The recession in the construction industry slowed Enervent Zehnder’s growth – strong investment in cooling technology

19.3.2024 Outi

A trend familiar from many industrial sectors was also repeated last year in the business of Porvoo based ventilation technology manufacturer Enervent Zehnder. When the construction of new apartments in Finland slowed down rapidly, it also directly affected the demand for ventilation units. The highlights of last year were the business in Norway and future-building development projects.

– The beginning of 2023 went really well. The rapid change came in the second half of the year, and the stagnation of housing construction was also visible in our order backlog. In terms of public and office construction sites as well as renovation construction, the situation was better compared to the whole year, says Thomas Söderholm, Managing Director of Enervent Zehnder.

According to him, a similar market development has been seen in Central Europe, where there was a general decline in housing construction last year. It has also affected other Zehnder Group subsidiaries. The group’s turnover decreased by 6% compared to the previous year, but the cash flow was still strong, and the result was around 60 million euro.

Söderholm confirms that a special highlight in the Nordic market has been Norway, where market changes have been smaller and demand has remained steady.

– High electricity and energy costs have made both private and business customers think about their equipment choices in connection with renovations. The technology in Enervent Zehnder’s devices is energy efficient, which has given us an additional competitive advantage in the current situation.

Attention in sustainable development

The product development of Enervent Zehnder’s devices has been done in the company’s own premises from the beginning. In Porvoo, there is also a cold laboratory that performs continuous testing, suitable for the northern climate.

– Last year’s most significant launch was related to mobile technology. In May, we released iSLa, i.e. a mobile application that controls ventilation units. It replaces the separate control panels supplied with the units and at the same time helps to reduce the amount of plastic waste. In addition, the professional version of iSLa enables the commissioning and monitoring of units remotely, which significantly saves the driving kilometres of the maintenance staff.

– The demand for cooling solutions has increased in recent years. Our Svea Cooler, launched last year as a continuation of the HP models, was very well received and the product family will grow soon. We will return to it in more detail in April.

– In addition to novelties, we develop solutions to extend the life cycle of products. A good example of this is automation change packages. They are an efficient way to extend the life of our units and improve energy efficiency at the same time.

Solid support from the Zehnder Group

The Swiss Zehnder Group became the owner of Enervent in 2018.

– Last year, one of our most important projects was the preparation for the introduction of a new enterprise resource planning system and the related changes in production and logistics. It tied up our key personnel resources for the whole year but enables export deliveries to the group’s global sales network. At the same time, it brings efficiency to internal processes and material flows. The implementation will be in April at the same time in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

– At the same time, the group’s common brand reform has progressed. For its part, it supports making Finnish ventilation units known in new markets. Our external colour world is changing, but manufacturing and product development still remain strong in Finland and Porvoo, emphasizes Söderholm.

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The renovation contractor should compare ventilation solutions

18.3.2024 Outi

Renovation of the property provides the perfect opportunity to reconsider the technical systems. Especially in smaller properties, it is easy to end up just replacing the old ventilation unit with a newer version, which is not always reasonable. It’s worth spending time comparing different options. Enervent Zehnder’s energy-efficient technology is suitable for buildings in different sizes and locations.

The goal of the renovations is to extend the useful life of the properties and improve functionality at the same time. Replacing the ventilation unit is an essential part of improving the building’s energy efficiency. Old ventilation systems no longer meet current requirements or provide sufficient ventilation, which can also lead to indoor air problems. Changes are also expected for energy costs when new devices significantly reduce consumption.

– Enervent units have a rotating heat exchanger, which is the most energy-efficient technology on the market. In addition to high heat recovery, the devices have cooling recovery in the summer. This way, the need for cooling is reduced and costs are saved, says Ronni Laaksonen, who is responsible for sales.

For the big stadium and the home of a family with children – we have suitable ventilation units for all environments

Enervent Zehnder has supplied equipment to numerous renovation construction sites. Among them are well-known properties as well as private homes.

In the renovation of the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, we delivered six different equipment models for the job. Due to the small ducts, a de-centralized ventilation solution was chosen for the premises. Our ventilation units were installed, among other things, in the stadium’s first-aid rooms, sales points, and washing and changing rooms.

Similarly, in the prestigious building renovated on Bulevardi in Helsinki, the ventilation was customized for each apartment. We delivered ventilation equipment to all apartments and commercial premises, a total of five different equipment models. In this destination, the elegant and unobtrusive appearance of the equipment was one of the selection criteria.

We also found a suitable solution for a family that is renovating an old house to be a suitable home for a family with children. They wanted to keep the gravity ventilation in the house, but a different solution was needed for the bedrooms. The solution was found in Zehnder’s ComfoSpot, a room-specific ventilation device with heat recovery that is both quiet and can be landscaped from the outside and inside.

– The most important thing in the overall renovation of the ventilation system in connection with renovation construction is to decide how to sensibly do the necessary duct work. Finding the answer is part of the HVAC designers’ skills, Ronni Laaksonen emphasizes.

If the property already has an Enervent ventilation unit installed, an option can also be an automation modification package for the old ventilation unit instead of replacing the entire unit.

Ask us more about different product options: enervent@enervent.com

Photo: Enernvent Zehnder’s Ronni Laaksonen and Heikki Sivonen from Lämpökarelia

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Our ERP system will be updated on April 1. – Read a more detailed schedule of changes

12.3.2024 Outi

As we begin our 41st year at Enervent Zehnder, we are taking a leap forward to improve our services. At the beginning of April (2^nd April) we will implement the common enterprise control system of our parent group Zehnder Group. SAP is one of the leading ERP systems on the market and we can use it to ensure that we will also meet the changing needs of our customers in the future.

With the implementation, we can optimize our operations with the help of real-time data, which means an even better service for our customers and all our partners. It enables, among other things, more accurate product labelling than before. Correspondingly, you can see the delivery time already at the time of ordering. The system also facilitates ordering products from other Zehnder Group companies.

Effects of the transition phase

The project started in April 2023, and it has engaged many of our key personnel during the past year. We have wanted to ensure a smooth transition for all our stakeholders.

The implementation of the SAP system will inevitably cause a few temporary disruptions. There is a short break in our production, which delays deliveries for a while. In connection with this, our online store is also closed due to updating works from March 20th to April 2nd.

Sales, customer service and technical support will serve normally throughout the transition. We have made special arrangements to secure our customers’ spare parts deliveries during the outage. They cover most of our spare parts selection.

As always, there may be surprises, but we have planned the change phase as precisely as possible. We apologize in advance for the inconvenience caused by the delays. If anyone is left wondering, questions can be sent to our customer service at enervent@enervent.com.