German fan-maker expands its Winston-Salem hub

Industrial fan-maker Ziehl-Abegg Inc. is expanding its Winston-Salem hub by opening its first U.S.-based research and development unit here.

The family owned German manufacturer opened its 520,000-square-foot plant in Union Grove Industrial Park in 2024. The site also serves as the company's North American operational hub.

The company will have eight employees in the unit by the end of July, Elizabeth Minehart, Ziehl-Abegg's local marketing manager, said Tuesday.

The unit "reflects the company's long-term commitment to building engineering expertise in the region," the manufacturer said in a news release.

"Our focus is on solving challenges our customers are facing today," said Tim Ragutzke, research and development manager at Ziehl-Abegg. "By working directly with customers in the Americas, we are able to develop solutions that are not only innovative, but also practical and immediately impactful in the field."

Ziehl-Abegg produces motors and fans for energy-efficient commercial ventilation systems.

Customers include data centers, HVAC systems, cleanrooms, agricultural facilities and medical technology applications.

"Our focus is on solving challenges our customers are facing today," said Tim Ragutzke, research and development manager at Ziehl-Abegg. "By working directly with customers in the Americas, we are able to develop solutions that are not only innovative, but also practical and immediately impactful in the field."

Minehart said Ziehl-Abegg currently has more than 400 employees in Winston-Salem and 530 in North America altogether. "We will be holding two onsite job fairs this summer" for Winston-Salem, Minehart said.

"We know it's going to be a very competitive market for employees with Boom Supersonic, Toyota, JetZero and other advanced manufacturers coming in or expanding in the Triad,"

"We believe we will be attractive to those who favor a manufacturing work environment."

The rest of the North American operations are nine sales offices in the U.S., along with three in Canada and one in Mexico. Ziehl-Abegg expects to reach at least 800 employees in North America by the end of 2026.

The company has a global workforce of 5,000 spread between 17 production plants, 30 companies and 117 sales locations.

In the first full year, the plant played a pivotal role in Ziehl-Abegg surpassing $1 billion in annual revenue for the first time.

Full production is projected to approach 800,000 fans annually.

With the U.S. market jumping to 20% of overall sales, Ziehl-Abegg had an overall 12% revenue hike in 2025.

Also, by expanding the fan parts production in Winston-Salem, it gives Ziehl-Abegg a competitive advantage by avoiding most of the Trump administration's tariffs.

"The company has localized production for its high-runner fan products in the U.S., helping stabilize supply chains and limit the impact of tariffs for customers," the company said.

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 5:45 AM.