Flender Celebrates 125 Years of Future

When companies celebrate anniversaries, they often look back into the past. How did it all begin? What milestones were there? What successes and perhaps crises? Flender does the same. However, for the drive technology specialist, the 125th anniversary is primarily a reason to look towards the future. Thanks to this forward-looking approach, Flender has become what it is today: a market leader in drive technology for wind energy and industrial production, and a pioneer in industrial transformation and sustainable business practices.

“Without Drive Technology and Flender, Nothing Moves in This World “
“We have always been and will always be a large Flender family. Whether employees, customers, suppliers, partners, or owners—today we all feel like Flenderans. I am incredibly proud to be part of this team and to advance the energy transition with you. Because without drive technology and Flender, nothing moves in this world,” said Flender CEO Andreas Evertz at the grand anniversary party at the main site in Bocholt on Friday evening. The company had invited all employees from the Bocholt, Mussum, and Voerde sites, as well as representatives from customers, suppliers, associations, politics, and regional partners. Around 2,500 guests experienced a spectacular evening.

Among the guests was NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst. In his speech, he congratulated the employees on the successful and eventful history of the company. He emphasized Flender's significance for the entire region as one of the largest employers. Wüst, who grew up just a few kilometers from Flender's headquarters, has memories of Flender dating back to his youth: “125 years of innovation ‘made in North Rhine-Westphalia’: Flender stands for top-class German engineering. As a global leader and the only company still producing wind turbine gearboxes in Germany, Flender sets significant impulses for the energy transition. This contributes not only to the transformation of the economy but also to strengthening the industrial location of Bocholt and the jobs in the region. Flender can truly be proud of this special anniversary!”

Anniversary Party and Family Day as a Thank You to All Employees
Various music and show acts created a great atmosphere on the large open-air stage. The highlight was the grand anniversary show, which spectacularly combined multimedia content with acrobatics and dance. In an emotional story, the four elements—water, air, earth, and fire—symbolized Flender's significance in all areas of life. A drone show over the Bocholter night sky represented the fifth element: Flender and its employees who hold the future of the company and the energy transition in their own hands. 

“This evening was really something very special. None of us expected such a program. During the elements show, I had goosebumps and almost tears in my eyes. This is a real appreciation of our work,” said a long-time employee at the end of the evening.

“It was important to us to celebrate together with everyone today. There should be no separate ceremonies for our customers, suppliers, and partners. That’s what distinguishes Flender: there is no separation; everything works only together,” said Evertz. The anniversary party in Bocholt was the kickoff for celebrations at all worldwide Flender locations throughout the year. The leaders of the 33 national representations came to Bocholt and marched on the large stage with their national flags. Similar to the Olympic flame, they take the spirit of the celebration to their Flender locations.

The identification and pride of the Flender family were also clearly felt at the subsequent Family Day. Many employees took the opportunity to show their families and friends the production halls at the Bocholt site. The crowd was huge, and many more guests than expected strolled through the halls and over the festival grounds on Alfred-Flender-Strasse throughout the day. One of the highlights was the hardening processes in the company’s own hardening shop. Visitors crowded behind the barriers, especially the children, who watched in fascination as the red-hot, 900-degree Celsius gears produced meter-high flames when cooled in the oil bath.

Pioneer in Drive Technology and Industrial Transformation
Throughout its history, Flender has developed into a pioneer for industrial and wind drives. In 1991, the Flender gear unit (short: FSG) was the world’s first gear unit series based on a platform. It remains the industry standard to this day and is the basis for thousands of derivative programs and application specific gear units. The successor "Flender One" has been gradually introduced to the market since 2022, setting new standards in energy efficiency and optimal resource utilization with fully automated configuration and engineering processes combined with AIQ digital gearbox intelligence.

In the 1980s, Flender gearboxes brought the first modern wind turbines to life. Today, the company, with its wind brand "Winergy", is the market leader and has equipped every third wind turbine in the world with a drive component. With continuous increases in power density, Winergy products ensure that wind drives become more powerful and at the same time more compact, a key to the most cost-effective generation of wind power.

Like no other machine manufacturer, Flender is at the heart of the energy transition. As one of the first industrial companies, Flender recognized the significant leverage that energy-efficient industrial production can have. This is the drive: industrial production and energy generation that can both secure our prosperity and at the same time sustainably manage the world’s resources. This also includes returning raw materials to the cycle so that they can be reused. Up to 99 percent of a gearbox can be recycled, and Flender’s global service network ensures that the lifespan of the drives is maximized.

For this reason, among others, the renowned sustainability rating EcoVadis counts Flender among the top one percent of the most sustainable companies in the world. Products for the energy transition, a reduction in its own CO2 emissions by 86 percent, and numerous programs and initiatives for social responsibility, diversity, equal opportunities, inclusion, and belonging. The traditional machine builder has become a modern company and pioneer of industrial transformation and sustainability.

Flender | www.flender.com