Viessmann headquarters in Allendorf (Eder), Germany
The Viessmann Group is a German manufacturer of heating and refrigeration systems headquartered in Allendorf (Eder), Germany. With 22 production companies in 12 countries, distribution companies and representative offices in 74 countries and 120 sales offices throughout the world, Viessmann is international in its orientation. More than 54 percent of turnover is generated abroad.[3] Since January 2022, the company is led by Martin Vießmann (Chairman of the Executive Board), Maximilian Viessmann (Group-CEO) and Ulrich Hüllmann (CFO).[4] In April 2023, Viessmann announced that it would sell its heat pump division to its US competitor Carrier Global for €12 billion.[5] The transaction was completed on January 2024, Max Viessmann joins the Board of Carrier Global [6]
The company was founded in Hof an der Saale in 1917 by Johann Viessmann, and has been family owned for four generations. As of 2022, the company employs 14,500 people and reports annual sales of € 4 billion.[7]
Profile
With 22 production companies in 12 countries and worldwide with sales companies, agencies and trade partners in 74 countries, Viessmann is internationally oriented. More than 54 percent of turnover is generated abroad.[8]
Since January 2022, the Viessmann Group has been managed by two leaders. Maximilian Viessmann has assumed responsibility for whole group as CEO, while Ulrich Hüllmann fulfills the position of the CFO.[9]
For the company's 100th anniversary in 2017, a new research and development center was inaugurated at the headquarters in Allendorf in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. With a volume of 50 million euros, the "Technikum" represents the largest single investment in the history of the company.[10]
Viessmann is also active in the fields of investment, real estate and VC/O. Viessmann Investment develops growth potential and new markets through targeted acquisitions in medium-sized companies. Viessmann Real Estate deals with real estate, hotels and catering. VC/O is Viessmann's digital unit, which observes and shapes developments with regard to digitalisation and new business models. The VC/O includes, among others, the Maschinenraum in Berlin.[11]
The Viessmann Group includes Viessmann Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung GmbH (formerly ESS Energie Systeme & Service GmbH) as a producer of combined heat and power units, and Schmack Biogas Service GmbH as a market leader in the biogas sector. The group also includes the French medium boiler manufacturers Stein Energie and Sodiet (Viessmann Industrie France), as well as Viessmann Eis-Energiespeicher GmbH.
In 2012, the Viessmann Group acquired 100 percent of shares in Viessmann Kältetechnik AG in Hof. The company is one of the most important manufacturers of temperature-controlled rooms for trade and industry.[12] In addition, the Finnish Norpe Group, the leading Scandinavian manufacturer of commercial refrigeration units, finned products and cooling units for the food retail trade, was acquired in 2013.
In September 2016, Viessmann launched heizung.de, an information and advice portal aimed specifically at end users such as new builders and refurbishment companies.[13] Viessmann has also been operating the start-up company Builder Wattx in Berlin since 2016.[14]
Viessmann Investment also has holdings in the Polish manufacturer Kospel, which produces instantaneous water heaters, electric boilers and hot water storage tanks, Pewo (a specialist in heat transfer stations for local and district heating based in Dresden) and the installation and service provider for complex central heating systems Thermowise in South Africa. The portfolio of Viessmann Investment also includes LämpöYkkönen (full-range supplier for heat pumps in Finland), the electrical and infrared heating manufacturer Etherma in Austria and the British online retailer for Viessmann products and spare parts, Viessmann Direct in England.[15]
Also in 2018, the company built a solar park next to its headquarters in Allendorf to cover up to 7 percent of the company's own electricity requirements. The plant has an output of 2 MW and was built without state subsidies. Instead, the project is financed by the company's own consumption of electrical energy.[16][17]
The company also operates the Allendorf airfield.
Products
On the purely technical side, Viessmann provides an extensive range of HVAC products as well as services, industrial and refrigeration solutions.[18]
Digital services for seamless connectivity with products and systems[19]
for commercial, industrial, and residential purposes ranging from 1.5 to 120,000 kW.
History
The Viessmann Group originated in Hof on the banks of the Saale, where Johann Viessmann set up a small workshop in 1917 specialising in the construction of steel boilers. In 1937 he moved operations to Allendorf (Eder) in northern Hesse. After World War II, Hans Vießmann took over his father's company and modernized it by introducing series production and industrial processes.
In the 1950s and 1960s, oil replaced the previously used solid fuels, whilst steel boilers became increasingly important. Viessmann seized these growth opportunities and developed into a medium-sized industrial enterprise with 1,400 employees.
The 1970s were a time of expansion. In 1972, Viessmann opened its first foreign factory in Faulquemont (France), followed by Waterloo, Ontario (Canada), the first site outside Europe, in 1978. With the development of new technologies, the company responded to the challenges of the energy crisis: In 1976, the first solar collectors were produced, followed by the first heat pumps in 1978.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 opened up new markets – initially in the former East Germany and later in Eastern Europe. At the end of 1991/start of 1992, Dr. Hans Vießmann handed the company over to his son Dr. Martin Viessmann.
In the 1990s, major structural changes were taking place: from floorstanding boilers to wall mounted boilers, from oil to gas, from gas-fired boilers to condensing technology. Viessmann set up a new production facility for wall mounted gas boilers in Allendorf, whilst developing an international sales office and branch network. As of 2005, the company launched the "Efficiency Plus" campaign focusing on demonstrating energy saving and sustainable processes and reducing the company's environmental footprint, whilst also expanding the product range with the acquisition of other technologies. Viessmann first acquired wood combustion specialists Mawera and Köb, followed by KWT, a manufacturer of large heat pumps and ESS for combined heating and power systems. BIOFerm, Schmack and Carbotech acquisitions covered the area of biogas technology, and with an evacuated tube solar collectors plant in Dachang (China), the company has expanded its market presence into solar thermal systems.
Following the introduction of the company's "Efficiency Plus" campaign, Viessmann received both in 2009 and 2011 the German Sustainability Award for most sustainable production and most sustainable brand in Germany, respectively. In 2010 the company also received the Energy Efficiency Award for optimising energy production and use in its manufacturing facilities.[20][21] In 2013, the company received the German Sustainability Award for the third time.
Since January 2022, Martin Viessmann leads the Group as Chairman of the Executive Board. The business is headed by Max Viessmann as CEO and Ulrich Hüllmann as CFO.[22]
Sports
Viessmann is sponsor of various winter sports. In addition, various German athletes from winter sports are sponsored. In biathlon, the team includes Sven Fischer, Laura Dahlmeier, Denise Herrmann, Franziska Hildebrand, Benedikt Doll and Arnd Peiffer. The Nordic combined athletes Eric Frenzel and Johannes Rydzek are in the Viessmann team, as well as ski jumpers Katharina Althaus, Stephan Leyhe, Richard Freitag and Markus Eisenbichler and one of the greatest German talents Constantin Schmid. Since September 2017, the company has also been the official partner of the Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team in the FIA Formula E World Championship and, since 2019, regional partner of FC Bayern Munich in China and Hong Kong.[23]
