From the steam boiler to the digital factory

How did it all start?

It all started this year 1852as the hardware dealer from Hungary Josef Körösi founded a small iron foundry – in what was then still an independent company Municipality of Andritz which is now a district of the state capital Graz. Soon after its founding, Körösi manufactured cranes, pumps and water turbines. Over time, the portfolio grew to include bridges, boilers, engines and mining equipment. The production of paper machines followed in the middle of the 20th century.

After periods of growth in the 1960s and 1970s, Andritz fell into economic turbulence in the 1980s due to the oil crisis and the generally stagnating global economy. The order situation was declining and the company was making losses. But Andritz was able to use government subsidies and restructuring save from liquidation. After the strategic realignment, the company should no longer remain a pure licensee of other machine manufacturers, but rather become one of the leading international suppliers of its own High-tech production systems become. In 1999, a consortium of private investment companies took over Andritz and laid the foundation for international growth. The company has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 2001.

What is Andritz doing today?

Today Andritz is one of them largest global players in the area Plant construction. The company’s most important products include turbines and generators for generating energy from hydropower and systems for processing pulp and paper. Andritz systems in the form of presses are also used in the international automotive industry. The company also places a special focus on Automation solutions for industry and green technologies such as wastewater management, recycling, reducing air emissions or producing alternative fuels.

What does the future look like?

As an international technology group, Andritz has set itself the goal of: actively promote ecological change. The company wants to support its customers in achieving their sustainability goals while remaining competitive. Another focus is the Digitalization. Andritz has set itself the goal of creating a completely autonomous factory and has already achieved initial success in this area. With the help of the company’s automation system, one plant has already been able to do one Autonomy level of 97 percent achieve and thus far more than the industry standard of 60 to 65 percent.

In the KURIER series “What actually does…?” read about the business areas and future plans of some other domestic industrial companies.