Germany: The Siemens Mechanical Drives unit will rebrand for the market as Flender, a wholly owned subsidiary based in Bocholt, on 1 October 2017. The reorganisation is intended to give the unit a ‘sharper’ business focus. Its branches around the worldwide will also be rebranded. The new setup is expected to be completed by mid-2018.

“Flender is our strong brand with a tradition more than a century old, and we’ve always done business under the name. At this year’s Hannover Messe, we highlighted Flender even more brightly, and made quite a splash with our stand-alone fair booth for gear units and clutches. Eventually all the unit’s activities worldwide will be gathered under Flender,” says Stefan Tenbrock, chief executive officer (CEO) of Siemens Mechanical Drives.

The future Flender builds components for mechanical drive technology, producing at eight locations with more than 6000 employees around the world. Its product range embraces a broad portfolio of gear units and clutches, drive applications and associated services. It serves industries including cement production, wind power, marine shipping, and conveyor and lifting technology.

A Friedrich Flender AG was founded in Düsseldorf in 1899, originally making wood pulleys. Subsequently the company developed into manufacturing gear products. Siemens took over Flender in 2005 and integrated the company into its corporate group as a unit for mechanical drives. In February 2017 the company announced that it would reorganise Mechanical Drives as a stand-alone entity within Siemens.