Ziehl-Abegg, Inc.

What Ziehl-Abegg, Inc. does

Ziehl-Abegg, Inc. is the US operating entity of ZIEHL-ABEGG SE, a family-influenced German industrial manufacturer founded in 1914 and headquartered in Künzelsau, Germany, with a US office in Greensboro. The company designs and produces air technology (axial, radial, and process fans), electric motors (external rotor AC and ECblue, internal rotor PMblue), and elevator drive systems (ZAdisc, ZAsyn, ZAtop, ZAtopx gearless machines, ZAdyn frequency converters, ZArec regenerative units), together with control technology including frequency converters, active harmonic filters, electronic voltage regulators, and the ZAbluegalaxy cloud platform for IoT monitoring. Underlying technology is anchored in ECblue electronically commutated motor design, ZAmid bionic fan aerodynamics, and integrated inverter/regenerative drive architecture, marketed around energy efficiency, low noise, and sustainability (ISO 50001, ISO 14001, AEO-F).

The company sells primarily through direct B2B sales with project-specific quotations, multi-year contracts, and downloadable technical documentation, supported by regional websites and trade show presence across more than 40 countries. Its end markets span commercial and residential HVAC, elevator OEMs, refrigeration and cold chain, data centers and IT infrastructure, energy generation, clean room and medical technology, food processing, mobile/transportation, and general industrial machinery. The US entity is led by Gregg Schmidt as CFO and VP of Finance and Administration, while parent-level leadership includes CEO Joachim Ley and board members Marco Altherr and Wolfgang Mayer, with family ownership represented by Dennis Ziehl as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

Revenue is overwhelmingly hardware-based (fans, motors, drives, controls), with a small but growing recurring/subscription layer from the ZAbluegalaxy cloud platform and software tools (ZAmon, ZAset, ZAlift, FANselect, ZAenergy). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; distribution is direct to enterprise customers and OEMs with technical documentation, project planning forms, and a supplier portal for procurement partners, rather than through mass-market resellers.

Name

Ziehl-Abegg, Inc.

Legal name

ZIEHL-ABEGG SE

Website

https://ziehl-abegg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Ziehl-Abegg is a family-owned German manufacturer of EC motors, bionic axial and radial fans, elevator drive systems, and control technology, selling direct to HVAC, elevator, refrigeration, data center, and industrial OEMs across 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Ventilation and Drive Systems

NAICS

Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing (333413), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (3334), Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512), Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314)

SIC

Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564), Motors & Generators (3621), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Fans, Blowers & Ventilation Units (Supply/Exhaust/Inline) (IMADANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Compressors, Refrigeration Components & Condensing Units (IMADANAG)

Keywords

• Industrial ventilation fans
• Elevator drive systems
• Electric motor manufacturing
• Axial centrifugal fans
• HVAC drive technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Industrial Fans and Ventilation Systems: Manufacture and sale of axial fans, centrifugal fans, process fans, and specialty ventilation products for various industrial applications including HVAC, refrigeration, data centers, and clean rooms.
2. Electric Motors: Production of external rotor motors (AC and ECblue variants) and internal rotor motors (PMblue) for industrial automation and ventilation applications.
3. Elevator Drive Systems: Gearless synchronous motors (ZAdisc, ZAsyn, ZAtop, ZAtopx) and frequency inverters for elevator applications. Includes regenerative drive units and brake control systems.
4. Control Technology: Frequency converters, active harmonic filters, electronic voltage regulators, control modules, sensors, and transformer control devices for air handling and drive systems.
5. Digital Solutions and Software: Cloud platform (ZAbluegalaxy), desktop and mobile software (ZAmon, ZAset, ZAupdate, ZAlift), and communication solutions (ZAcode).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ZIEHL-ABEGG manufactures industrial fans (axial, centrifugal, and process), external and internal rotor electric motors, elevator drive systems, frequency converters, and regenerative energy recovery units. The company also produces a complementary control technology portfolio including sensors, voltage regulators, and cloud-based monitoring software. Products are built around proprietary ECblue motor technology and ZAmid bionic fan designs targeting HVAC, elevator, refrigeration, data center, food processing, clean room, and renewable energy applications.

Product overview

ZIEHL-ABEGG is a global technology company offering a comprehensive portfolio of air technology (ventilators, axial and radial fans), drive technology (elevator drives, frequency converters, feedback units), and control technology products. The product ecosystem includes hardware products like ECblue motors, ZAbluefin radial fans, ZAtop elevator drives, ZAdyn frequency converters, and ZArec energy feedback units, supported by software solutions including ZAmon for drive analysis, FANselect for fan selection, ZAbluegalaxy cloud platform for data monitoring, and ZAset/ZAlift parameterization tools. The company serves industries including HVAC, elevators, refrigeration, data centers, food processing, and renewable energy, with a focus on energy efficiency, bionic design principles, and quiet operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECblue: EC motor technology product line
• FANselect
• UNIcon
• Fcontrol
• ZAbluegalaxy
• FANpost
• ZApilot
• Retrofitblue
• AIRSTREAM Insights

Products and services

• FE3owlet Axial Fan Axial fan with significantly improved performance characteristics, available with AC motor or ECblue electronically commutated motor technology. Designed for industrial ventilation applications requiring future-proof efficiency.
• FPowlet Axial Fan Axial fan specifically developed for heat pumps, featuring extra quiet operation, high efficiency, and environmental friendliness for HVAC and heat pump OEMs.
• MAXventowlet Axial Fan High-performance axial fan equipped with ECblue motor technology for industrial and HVAC applications requiring maximum airflow efficiency.
• ZAplus Axial Fan Bionic axial fan standard applying ZAmid nature-inspired design for climate-friendly, quietest, and most energy-efficient industrial ventilation applications.
• ZAbluefin Radial Fan Radial fan featuring bionic ZAmid design, highly efficient, 100% sustainable, and extremely quiet in operation, now available with IE4 energy efficiency class IEC standard motor.
• ZApilot Radial Fan Radial fan for various industrial applications, available with the ZApilotXL upgrade for enhancing performance of existing systems.
• ECblue External Rotor Motor Electronically commutated external rotor motor platform providing high efficiency and controllability, available with integrated active power factor correction in the ECblue 072 High Power variant.
• ZAdyn Frequency Converter Frequency converter for elevator systems in wall-mount and cabinet configurations (ZAdyn4B, ZAdynpro, ZAdyn4C), with power ratings from 11A to 220A, Bluetooth connectivity, and mobile app control via ZAmon.
• ZArec Regenerative Drive Unit Energy feedback unit converting regenerative energy from elevator braking systems back into the power supply grid, available in 5kW, 10kW, and 15kW regenerative power models.
• ZAtop Elevator Drive High-efficiency gearless elevator drive with StPUG belt concept enabling very slim installation lines, featuring customized control technology for efficient, energy-saving, and reliable operation.
• ZAdisc Elevator Drive Gearless elevator drive motor product line for various lift applications.
• ZAsyn Elevator Drive Synchronous elevator drive product for high-performance lift systems.
• EVAC Evacuation Unit EVAC evacuation unit providing safe elevator evacuation during power failures for elevator systems.
• ZAbluegalaxy Cloud Platform Cloud platform enabling real-time and historical data access to ZIEHL-ABEGG products from any location, supporting remote monitoring and management of ventilation and drive systems.
• ZAmon Software Desktop and mobile software for connecting, parameterizing, analyzing, and optimizing ZAdyn frequency converters and ZArec feedback units for elevator systems, with Bluetooth connectivity.
• FANselect Software Software tool for fan selection and system design, supporting engineers in configuring ZIEHL-ABEGG ventilation products.
• ZAset Software Software for parameterization and configuration of ZIEHL-ABEGG products, including the ZAset Vibration Client for vibration analysis of complex system components.
• ZAenergy Software Software for energy analysis and optimization of ventilation and drive systems.
• UNIcon FlowControl CVG UNIcon FlowControl CVG control module for air technology flow control applications.
• Retrofitblue Modernization Service Modernization service concept offering significant energy savings and high efficiency potential for old and existing systems or buildings through retrofit of ZIEHL-ABEGG technology.

Quantifiable outcome

• ZArec regenerative drive units feed energy back to the grid during elevator braking, reducing overall energy consumption

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Microsoft CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft provides cloud infrastructure (Azure), productivity tools (Microsoft 365), marketing automation (Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys, Customer Voice), analytics (Clarity), and LinkedIn marketing services for ZIEHL-ABEGG operations.
• Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd (Facebook, Instagram)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMeta provides social media advertising and remarketing capabilities through Facebook Pixel, Instagram integration, and Custom Audiences for ZIEHL-ABEGG marketing campaigns.
• LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLinkedIn provides professional social media marketing, B2B advertising, and Insight Tag tracking for recruitment and business development.
• ORBIS SEminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides technical support for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights implementation and CRM system administration for ZIEHL-ABEGG.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ABB: Global industrial conglomerate offering motors, drives, and motion control including HVAC and elevator drives. Overlaps ZIEHL-ABEGG in motor and drive technology, but operates across a much broader portfolio (robotics, electrification, automation).
• WEG: Brazilian global manufacturer of motors, drives, generators, and coatings with strong HVAC and industrial fan motor presence. Comparable to ZIEHL-ABEGG's motor and drive offerings, particularly EC/IE4 motors for industrial applications.

Direct peers

• Systemair: Swedish-listed manufacturer of ventilation fans and air handling units for HVAC, data center, and industrial applications. Directly comparable to ZIEHL-ABEGG's air technology business and shares exposure to European HVAC efficiency mandates and data center cooling demand.
• ebm-papst: German-headquartered global leader in EC fans, motors, and drive technology serving HVAC, refrigeration, automotive, and industrial markets. Closely comparable to ZIEHL-ABEGG in product portfolio (axial/centrifugal fans, EC motors), customer base, and bionic/energy-efficiency positioning.
• FläktGroup: European manufacturer of air handling, ventilation, and fan solutions for commercial, industrial, and data center clients. Comparable product overlap with ZIEHL-ABEGG's HVAC, data center, and clean-room segments, particularly around energy-efficient air movement.
• Rosenberg Ventilatoren: German manufacturer of axial and centrifugal fans, EC motors, and air-handling components for HVAC and industrial ventilation. Direct overlap with ZIEHL-ABEGG's air technology portfolio and shared focus on EC motor efficiency and European HVAC customers.
• KEB Automation: German manufacturer of drive and automation technology including frequency inverters and elevator drive systems. Directly comparable to ZIEHL-ABEGG's ZAdyn frequency converters, ZArec regenerative units, and elevator drive business.
• Nicotra Gebhardt: European manufacturer of centrifugal and axial fans, EC motors, and air-handling units for HVAC and industrial ventilation. Directly overlaps ZIEHL-ABEGG's air technology portfolio with similar EC motor and bionic/efficient fan positioning.
• Greenheck Group: US-headquartered, family-owned manufacturer of commercial and industrial fans, dampers, and air-handling equipment. Comparable to ZIEHL-ABEGG in fan product breadth and vertical applications including HVAC, data centers, and industrial processes.
• Howden: Global manufacturer of industrial fans, blowers, compressors, and related rotating equipment for process industries, power, and mining. Comparable to ZIEHL-ABEGG's process fans and industrial machinery segment, though with greater tilt toward heavy-duty process applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ziehl_abegg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ZIEHL-ABEGG
• Facebookfacebook.com/ZIEHLABEGG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ziehl-abegg-us
• Instagraminstagram.com/ziehl_abegg
• TikToktiktok.com/@ziehl_abegg

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ziehl-Abegg, Inc.