibition
The automated powder filling unit, developed by NEA together with NIVERPLAST – a unique concept which revolutionizes the throughput of
the powder produced – attracted no less attention. An ultrasonic screen with grounding surveillance, specifically optimized for powder coatings by NEA together with the manufacturer GKM regarding its size, throughput and cleaning, forms the other important part of this filling unit. The overall system “NEA by Niverplast & GKM”, which was developed as a unique solution also for other manufacturers’ existing grinding systems, captivated all exhibition visitors.
The NEA Process Technology and NEA X joint booth also had some surprises in store. The prototype of the latest developed NEA additive dosing unit set the pulses of some users in the sector racing, because it enables saving up to 60% of the required additives according to customer tests. This NEADDIX device will be introduced to the market at the ECS 2019 in Nuremberg and available for delivery as of October. Since the event, the new NEA X platform with the brand name XPLORE has achieved market maturity. It can store, visualize and analyze all controls for a production line and with it all process data, enables the end customer to be provided with a complete picture of the production processes for each order.
“We have waited a long time for such a forum with intense exchange between all market participants!” and “It must be repeated!” was often heard from the visitors. At the end of the event, Manfred Salgert stated contentedly smiling:
Much has happened in the NEA Business Unit “Mechanical Processing Technology” in recent years: numerous innovations, patents and further developments for grinding and classifying systems have been introduced. The well-known manufacturer of grinding- and classifying systems is increasingly becoming a turn-key solution provider especially in challenging applications.
Considering the increasing globalization and the growing areas of application, NEUMAN & ESSER GmbH Mahl- und Sichtsysteme – also known as NEA Grinding and Classifying Systems – is now called NEUMAN & ESSER Process Technology GmbH.
https://www.neuman-esser.de/en/process/
NEAC Compressor Service (NEAC) and Peter Brotherhood (PB) have joined forces to provide the best possible service for PB’s installed API 618 reciprocating compressors.
The agreement combines both OEM organizations’ technical abilities, whereby NEAC Compressor Service provides front line support, fully backed by PB with OEM technical support and parts supply.
This currently incorporates more than 80 Peter Brotherhood compressors across a number of petrochemicals, oil and gas facilities throughout Europe and the Middle East.
Chris Heaton, regional Sales Manager for NEAC Compressor Service in the UK, now also works as a Product Manager there. He focuses on cooperation:
“Working with the renowned reciprocating compressor OEM Peter Brotherhood has been a privilege. PB is a company with an established heritage in British engineering. The PB Service team warmly welcomed collaboration with NEAC and we have promoted first phase business together enthusiastically”.
This started in July 2018 with an initial sample of new and existing customers, covering 30 machines in the UK & Benelux.
Their joint market presence of the two OEM organizations, enabled NEAC and PB to directly secure authorization for the customer order systems, ensuring NEAC regular spare parts orders from then outset. Based on this successful start in Q4 2018, PB agreed to increase NEAC’s PBL com- pressor coverage to 87 machines, also involving new NEAC service territories.
A positive start to 2019 has seen NEAC secure the first joint NEAC & PB service overhaul in the Netherlands, with PB spare parts repairs supported by the NEAC workshop and increasingly larger parts/repair orders.
“The focus now is to build on the momentum throughout 2019, increasing customer awareness as we develop the PB machine service business, using the professional NEAC customer support network. I look forward to assisting in the development of the NEAC Compressor Service & Peter Brotherhood cooperation and promoting joint business opportunities for the foreseeable future”, Chris Heaton says.
With the first customer training in 2006, this service provided by NEAC Compressor Service really gained momentum. Today, Norbert Janßen, Product Manager Training, has more than 140 different customers with 500 persons on his list who have participated in open customer training so far. They came from as far afield as Germany, Europe, Asia and South America. The range of occupational profiles and sectors represented is broadly based. They vary from engineers and operators to servicing and repair staff from the chemicals, petrochemicals, refinery, natural gas storage, but also food and renewable energies industries. Training takes place using NEA compressors and also licensed machinery. A look at the training agenda reveals three large, theoretical blocks:
• Structure and function of compressor
components
• Maintenance-specific information such as
clearance, tolerance and wear limits and
• Troubleshooting, i.e. error diagnosis and
correction
No theory without hands on. A casual approach is then adopted in order to learn how to change the interior parts of the packings, how the hydraulic tensioning devices are correctly used and bearing clearances measured. A great deal of attention is demanded from all participants. ”The background knowledge learnt is very suitable for practical application“, as Frank Berg from the company JTI maintains.
However, in addition to open customer training, NEAC also offers project-related training courses. These take place upon customer request, normally following the installation of a NEA compressor system. This means that the customer is not left alone with his new machine. Precisely 117 such training courses with 1,392 participants have been held to-date by Norbert Janßen at the NEAC Training Center, the customer’s or the packager’s.
This year, further opportunities are at the top of his list: training for HOFER customers. For this, NEAC has purchased a diaphragm compressor from a customer and a new, hydraulic TKH reciprocating compressor directly from HOFER. They must be prepared exactly like the training documentation. “We can start during the second half of the year“, Norbert Janßen is happy to report. “It’s also exciting to shed light on a different type of displacement devices for a change!“
Information about training courses: https://www.neuman-esser.de/services/training-neacademy/
Based on the familiar platform strategy in the automobile industry, HOFER developed and implemented a crankcase strategy for diaphragm compressors after its acquisition by the NEA GROUP. This resulted in the existence of an extended product portfolio including a hybrid derivative of reciprocating and diaphragm compressor.
In order to save time and expenses, various technical and manufacturing processes had to be adapted.
Therefore, the first step was to extend the NEUMAN & ESSER design program KO3 with diaphragm compressors, enabling HOFER to then design their own crankcase sizes and those from NEA as diaphragm and hybrid (reciprocating and diaphragm) compressors.
The next step was to find an appropriate location to manufacture and provide technical support for the various HOFER crankcase sizes in the company group. The decision was easy as the Maschinenfabrik Wurzen had already gained relevant experience in the production of crankcases as licensed products over the course of several decades. The third step was to design the complete compressor system in Mülheim, assemble it and implement the test run with process gas at HOFER in the customers’ presence.
“That was an intense learning process for all involved from the Übach-Palenberg headquarters Central Division of Technology, crankcase manufacturing in Wurzen and order-related diaphragm system manufacturing at HOFER in Mülheim“, according to HOFER Managing Director Jörg Strizek. The handover of manufacturing from HOFER to the Wurzen location with a modern plant was a special challenge. Thus, when relocating, semi-automatic component manufacturing, e.g. for the crosshead, was changed to fully automatic. HOFER’s Quality Assurance was on-site in Wurzen during the critical phase for component manufacturing and crankcase assembly, ensuring uninterrupted knowledge transfer. Success set in. HOFER now looks back at the size KT150 crankcases manufactured in Wurzen and more are planned.
“Through the use of synergies in the business unit of Compressor Technology, HOFER is able to sustainably secure its Mülheim location and develop from a European to a global system provider”, as Jörg Strizek happily reports. He has good reason to, because with the extended and above-all cost-optimized product range, HOFER Hochdrucktechnik will serve a host of applications and thus enjoy growth in both existing and new markets, e.g. filling trains, buses and automobiles with hydrogen.
NEA Italia participated in the Gastech trade fair in Barcelona from Sept. 17 to 20. This event was hosted by the Spanish Gastech syndicate, consisting of leading Spanish energy companies such as Enagas, Gas Natural Fenosa, Repsol and Tecnicas Reunidas. It was striking that the trade fair visitors had several concrete demands regarding LNG applications, for which the Italian Managing Director Carlo Terragni had a response ready: ”Gas compressors are our passion and, with the NEA GROUP’s diverse know-how, customer requirements can be solved professionally”.
The 10th Chamber of Industry and Commerce Foreign Trade Day NRW with the motto ”World Trade under Global Change“ was held at the Eurogress Aachen in Sept. NEA Holding was represented there alongside 50 further exhibitors. 700 participants followed the keynote speakers’ and ex-boxing legends Regina Halmich and Dr. Vitali Klitschko’s, fascinating accounts. Global export business was discussed passionately. Head of Logistics, Thomas Plum, knowledgeably provided contents for the topic of “Customs 4.0” with practical examples.
On Sept. 5, 2018, NEAC Compressor Service organized its first training ever in Pakistan together with its partner company Industrial Development & Engineering Associates (I.D.E.A). It was received overwhelmingly. 60 guests from the most varied of application areas, primarily from the refinery sector, attended the event in the heart of Karatschi. The intense discussions following the lectures proved that genuine experts exchanged thoughts here.
NEUMAN & ESSER Brasil participated in the EXPOMINA fair in Lima (PER), at the Brazilian pavilion, from Sept. 12 to 14, 2018. It is one of the largest mining exhibitions in South America and boasted more than 1,200 booths and 110,000 visitors from all over the world. Many mechanical processing/ comminution customers visited the NEA booth, looking for more efficient systems and reliable solutions to process their minerals, allowing them to achieve the market’s demand for better products each year. High-quality contacts were established and it proved to be a great opportunity that reinforced the NEA brand in the region as a supplier of excellence.
NEUMAN & ESSER Beijing, Co. Ltd used the occasion of the 10th company anniversary to celebrate a ceremonial event with customers and business partners at the Marriott Northeast Hotel in Beijing. More than 60 representatives of the natural gas, chemicals, petrochemicals, renewable energy and further industries in China participated in this event at the end of October. They all keenly followed the keynote speaker Dr. Li Junfeng’s China Energy Saving & Emission Reducing Center’s deliberations as well as the NEA experts regarding the market developments in China with regard to new applications, products and services.
The NEA GROUP officially founded the Chinese subsidiary in 2008, thus terminating the previous decades’ customer support in China via a sales office. The company’s consistently practiced philosophy of banking on strong product quality and excellent service paid off. Currently, NEA Beijing assumes the responsibility for more than 400 NEA compressor systems within the domestic market. The operators are provided with spare parts and service in the long-term, enabling them to achieve their ambitious production targets and to ideally exploit product life cycles.
In view of economic development in China, NEA Beijing views future growth opportunities in new industries outside its core area of chemicals and petrochemicals. Not only the increasing demand for natural gas and the LNG boom in China can be served by NEA Beijing as a result of the numerous NEA GROUP references in this sector, it also concentrates on future applications in the field of renewable energy.
Why? China’s five-year plan focuses on consistent green environmental policy. As a technological leader in the areas of hydrogen compression and photovoltaics, this suits NEUMAN & ESSER really well.
The Engineers Meeting agenda from Oct. 8 to 12, 2018 hardly provided its more than 50 participants from all international NEA GROUP locations the time to draw a deep breath. The reason: for the first time, the two large events for the worldwide NEA Sales & Application Center engineers and the NEACs overlapped. Thus, all participants were also able to acquaint themselves more closely with the topics and art of engineering in the other business division. Therefore, in addition to the main topic KO3, the NEA design program for compressors, the event also included presentations from NEA X and STASSKOL, guests’ speeches from the companies Cozzani and Hoerbiger as well as case studies from the participants on critical applications and “lessons learned”. The newly learned KO3 theory was implemented practically in several workshops. Gerhard Knop, Development Projects Manager from the Central Division of Technology and Co-Organizer, provided a promising perspective at the end to the delight of all present: “Until the next KO3 Engineers Meeting, the tool will map the entire compressor system and a compressor app with a 3D system configurator will also be available for customers”.
The 10th EFRC Students Workshop with 25 students from European universities toured Germany and the Netherlands from June 11 to 14. The agenda included visits to the EFRC member companies TNO, two Shell refineries as well as the OEMs Howden Thomassen and NEUMAN & ESSER.
Each program day held exciting lectures as well as guided company tours for the students and their supervisors in store, thus providing in-depth confrontation with the piston compressor. Jeroen van Koperen from Shell in Pernis explained a piston compressor’s tasks at a refinery, his colleague Guido Kluth in Wesseling shed light on the individual refinery processes. Andreas Hirschter and Dr. Klaus Hoff from NEUMAN & ESSER provided an overview of the selection and design of the process gas compressors, which was augmented by Jens Wulff with an insight into production, assembly and test runs. Following this, the students were given tricky technical questions on piston compressors as homework.
Die ersten drei hochdotierten Preise wurden vergeben
an: www.recip.org/students-workshop/
The student grant program is a worthy cause. Together with the federal state and various companies, the education fund supports outstanding students financially during their studies. This year, the NEUMAN & ESSER Peters Family Foundation supports a total of 10 students at the RWTH Aachen University and FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences. The scholarship holders are selected carefully by a committee. Here, students and companies should collaborate as long as possible. Ultimately, they can both only profit from this: the grant provides the students financial relief, enabling them to concentrate fully on their studies. On the other hand, NEUMAN & ESSER is happy to have contributed to the education of qualified specialists, thus cementing the close bond between scholarship holders and the NEA GROUP.
The 6th Leipzig Industry Culture Days were held this year. The offer was very well received by the public. 410 guests used the opportunity to learn more about the locally domiciled companies.
NEUMAN & ESSER supplemented the offer and invited visitors to the machine factory in Wurzen. The works visit to the NEA production site was one of the highlights of the day.
Within the scope of this event, the town hiking trail in Wurzen was augmented with two new information boards. One of them is now hung at the machine factory’s entrance under the company nameplate. Therefore, as Station 8, NEUMAN & ESSER now extends the route a little further.
A total of 22 companies participated, including nine from Wurzen. The Standortinitiative Wurzen & Wurzener Land e.V. Association was not only the local contact here, but also designed the program in and around Wurzen. However, the organizer of the series is the Industriekultur Leipzig Association together with the Leipzig Chamber of Industry and Trade. Collectively, all the participants looked back contentedly on a very successful outcome.
From Sept. 9 to 12, some 105 apprentices and trainers from the four German locations participated in their annual apprentices’ trip, this time their destination was: Munich.
Their program included visiting the German Museum and an informative, guided tour of the city. The visit to the BAUER GROUP was a special highlight, enabling everyone an indepth insight into the production of compressors in the areas of air, inhaled air, nitrox and the gas industry. The program was rounded off with hearty snacks in well-known pubs such as “Zum Franziskaner”. The atmosphere was terrific!
In conjunction with the Berufskolleg Erkelenz, NEUMAN & ESSER opened its gates for the common Apprenticeship Day on Saturday, Sept. 15. The upfront PR campaign was successful: 120 visitors used the day to inform themselves about apprenticeship at NEA and simultaneously to cast a glance behind a manufacturing company’s scenes.
The family business offers everything an apprentice needs: a wide array of occupational profiles in the business, technical and commercial areas – some of them even dually. After these, the prospect of further training subsequent to the apprenticeship.
Following the official part, the visitors were drawn to the parking lot with more than 60 diligently helpingm “NEUMEN”. They were awaited there with a barbeque, sizzling sausages and a bar with refreshing beverages which inspired further exciting conversations in a relaxed atmosphere. Everyone agreed: such a successful day simply must be repeated next year!
■ Since January 2017:
Operations Manager at NEUMAN & ESSER GmbH & Co. KG, Übach-Palenberg, Germany
■ Born on Jan. 11, 1977 in Lennestadt, Germany, married, 4 children
Current focus: ■ Digital transformation of the operative business (including CAD / CAM, tool management, MES, APS, high resolution supply chain) with integration of the employees’ expertise
Education:
■ 1999 – 2003 Aerospace Engineering at the German Armed Forces University in Munich
■ 2009 – 2012 Master of Business Administration at the University for Economics and Management in Essen
Professional Career:
■ 1998 – 2011 German Armed Forces Limited Term Officer
■ 2012 – 2014 NEUMAN & ESSER Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Project Manager
■ 2014 – 2016 NEUMAN & ESSER Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Area Sales Manager, also for the regions Germany, Sub-Sahara Africa, and Iraq
Hobbys: ■ Family, reading, languages, sports
