GERMANY – Bitzer, the German-based specialist in refrigeration compressors, has inaugurated its new 1,500-square-metre international training centre in Rottenburg-Ergenzingen. The new training centre has been named in honour of Senator h. c. Peter Schaufler, the long-standing owner of the firm who passed away recently.

The construction of the centre is a reflection of Bitzer’s belief that solid training is crucial and that there is a need and demand for specialist personnel to receive further training. The Schaufler Academy has been designed to make a significant impact with its needs-based programme of seminars, giving the participants – including planners, system manufacturers, and service staff and operators – the necessary skills to deal with the demands of their day-to-day tasks.

The new academy will feature modern refrigeration systems, which application engineers will use to provide instruction and training for specialist personnel and service staff from all over the world, since Bitzer believe that having competent staff is an absolute prerequisite for the reliable and efficient operation of refrigeration and air conditioning systems.

Bitzer’s Chief Technology Officer Rainer Große-Kracht, in his speech at the official inauguration, declared that ‘Refrigeration and air conditioning technology is once again facing major changes and the challenges that come with them.’

Mr Große-Kracht continued, stating ‘Thanks to our training, participants will be prepared for the challenges that they will face, and they will be able to practise working with new refrigerants and technology.’

Bitzer also revealed that the three-storey, ten-metre-high complex has five rooms for theoretical work and three rooms for practical training, allowing several training sessions to take place at the same time. The building is multi-functional, with three training rooms that can be connected to form a large lecture hall accommodating up to 120 people. The academy also contains office space for the instructors and a canteen with seating for 110 training participants as well as employees at the production facility.

The proximity of the academy to Bitzer’s production plant also adds to the practical nature of the opportunities for further learning on offer at the new training centre.

Commenting on these possibilities, Volker Stamer, director of the Schaufler Academy, said that ‘Here we can not only show off the theoretical advantages of our pioneering technology, but also demonstrate modern compressor and electronic components in action. This opens up the possibility of practical training under real system conditions.’

The energy concept for the new training centre building is also a model of its kind, with its heating provided by efficient heat pumps, underground latent storage (ice storage), a solar thermal collector and a combined heat and power system.

‘This concept underlines our commitment to developing products for sustainable energy use and climate protection. As such, the Academy allows us to present systems that use BITZER components in a direct way to our customers,’ commented Rainier Große-Kracht.

Bitzer also stated that the ice storage system collects temporarily available cooling and thermal energy, which can be retrieved when it is required, thus enabling the company to balance the fluctuating energy supply, while also using renewable sources of energy for space heating and cooling.

Further information and the dates for the individual training courses can be found at the following link:

https://www.bitzer.de/gb/en/service/expertise/seminars