German heat pump boom tests industry's resilience
STORY: In a way, Stiebel Eltron has never had it so good.
The heating manufacturer’s main factory is working 24 hours a day making the energy-efficient heat pumps that Germany needs to wean itself off Russian gas.
But it's also never had it so tough -- with supply bottlenecks, labor shortages, and surging energy costs making it impossible to meet nearly limitless demand.
Kai Schiefelbein is the company's chief operating officer:
“On the one hand, it is Germany's absolute strength as an industrial location that we have skilled workers. On the other hand, we need more.”
Thousands of medium-sized, family-owned companies like this one are the engine room of Germany's economy.
They account for half its output and some 40 million jobs.
Their ability to adapt will be the key test of whether Germany's prosperity, built on its manufacturing excellence, can survive.
Heat pumps are reverse refrigerators that suck heat out of the environment to warm houses through the winter using a quarter of the energy of a gas boiler,
They're in heavy demand as Germany prepares for a winter with less Russian gas.
But like many other medium-sized family owned companies, Stiebel Eltron is now struggling because of snarled-up global supply chains.
“We will produce around 80,000 heat pumps this year. That's decent growth. We're proud of that. Now we also have to be honest: it doesn't match what we could sell if we had unrestricted delivery capability."
Supply chains, already stretched by the health crisis, have been further frayed by the war in Ukraine, while the cost of raw materials has also soared.
Despite this, the surge in demand has been a bonanza for the company -- it sold 50,000 heat pumps last year and expects to sell 80,000 this year.
相關影片推薦
- 1:47「膠帶黏香蕉」藝術品 估價達4837萬 買家將獲超詳細「說明書」Yahoo奇摩(國際通)33,550 次觀看・8 小時前
- 5:10被列入「台獨頑固份子」 曹興誠霸氣提告國台辦這2人民視影音66,475 次觀看・8 小時前
- 1:39真假難辨!中國「美女機器人」發傳單 竟是真人假扮|#鏡新聞鏡新聞193,831 次觀看・3 週前
- 39:30天氣多一典天氣多一典115,544 次觀看・4 天前
- 1:50火鍋店徵店員月薪5萬!網友揪「這一點」恐違勞基法民視影音51,124 次觀看・5 小時前
- 1:34運動會大跳"三振舞" 嘉義高中女老師網路爆紅民視影音200,183 次觀看・3 天前
- 2:13北捷揮刀女是碩士!當理貨員離職日犯大錯疑幻聽砍人民視影音360,837 次觀看・2 天前
- 1:55網控米血糕藏小強「好像有蛋」切下去傻眼:角落一整隻民視影音18,457 次觀看・6 小時前
- 1:28台南阿堂鹹粥稱不為賺錢 "魚肚粥"調回280元民視影音20,034 次觀看・7 小時前
- 1:12無人機捕捉法國「雲中城堡」雲霧圍繞如天空之城Yahoo奇摩(國際通)6,333 次觀看・8 小時前
熱門必看
- 13:15【Super Junior-M復刻系列】台灣long stay之團員告別台灣 EP12Yahoo奇摩娛樂 電視影音47,064 次觀看・4 天前
- 14:07【Super Junior-M復刻系列】周覓xHenry 分享喜愛音樂和在台生活點滴照片 EP11Yahoo奇摩娛樂 電視影音27,849 次觀看・4 天前
- 9:03【Super Junior-M復刻系列】周覓xHenry 挑戰互換穿搭風格 EP10Yahoo奇摩娛樂 電視影音20,176 次觀看・4 天前
- 14:55【Super Junior-M復刻系列】晟敏x厲旭 晟敏教唱《可惜不是你》 EP09Yahoo奇摩娛樂 電視影音17,105 次觀看・4 天前
- 21:41【Super Junior-M復刻系列】晟敏x厲旭 厲旭教中文 EP08Yahoo奇摩娛樂 電視影音15,427 次觀看・4 天前