Howden Turbo

Howden Turbo GmbH is a German engineering company headquartered in Frankenthal, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The company operates in industrial turbomachinery, with products and engineering services centered on steam turbines, turbo compressors, process-gas compressors, and industrial fans. Its equipment is used in applications including power generation, mechanical drive systems, chemical processing, water and wastewater treatment, mining, steelmaking, and cement production. The Howden Turbo identity was established in 2017 after the acquisition of Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment GmbH, commonly abbreviated as STE, by the industrial engineering group associated with Howden and Colfax Corporation. The transaction transferred a long-established Frankenthal engineering operation into the Howden organization. The company was formally established as Howden Turbo GmbH on October 3, 2017, and its business history reaches back through Siemens to the former Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch group. The predecessor business was created in 1899 through the merger of three family companies led by Georg Adam Kühnle, Hans Kopp, and Rudolf Kausch. Under the Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch name, the company developed expertise in turbines, compressors, and related rotating equipment. Its history also included an automotive turbocharging operation. KKK turbochargers became visible in motorsport during the 1970s, including their use in Porsche's Martini-sponsored World Championship-winning 935 racing program. The automotive turbocharger activities were later separated from the industrial business and ultimately became associated with BorgWarner. Ownership changed repeatedly during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. MTU acquired a majority interest in 1983, bringing the business indirectly into the Daimler-Benz group after Daimler-Benz acquired MTU. Penske Corporation acquired a majority stake in 1994, followed by BorgWarner's acquisition of a majority interest in 1997. In 1998, the turbocharging systems division was separated as 3K-Warner Turbosystems, while the remaining Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch activities continued as an industrial engineering business. The Turbo Group and Frankfurt-based private-equity firm ECM acquired the company in 2005. Siemens Power Generation acquired it in 2006, and the company was renamed Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment GmbH in 2007. Within Siemens, the business complemented the power-generation portfolio with industrial steam turbines rated up to approximately five megawatts. Multi-turbine arrangements, including Tridem and Quadriga configurations, could extend the combined capacity to approximately ten megawatts. Its compressor and fan products served a broader range of process and infrastructure applications. In 2015, Siemens announced a plan to relocate turbine production to its Brno facility in the Czech Republic as part of a cost-reduction program. The proposal threatened a substantial reduction in employment at Frankenthal and led to protests and discussions with the works council and IG Metall. Siemens subsequently began seeking a buyer for the complete site. The sale to the Howden organization was announced in 2017 and completed for a reported price of €195 million. Howden Turbo retained the Frankenthal base and was associated with additional locations in Springfield, Missouri; Helsingør, Denmark; and Mornago, Italy. The brand therefore combines a modern Howden corporate identity with more than a century of inherited German turbomachinery engineering history. Its principal market role is as a specialist supplier of engineered rotating equipment for industrial customers rather than as a consumer-facing brand.

Howden Turbo's direct corporate history begins in 2017, when Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment GmbH was acquired by the Howden organization associated with Colfax Corporation and renamed Howden Turbo GmbH. Its industrial heritage is considerably older. The predecessor company was formed in 1899 through the combination of three family businesses led by Georg Adam Kühnle, Hans Kopp, and Rudolf Kausch. The resulting Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch business, based in Frankenthal, developed into a German mechanical-engineering company specializing in rotating machinery. During the twentieth century, the business operated across both industrial and automotive turbocharging fields. Its KKK turbocharger name became particularly recognizable in motorsport. A single KKK turbocharger was used in the Martini-sponsored Porsche 935 that won the World Championship in 1976, while later versions of the racing car used twin-turbo arrangements. The automotive turbocharging activities were subsequently separated from the industrial company and were acquired by BorgWarner. In 1998, the turbocharging systems operation was spun out as 3K-Warner Turbosystems, a BorgWarner subsidiary. The industrial Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch business underwent a series of ownership changes. MTU acquired a majority interest in 1983. Following Daimler-Benz's acquisition of MTU, the company became an indirect Daimler-Benz subsidiary. Penske Corporation acquired a majority stake in 1994, and BorgWarner acquired a majority interest in 1997. In March 2005, the Turbo Group and Frankfurt private-equity firm ECM acquired Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch. Siemens Power Generation Group acquired the company in July 2006, with the transaction completed in November of that year. Under Siemens, the business complemented the power-generation division with industrial steam turbines of up to five megawatts. Where several turbines operated together in Tridem or Quadriga arrangements, the combined output could reach approximately ten megawatts. The wider product range included turbo compressors, process-gas compressors, and fans. Turbines served power-generation and mechanical-drive duties; compressors were used in chemical, water, and wastewater applications; and fans were supplied for power plants, mines, steel plants, and cement plants. On June 12, 2007, the company was renamed Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment GmbH. In 2015, Siemens announced plans to move turbine production to Brno in the Czech Republic for cost reasons. The proposal would have affected approximately 210 of the roughly 600 jobs at Frankenthal and triggered strong opposition from employees, the works council, and IG Metall. Siemens subsequently sought a buyer for the complete operation rather than implementing the proposed production reduction as originally announced. The Howden acquisition was announced in 2017. The transaction was reported at €195 million and included the Palatinate factory and related international branches. Howden Turbo GmbH was founded on October 3, 2017, through the acquisition of the Siemens business. The company consequently entered the Howden portfolio with a long-established engineering base, a Frankenthal headquarters, and a product range focused on industrial turbines, compressors, and fans. The brand's history is therefore best understood as a transition from the Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch industrial group, through Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment, into the Howden organization.

• 2017

  Howden Turbo GmbH is founded

  [1]Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org

  Following the sale of Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment, Howden Turbo GmbH was established on October 3.

• 2007

  Renamed Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment

  [1]Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org

  The company changed its name to Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment GmbH.

• 2006

  Siemens completes acquisition

  [1]Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org

  Siemens Power Generation Group acquired the company, completing the transaction in November.

• 2005

  Acquisition by Turbo Group and ECM

  [1]Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org

  The Turbo Group and Frankfurt-based private-equity firm ECM acquired Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch.

• 1998

  Turbocharging division spun off

  [1]Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org

  The turbocharging systems division was separated as 3K-Warner Turbosystems, a BorgWarner subsidiary.

• 1997

  BorgWarner acquires majority interest

  [1]Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org

  BorgWarner acquired a majority stake in Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch.

• 1994

  Penske Corporation becomes majority owner

  [1]Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org

  Penske Corporation acquired a majority interest from the Daimler-Benz group and MTU.

• 1983

  MTU acquires a majority interest

  [1]Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org

  Motoren- und Turbinen-Union acquired the majority of Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch.

• 1976

  KKK turbocharger used in Porsche 935 racing program

  [1]Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org

  A single KKK turbocharger was used in the Martini-sponsored Porsche 935 that won the World Championship.

• 1899

  Formation of Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch

  [1]Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org

  Three family businesses led by Georg Adam Kühnle, Hans Kopp, and Rudolf Kausch merged to form the predecessor of the later Howden Turbo operation.

A specialist industrial turbomachinery engineering brand built on German rotating-equipment expertise, serving power, process, water, mining, metals, and cement applications.

• Steam turbines

  Industrial steam turbines

  Howden Turbo's industrial steam turbines are used for electricity generation and as mechanical drives in industrial facilities. The inherited Siemens-era range included turbines rated up to approximately five megawatts, with multi-turbine arrangements capable of higher combined output. Their applications include industrial power generation and process installations requiring controlled steam expansion and reliable rotating power.

• Multi-turbine systems

  Tridem and Quadriga systems

  Tridem and Quadriga configurations combine three or four turbines operating together. These arrangements extend the useful output of the turbine portfolio beyond the rating of a single unit and were associated with combined capacities of up to approximately ten megawatts. They are intended for industrial power-generation and mechanical-drive applications.

• Compressors

  Turbo compressors

  Turbo compressors form part of the company's rotating-equipment portfolio for industrial process duties. The products support applications requiring continuous compression of gases and complement the steam-turbine business within industrial plants. The historical product range served sectors including chemical processing and water-related infrastructure.

• Process compressors

  Process-gas compressors

  Process-gas compressors are designed for industrial environments in which gases must be compressed as part of a production or treatment process. The predecessor business supplied this type of equipment to chemical-industry applications and other process plants, where engineered configuration and integration with site machinery are important considerations.

• Industrial fans

  Industrial fans

  The fan range serves heavy industrial and infrastructure environments. Historical applications included power plants, mines, steelworks, and cement plants. These installations use large-scale air-moving equipment for ventilation, combustion, cooling, material handling, or process control, depending on the facility's requirements.

• 2017

  Sale of Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment to HowdenM&A

  Background

  Siemens sought a buyer for its complete turbomachinery operation after the proposed production restructuring at Frankenthal. The business had inherited the Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch engineering portfolio.

  Action taken

  The Howden organization associated with Colfax Corporation acquired the company in a transaction reported at €195 million and renamed it Howden Turbo GmbH.

  Aftermath

  Howden Turbo retained its Frankenthal headquarters and continued operating with associated locations in Springfield, Missouri; Helsingør, Denmark; and Mornago, Italy.

  Reported purchase price. €195 million transaction value (2017 acquisition)

  Source

• 2015

  Proposed relocation of turbine productionStrategy

  Background

  Siemens Power Generation announced that it intended to relocate turbine production from Frankenthal to its plant in Brno, Czech Republic, citing cost considerations. The proposal threatened approximately 210 jobs at the German site.

  Action taken

  Siemens began discussions with the works council and employees and subsequently moved toward selling the complete Frankenthal operation rather than simply implementing the planned production transfer.

  Aftermath

  The business was ultimately sold to the Howden organization, leading to the creation of Howden Turbo GmbH and preserving the Frankenthal operation within a new corporate structure.

  Source

1. 1Howden Turboen.wikipedia.org