Weishaupt: A history of success.

Around 1900 the Schwendi Bellows Factory belongs to Franz Weishaupt Sr, the father of Max Weishaupt and Max's younger brother, Franz. The product line includes various types of bellows – including bellows for church organs – as well as field forges and forging furnaces for locksmiths, blacksmiths, engineering works, and repair shops.

In 1932, right in the middle of the global economic crisis, Max Weishaupt, who was born in Schwendi on 31 October 1908 in Schwendi, establishes his business under the name of “Max Weishaupt, Maschinenfabrik, Schwendi.” “The harder the times, the harder you have to try”: This is the motto under which the company founder begins to manufacture bellows and field forges.

The order book improves considerably from 1936 onwards. Offices are added to the workshop, freeing up more space for production.

In 1938 Max Weishaupt marries Sofie Kiesle, the daughter of a master barber. In the following year their eldest son, Siegfried, is born. Herbert follows in 1941 and Maxillian in 1949. This photo was taken in 1953.

The workshop emerged intact from the Second World War. In the following years, however, the French military authorities order by way of reparation the removal of several thousand pieces of machinery from the Württemberg-Hohenzollern region. A large lathe is confiscated from Max Weishaupt's company. The situation gradually begins to improve following the currency reform of 20 July 1948. Thanks to the purchasing power of the new Deutschmark, raw materials can once again be procured for production. Weishaupt now also manufactures electric motors, work that began with the repair of electric motors in the period immediately after the war.

From 1950 on, Weishaupt supplies cooling fans for the “Maico Mobil” motor scooter, sales of which are very good indeed. The contract comes to an end in 1955 and Weishaupt concentrates completely on combustion technology.

1951 witnesses a decisive encouter between Max Weishaupt and Jakob Meier from Switzerland. The initial reason for the meeting is Weishaupt's interest in selleing electric motors. However, things turn out differently. West Germany has granted Jakob Meier a patent (No. 920976) for his invention of an oil burner and Meier is looking for a German firm to manufacture the burner, known as the “Monarch”, under licence.

The licencing agreement for the “Monarch” burner is signed by Max Weishaupt und Jakob Meier on 6 June – “following long and difficult negotiations and correspondence”, as Weishaupt writes. From now on, the firm can sell the burner anywhere in the world except Switzerland. The first burner is assembled under the watchful eye of Raymond Bärtschi, a Swiss expert in burner technology. He advises the company on technical issues.

The firm's premises are far too small. With the aid of a government reconstruction grant of DM 40 000 Max Weishaupt is able to expand operations. For DM 5000 he buys a building plot behind the "Zum Hirschen" tavern, which today houses the town hall, and builds a new workshop at 2, Gutenzellerstrasse. By the time the new buildings have been completed, it is already clear that they will be too small to accomodate the rapid increase in production. An advetising brochure offers an insight into operations at the company.

Alois Steimer opens the firm's first dealership in Augsburg. He is joined the following year by Hans Niclas in Wissen an der Sieg, and in 1956 by Hans Bongartz in Lübbecke. The latter rapidly becomes one of the very largest dealerships.

Jakob Meier, the inventor of the Monarch burner, dies on 28 January. Completely unexpected, his death means that Weishaupt must reach a new licensing agreement with Meier's widow. This is signed on 1 February 1955.

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The business's range of products has expanded to include electric fans (from DM 214), organ bellows (from DM 175), electric motors (from DM 113), and high-pressure ventilators (from DM 305), as well as, of course, a “fully automatic oil-fired Monarch system”, for DM 2080.

The sales network expands rapidly. Less than a year after the first dealership opened its doors for business, a further 14 join the network.

The firm also makes moves abroad: In the Netherlands, where Ton Harmsen – who becomes a close friend of the Weishaupt family – founds “Monarch Nederland”, and in Portugal, where the Burmester family sets up the Rost & Janus agency.

As operations expand abroad, the firm produces brochures in English and Portuguese. These document the benefits of Weishaupt oil-fired heating and help sales personnel to make a professional impact.

A Weishaupt agency opens in Friedrichshafen under the management of Raymond Bärtschi. Weishaupt oil burners are now supplied complete with a control panel, making it simpler for heating engineers to install the system, and easy and economical for customers to control it.

By the time the business celebrates its 25th anniversary, the workforce has grown to 200 employees, making it the largest industrial enterprise in the Rot Tal area. The celebrations also coincide with the opening of new premises, with a workshop and administrative offices on the Bruckmähder site. The company headquarters is still located here today. To thank the workers for their dedication, Max Weishaupt invites them on a works outing to the picturesque Allgäu region.

Twenty dealers and numerous service centres are now responsible for installing and maintaining Weishaupt products throughout Germany. A confidential letter to customers reveals the importance placed by Max Weishaupt on this side of the business. In it he asks the customers “to let me know if you are satisfied with the care provided to your equipment by my firm's dealers. If, contrary to expectations, this is not the case, I would ask you to please inform me immediately.”

Weishaupt oil burners are now at work in the Imperial Court in Teheran, in the British Air and Labour Ministries, on board Russian ships, and at many other locations in Germany and abroad. “Monarch oil burners are conquering Europe” is the slogan for Germany's best-selling oil-fired burner. Depending on output, a Monarch burner costs between DM 1621 and DM 5859, including the control panel.

At the start of the year the business changes from being a private firm to being a limited liability company. It also gets a new name, “Max Weishaupt Schwendi GmbH”. The company founder informs his buisiness associates of his decision to make his “faithful companion of many years, Sophie Weishaupt, a CO -owner”.

More comfort thanks to the enhanced technology of the “Cuenod” circulation pump, which Weishaupt begins manufacturing under licence from the Swiss firm Atelier de Charmilles from the spring of this year. Previously, gravity alone had to circulate hot water through the heating circuit, a role now reliably taken on by the pump.

“A complete oil-fired heating system” including 3000 litres of heating oil is the first prize in a competition held by Weishaupt in the July edition of “Das Haus” magazine – a first step towards advertising directly to end users.

The “Kleine Bühne”, Schwendi's new cinema, opens its doors to the public. Built on the site of one of the company's former production halls in Gutenzellerstrasse, it rapidly becomes the major attraction in town. Max Weishaupt's main aim is to improve the recreational facilities for company workers and the other town inhabitants. The opening night on 2 September sees the audience entertained by the film “The Forests Sing Forever”, starring Gert Fröbe.

“Dear Cost Centre Managers” begins a memo from Max Weishaupt to the senior management of the company. Growth of the company has been so rapid in recent years that a new system of cost accounting must be introduced. One key improvement will be the introduction of a monthly profit and loss statement.

Just three years after the new main building was opened, it has to be extended. Some 400 employees are working for Weishaupt, and the demands on sales, accounts, and human resources can only be satisfied by a contsantly growing workforce.

The figures for the company's 30th anniversary show an impressive rise in the company's fortunes, particularly following the launch of burner production in 1952. In a mere seven years, revenues have increased sixfold. In 1961, they reached DM 30 million. Weishaupt now has a 500-strong workforce. 25 percent of all oil burners in Germany are made in Schwendi. The company is now represented in 13 countries, while the total number of branch offices, dealerships, and service centres in Germany has risen to 60. In a fitting headline on the company's anniversary, the “Deutsches Volksblatt” proclaims Weishaupt's rise “from workshop to global company”.

Always a technological pioneer, Weishaupt is quick to recognise the benefits of data processing. The introduction of punched-card machines marks the start of a new era.

Simple, minimalist, and elegant. Collaboration with the legendary College of Design in Ulm brings a touch of Bauhaus to company products – a characterisitic which is maintained to this day. The first fruits of this trailblazing partnership include a new exhibition stand and the W1 and WG1 burners. The stand, designed by Hans Gugelot and Hans Sukopp of the Ulm Institute of Product Design, is first used in Frankfurt.

A new burner for a new fuel: The launch of the WG1 gas burner marks the dawn of a new era at Weishaupt. It is the result of extensive research and once again illustrates the remarkable foresight of Max Weishaupt. As one of the first to recognise the importance of natural gas, he is well ahead of most of his rivals in the industry.

The certificate of recognition from the DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water) documents that the new gas burners from Weishaupt are technically sound. Following on the heels of the WG1, an atmospheric burner, the forced-draught WG2 is the company's second gas burner model to hit the market. Approval inspections are undertaken by the Bavarian TÜV (Technical Inspection Authority).

Introduction of the W1 oil burner establishes a new generaton of burners. Pleasing to the eye, technically flawless, and easy to service, W-series burners remain one of the pillars of the Weishaupt product line to this day. Moreover, as the first ever burner to come fitted with a multi-pole electrical plug – a feature that greatly eases installation – the W1 is way ahead of its time.

The high demand for W1 burners prompts Weishaupt to expand its production facilities. Following the construction of a further 6500 m² of factory space, the company now has 22 000 m² dedicated to the manufacture of burners.

Talks are held with leading representatives of major eastern bloc companies at the Leipzig trade fair. The W1 burner and the WS1 control panel are awarded a gold medal for technical excellence.

Another innovation emerges from the Müller-Brockmann design studio – the company's first brochure for end users. The brochure, “Weishaupt – Wärme, Wohlbehagen, Wirtschaftlichkeit” (Weishaupt – heat, comfort, efficiency) showcases the company's products and their various applications.

An outstation of the Research & Development Institute is in operation at the Augsburg municipal gas works from September to December. As there is no gas supply yet in Schwendi, tests and developmental work on larger gas and dual-fuel burners have to take place in these peculiar provisional facilities.

The figures for the company's 35th anniversary show a further leap forward in the fortunes of Max Weishaupt GmbH. Revenues total DM 69.4 million in 1967. Of that sum 60 percent is generated in Germany and 40 percent abroad. Overall profits have doubled in the space of five years. All in all, the Weishaupt organisation now has 2690 employees: 872 in the main plant and branch offices, 317 in the French and Belgian subsidiaries, and 1501 at dealerships and agencies in Germany and abroad. The sales and service network comprises 13 company offices, 20 dealers, 35 agencies, 133 regional agencies, and 238 service centres.

The new U4 oil burner is suitable for use in district heating plant and with other large heat generators. Like all U-series burners it can overcome high combustion chamber resistances and can therefore be combined with all high-output boilers.

The company responds to the introduction of VAT at a rate of 10 percent on 1 January by lowering the price of all its products by 9.09 percent. Consequently, list prices – now including VAT – remain largely unchanged.

“Gas is the fuel of the future” – this headline from the “Handelsblatt” of 25 October shows just how visionary Max Weishaupt's decision to develop and launch the company's first gas burner back in 1962 turned out to be. The renowned business daily reports on a “tidal wave of natural gas”, and Weishaupt is ideally positioned.

The 500 000th burner leaves the production line, 17 years after the manufacture of the first Monarch burner. Despite being an awesome figure, it still pales in comparison with the company's total production capacity, which has reached 100 000 burners per year by the end of the 1960s.

Safety first – especially with gas-fired equipment. Therefore, even though not stipulated by the regulations, all gas burners are equipped with Class-A solenoid valves.

Outstanding technology and classic design – this is the simple but successful recipe that has been used for all new products since cooperation first began with the designers Hans Gugelot (died 1965) and Hans Sukopp. Its influence is once again clear to see on the WP control desk, a successful combination of superior components and a clear, minimalist design.

Having been manufactured at the plant during the small hours of Sunday morning and subsequently installed in Cologne, four WG3 gas burners are ready for operation by 05:00 on Monday morning. Thanks to the dedication of Weishaupt's Cologne branch office, a major local company that had been let down by another supplier is able to convert its drying plant from town gas to natural gas in time for the start of its early shift at the beginning of the week.

The German patent office grants patent protection to the “twin-diffuser mixing assembly” developed by Weishaupt's Research and Development Institute that Weishaupt has been fitting to its gas and dual-fuel burners since the previous year. As well as producing an optimal mixture of air with either gas or oil, this innovation also ensures a more stable flame.

The parish church in Schwendi is presented with four new bells, which have been donated by Max Weishaupt, his wife, and their three sons. They will ring in the New Year in 1972. Weishaupt's readiness to contribute to worthy causes – the parish church is just one example – remains a tradition to this very day.

Weishaupt celebrates its 40th anniversary and some impressive figures. Overall revenues for the anniversary year amount to DM 111.8 million. Of that total, 70 percent is generated in Germany and the remaining 30 percent abroad. The plant in Schwendi now has 930 employees. A further 348 work at the branch offices, and 290 are employed in the company's foreign subsidiaries. In Germany, Weishaupt's share of the domestic burner market remains constant at 25 percent.

Eight years after its market launch, the 500 000th W-series burner rolls off the production line. “No need for big celebration”, observes the “Weishaupt Report” in a matter-of-fact manner. Such milestones are commonplace in Schwendi.

Weishaupt do Brasil opens its new plant in September. The new factory in São Paulo is completed less than two years after the subsidiary was founded. Senator Max Weishaupt inaugurates the new facility.

Following detailed scrutiny by the DVGW, Weishaupt is certified as a maintenance company in line with DVGW Data Sheet G 676. This means that the company is now allowed to service equipment it has supplied.

The WK5, the largest burner ever produced by the company, leaves the production line. The larger the rating, the more demanding the technological specifications. Weishaupt's excellent reputation in the sector – the company has a name for both reliable technology and excellent customer service – brings it an exceptionally high market share. Intended for industrial use, the WK5 has an oil throughput of 2400 kg/h.

The Herbert Weishaupt Foundation is created. Named after Max Weishaupt's second son, the Ulm-based foundation is dedicated to research into the causes and treatment of diabetes, the illness that claimed Herbert Weishaupt's life on 4 February 1973. The foundation is launched with a founding capital of DM 50 000.

The Max Weishaupt GmbH balance sheet tops the DM 100 million mark for the first time.

“Don't let your money go up in smoke” is the message targeted directly at end users. Seven simple and effective tips on how to save money on heating draw attention to the brochure's central statement: Investment in a Weishaupt burner is one of the most effective ways to go easy on both the environment and your pocket.

A new branch office opens for business in Kassel

A contract signed with Singhotext adds Taiwan to the broad network of company agencies. In the Swiss town of Reinach, HSB also becomes an agency.

In the year of the company's 45th anniversary, the consolidated revenues of the Weishaupt Group rise to DM 177 million. Exports account for 36 percent of this total. The plant in Schwendi now has 925 employees. A further 325 work at the branch offices, while 430 are employeed in the company's foreign subsidiaries, most of them in France and Brazil.

The blue flame is a trademark of the “Purflam” oil burner, which is produced in a pilot run of 200 units. Its special characteristic is that the oil and air are mixed such that they literally gasify and thus combust completely, like gas. As a result the flame is blue. The purflam is the result of more than a decade of development work.

The age of the computer dawns with the arrival of the first word processors, as they were then known. Displacing the humble typewriter, the new technology quickly revolutionises office work and administration.

The new headquarters of Weishaupt UK are opened in Willenhall, near Birmingham. It is here that products are modified to conform to British regulations. The subsidiaries large warehouse facilities – and well-equipped service vehicles – ensure prompt delivery to the customer.

A clean environment is a top priority at Weishaupt. The company pursues this goal both in relation to its products and its production processes and, to this end, opens a new wastewater treatment plant in Schwendi in April. The facility cleans all wastewater so thoroughly that it can be released into the sewers without any risk to the environment. Previously, the wastewater had to be treated at a special collection point in Munich.

“Manager Magazin”, one of Germany's leading business publications, carries a photo of Siegfried Weishaupt on the cover of its April issue. The lead story, “Energy Crisis Opens Up Attractive Markets”, takes a look at how successful companies have dealt with the consequences of the oil crisis, while an interview with Siegfried Weishaupt forms the magazine's top feature. The dramatic cover has a portrait of Weishaupt set against a backdrop of the company site in Schwendi where a large industrial burner propels a huge tongue of flame into the night sky.

High-precision production has always been one of the basics at Weishaupt. Using a CNC measuring machine with a digital Display , work pieces can be examined in more detail and the results recorded fully automatically.

A heated nozzle is one of the major innovations in the company's new WL10 atomising oil burner. Thanks to this Weishaupt development, even light oil is preheated, which greatly enhances conditions when the burner starts firing. What's more, the new technology ensures trouble-free operation with boilers that have an especially low output, such as those used to heat single-family homes. The WL10 will go on to receive the “Blauer Engel” (Blue Angel) environmental award the following year on account of its exceptional combustion properties.

Farewell to Max Weishaupt. On 18 August, shortly before his 74th birthday, and in the 50th anniversary year of the company he founded, Max Weishaupt dies. From humble beginnings in a small workshop in 1932, the company has grown into an organisation of international renown.Thanks to the company's economic might, and Max Weishaupt's personal involvement in local affairs, the town of Schwendi has become a prospering community. The photo shows Max Weishaupt together with his wife, Sophie, in the garden of their villa. It is a typical scene for a man who always had a close bond to his family.

The German Museum in Munich, one of the world's leading museums of technology, selects two Weishaupt burners – a WL2 oil burner and a WG1 forced-draught gas burner – for use in one of its demonstrations in the section on oil and natural gas. The exhibit shows how measuring equipment is used to record Emissions  and combustion data.

The two-millionth Weishaupt burner leaves the production line in April. It is a WG2 forced-draught gas burner and is donated by the company to a programme for disabled children in the German city of Wuppertal.

All in all, 108 young people are undergoing training at Weishaupt this year as clerical assistants, administrators, draughters, fitters, instrument technicians, and toolmakers. This amounts to 11 percent of the total workforce. The company is thus making a significant contribution to the provision of vocational training in the region. It is also doing much more in this area than most firms. In Germany, the proportion of trainees in businesses typically amounts to five percent.

A new class of burner hits the market: The launch of the large size 60 and 70 burners marks the beginning of a generation of Weishaupt industrial burners featuring state-of-the-art control technology and superb combustion figures. The gas, oil, and dual-fuel burners have ratings in the 700 to 11 000 kW range.

Over half the members of the workforce have been with the company for more than 10 years. In fact, 20 percent have worked at Weishaupt for more than 20 years. This statistic reflects the excellent employment conditions and good working atmosphere in the company.

“Oil and gas for a clean environment” is the subject of a symposium held in Schwendi on 11 October. Numerous specialists gather to discuss the research report that Weishaupt has produced on this topic. The work takes a critical look at the “Third Immissions Protection Report of the [German] Federal Government” of 1984 that does not differentiate between “domestic users and small consumers” when presenting the burden to the environment that results from gas and oil combustion. Experts from the company describe the technology already available that could be used to reduce the level of harmful Emissions . A 20-page brochure containing important information and arguments on this subject is published in a print run of 100 000 copies. It attracts a great deal of attention.

Delta Modern Service becomes the national agent for Weishaupt products in Egypt. Saeed Owies, the company owner, has had the benefit of thorough training in Schwendi.

Monarch-France, the first and largest of Weishaupt's foreign subsidiaries, celebrates its 25th anniversary. Initially founded in Paris, the company relocated to Thionville in Lorraine before moving to Colmar, where it is still based today. With annual revenues of 200 million francs in 1986, Monarch-France has a larger turnover than any other burner company in France. Some 300 employees at a total of 40 branches and technical offices, many in fully-owned premises, look after customers throughout France.

The Italian subsidiary moves into a newly built headquarters in Saronno.

Weishaupt's turnover hits the DM 300 million for the first time ever – just in time for the company's 55th anniversary. The balance sheet total reaches DM 178 million. A total of 983 people are employed in Schwendi, with a further 506 working at the company's 20 branches in Germany, and 613 at the ten foreign subsidiaries. Exports, two-thirds of which are handled by the company's foreign subsidiairies, account for 37 percent of revenues.

Another branch office opens in Blumberg near Donaueschingen.

A new branch office in Ravensburg is now responsible for the area around Lake Constance. This region was formerly served by the agency belonging to Raymond Bärtschi, who once advised Weishaupt on burner technology. Bärtschi had given up the agency on health grounds and died shortly afterwards.

There is a powerful tradition of employee welfare at Weishaupt. Following in the footsteps of company founder Max Weishaupt, who once built housing for employees moving to Schwendi, Siegfried Weishaupt now sets up a company pension scheme with exceptional benefits.

Farewell to Sofie Weishaupt, who passes away on 16 February at the age of 81. CO -owner and wife of company founder, Max Weishaupt, she was a devoted companion in the crucial years of the company's growth and helped to shape the destiny of the company in many areas. Throughout her life she continued to take a lively interest in company affairs.

What a success! Barely on the market and the Weishaupt Thermo Unit is already attracting a host of awards. At the Hanover Industrial Design Forum, for example, Birgit Breuel, the Finance Minister of Lower Saxony, presents Siegfried with the “Special Award for Design Excellence”. At the Munich trade fair, he receives the “Federal Prize for Outstanding Innovation for the Skilled Trades”. The Design Centres of Stuttgart and North Rhine-Wesphalia also honour the Thermo Unit – as does the jury at the “Interclima” trade fair in Paris. Similarly, the sales figures – more than 10 000 units sold in the first year of production – provide just as much cause for celebration.

The two-millionth burner W-series burner leaves the production line. At the plant itself, as the “Weishaupt Report” notes, such an exceptional milstone goes almost unnoticed.

The Weishaupt pennant has never before fluttered at an altitude of 6480 m – in fact it's probably the first ever banner from a heating industry company on a six-thousander! Jean Bernhard Gaumin, leader of a mountaineering expedition and a heating engineer by trade, poses for a picture after he and eight companions reach the summit of Ausangate in the Peruvian Andes.

The three-millionth burner since production began in 1952 leaves the factory in Schwendi. The landmark manufacture is a WGL30 dual-fuel burner. It is donated to the district hospital in Löbau, Saxony.

The Weishaupt Forum opens following two years of construction. At a ceremony held in May, the company's new exhibition, training, and social centre is inaugurated in the presence of the New York architect, Richard Meier. Purist in style and precise down to the last detail, it gives the site in Schwendi a new look. One of the highlights of the celebrations, which are attended by hundreds of guests, is a concert given by the famous contemporary composer, Philipp Glass, a leading representative of so-called minimalist music. At the ceremony he plays his own work, “Opening”.

The excellent standard of quality management at Weishaupt brings the company ISO 9001/EN 29001 accreditation. This is certified by DQS, the German Society for the Certification of Management Systems, which has tested the full range of company processes at Weishaupt – in other words, everything from the initial acceptance of an order to customer service. The certification is official confirmation that quality management at Weishaupt meets international standards.

The Weishaupt Forum is awarded the “German Architecture Prize '93” – a major honour. Speaker of the Bundestag, Rita Süssmuth, presents the award to Siegfried Weishaupt at a ceremony held at the German parliament in Bonn. In the words of the jury, the Forum, which was designed by Richard Meier, “successfully combines an industrial manufacturing facility, a training centre, and a space for an important collection of contemporary art within a single constructional whole.”

The 14th subsidiary is founded in Sweden. A branch office in Regensburg is added to the sales and service network, assuming responsibility for the eastern Bavaria region. Abroad, several companies become agents for Weishaupt products: Energia in Athens, Rajni in India, and Termoking in Macedonia.

The new “Weishaupt Thermo Gas”, a gas-fired special heating boiler, is launched onto the market. Available with seven rated outputs from 9 to 34 kW, the right Thermo Gas boiler can be selected to suit the size and heating requirements of individual houses or blocks of flats. The boiler is delivered preassembled and preset, making installation and commissioning child's play for the heating engineer.

Siegfried Weishaupt is elected president of the European Burner  Committee (CEB). Max Weishaupt had been one of the CEB's founders and served as its first president.

Unmistakably the work of Richard Meier: Weishaupt's new exhibition stand, first unveiled at ISH in Frankfurt, was designed by the famous New York architect. The language of form that already marked out the Weishaupt Forum, its classic proportions, and the gleaming white surfaces set it apart from conventional trade fair stands. Meier's design replaces the stand concept designed by Hans Sukopp in 1963, which stood the test of time for many years.

The company has two good reasons to celebrate in the Netherlands, as Monarch Nederland celebrates its 40th anniversary and founder Ton Harmsen his 70th birthday. Harmsen was one of the people who helped carve out the European market for oil and then gas-fired burners. Over the years he has been both a close business associate and also a good friend of the Weishaupt family.

Major investments in manufacturing equipment simplify and automate production. For instance, when an order is entered into the stock control system, the new long-goods store automatically supplies the material requested from one of the 180 cassettes. Over at the new sheet metal processing centre, a computer controls operations. Practically any shape can be created using its laser technology. Meanwhile, at the bending centre, a robot loads the machine, removes the angled tube, and puts the finished work piece into a waiting container.

The launch of the new “Weishaupt Thermo Condens” gas-fired condensing boiler rounds off the company's product range. At the heart of the unit is a single-cast aluminium-silicone heat exchanger, which is particularly corrosion resistant. Thanks to the special design of this heat exchanger it is possible to harness the latent heat from the steam in the flue gases. The unit is both economical and environmentally friendly, as the flue gases produced contain minimal levels of NO_x and Carbon monoxide .

The age of digital combustion management begins with the launch of the W40 burners. The heart of the W40 is a Combustion manager , whose microprocessor monitors and controls all functions. The W40 can be connected to a building management system via an integral data bus, thereby enabling remote monitoring and diagnosis. In a further innovation, both gas and oil burners share a common technical platform – a feature that greatly simplifies assembly, operation, adjustment and maintenance, materials planning, and the supply of spare parts.

In the company's 65th anniversary year, consolidated group revenues climb to DM 642 million. In total, Weishaupt has 2750 employees, of whom 1038 work at the main Schwendi plant, 725 in the company's German branch offices, 188 at Neuberger, and 754 in the foreign subsidiaries.

multiflam^® is the name of a new burner technology that reduces NO_x Emissions  to a level once thought unattainable for oil-fired applications operating under everyday conditions. Thanks to this new development, NO_x figures consistently below 120 mg/kWh have become a reality – as confirmed in a field test at Zwiefalten Abbey hospital, where the NO_x Emissions  of both of the Weishaupt burners remained below 100 mg/kWh. So how does multiflam work? Three to four secondary nozzles are arranged concentrically around the primary nozzle and atomise the liquid fuel. The atomised oil from these nozzles mixes with the Combustion air  and the Combustion gases  in the combustion chamber and partially vaporises. This fuel mixture then combusts with a primary flame that is almost completely blue – similar to the blue-flame system used for lower-rated burners. Multiflam technology thus ensures the optimal, complete, and soot-free combustion of gas oil with drastically reduced NO_x formation and minimal excess air. The multiflam burner enters series production the following year.

Weishaupt continues its happy relationship with the world of architecture. The latest fruit of this productive partnership is the new headquarters of the company's Swiss subsidiary in Zurich. The principle feature of the building, which has been designed by the renowned Zurich architect Theo Hotz, is a glass shield that provides protection from the sunlight and the noise of the nearby A1 motorway. Moreover, the structure was designed to accommodate the needs of the energy-saving BMS that is installed.

A new era in data processing dawns at Weishaupt with the successful introduction of SAP's “R/3” business software at the Schwendi plant. R/3 unifies working processes and links up all areas of business management, All branch offices will be networked by 2000, and all subsidiaries by 2001. The aim is the optimal processing of every single order.

“Montage 2000” (Assembly 2000) is the name of one of the largest investment projects in Weishaupt's history. In a drive to optimise burner production, the company not only internally rebuilds an exisiting production hall but also builds an ultra-modern, 2300 m² new one. The new facility comes on line at the end of the year and rapidly enhances the speed, flexibility, efficiency, employee-friendliness, and reliability of production processes.

The trend toward condensing boilers intensifies with the launch of the new WTC45 and WTC60, which take the output range up to 62 kW. By means of a so-called cascade arrangement, in which up to four condensing boilers are connected together in series, outputs of up to 240 kW can be attained.

50 years with one company – Bruno Rothmaier celebrated this extraordinary achievement on 1 October. Having joined the company in 1951 as a 13-year-old apprentice fitter, he has witnessed the entire history of burner manufacture in Schwendi.

With a standard efficiency of 110 percent, the new “Weishaupt thermo Condens-A” series has reached the limits of the technically feasible. This gas-fired condensing boiler – a completely new development from the company's own Research and Development Institute – features a world premiere: the “SCOT System”. This innovative technology guarantees optimal combustion figures regardless of gas composition and excellent combustion throughout the whole life of the boiler.