The traditional WS summer party was a good occasion to celebrate the latest developments in the WS Group together with a total of 250 guests. In perfect weather, our employees and guests enjoyed fresh food, cool drinks and delicious desserts. Thanks to the active support of our employees in setting up, dismantling and washing up afterwards, we have long been able to hold our parties without mountains of garbage, as should be the case in a sustainable company.
In addition to presenting a number of changes and innovations, the celebration was above all an opportunity to once again say thank you to our employees, their families and friends. Thank you for your great commitment and the courage to move forward with conviction, drive and innovative thinking, even in times of change, in order to improve the world of industrial heating together and offer our customers the best possible service worldwide.
WS has been intensively involved in innovative manufacturing processes for many years. Many items in our regular product range have long been routinely manufactured using industrial 3D printing. In addition to plastics and ceramic materials, special metallic materials are also used. Our recently inaugurated center for 3D printing now consolidates many of our previously external activities directly on site at WS. On the one hand, this enables more cost-effective but, above all, even faster development cycles. This is a particular advantage as many ground-breaking product innovations are currently being developed in our laboratories in connection with the introduction of green fuels.
Today, green hydrogen is considered the key to a successful energy transition in the industrial sector. In addition to the fact that hydrogen can be used as a storage medium for green electricity, it is particularly important as a fuel because of its
combustion properties. Its usability in WS burner systems has already been proven in a number of laboratory and field tests. For the upcoming scaling up to industrial level, however, there are still many tasks for our development department to determine project-specific parameters. In order to be able to carry out our development work with real green hydrogen, we have therefore set up a Electrolyzer installed, which we use to generate the hydrogen required for development work from surplus electricity from our PV system. generate on site.
In several places at once expands the WS Group its production and storage areas to meet the growing demand for our products. We moved into a neighboring building at the beginning of 2024. Our 3D printing activities will be concentrated there in future and additional processing machines will soon be installed. The measures will also allow us to expand our repair department, which has been growing for years and helps us to keep even the oldest WS treasures in good shape.
At the same time, two further halls are being built at the other end of the industrial estate in Renningen using sustainable timber construction. Our up-and-coming subsidiaries sometimes build large container facilities, which places new demands on our production and storage halls. As a result, the activities currently carried out in rented and dispersed halls are to be bundled in a new home as quickly as possible. A mammoth project with a vision for the future.
In addition to spatial changes, we are also focusing intensively on the further development of our supply chains. This led to the strategic decision to vertically integrate an important sub-supplier with whom we have been working for several decades. The know-how now available directly at WS not only helps us to manufacture our products even more efficiently and cost-effectively, but also enables us to carry out our development work even faster and more purposefully.
This takeover is not the only reason why the WS team as a whole continues to grow, which was impressively demonstrated at the summer party, when around 250 employees were able to spend a thoroughly successful day together with their families and friends.
WS has been known worldwide for decades as the undisputed technology and market leader in the field of industrial burner technology for the thermoprocessing industry. For next-generation products, state-of-the-art manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing are of course also used.
The WS Group was blessed with beautiful weather on April 30, 2025 when almost 500 guests accepted the invitation to "Dance into May" to celebrate the inauguration of two newly built halls in Renningen. With a large number of employees, customers, suppliers and political guests, the day was an entertaining experience that included in-depth technical discussions as well as joint networking.
Federal Cross of Merit for WS founder Joachim A. Wünning: As part of a festive ceremony, Joachim A. Wünning was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on March 28, 2025. Awarded by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and presented by Klaus Brenner, the award honors Wünning's life's work.
New CNC lathe at WS - high-end solution for precision and quality in in-house production and new development. The lathe from SPINNER Werkeugmaschinenfabrik GmbH will complement the extensive machine park at WS in the future.
Just in time for the start of the year, the WS Service department is delighted to have taken over and used the new WS Service Center. After extensive conversion work in the newly acquired building, nothing now stands in the way of its use as the new control center for our service department.
Several high-ranking delegations from China visited WS in Renningen to find out about the best industrial burner technology available. The focus of the visit was on the low-emission and efficient heating of electric conveyor belt systems. Due to the increasing production of electric vehicles, this market segment is currently experiencing an upswing, particularly in Asia.
