AVENTICS is the new name for Bosch Rexroth pneumatics

The previous subsidiary of Bosch Rexroth, Rexroth Pneumatics, is now acting as a stand-alone company, AVENTICS, starting with around 2100 employees worldwide and a total of six plants in Europe, the USA and Asia. Dr Thomas Brckner, Chairman of the Board at AVENTICS, explained: "We are small enough to respond quickly and flexibly, and large enough to remain competitive in all growth markets." The former pneumatics division of Bosch Rexroth changed hands on 1 January 2014. The business, headquartered in Laatzen, near Hanover, Germany is looking towards the future with confidence. Dr Brckner stated: "We are connecting the best of two worlds: in AVENTICS, a long tradition and the solid expertise of our employees meet many new ideas, and the flexibility of a medium-sized company."

The change of ownership also came with a fresh name - both for the brand and company. At the 2014 Hannover Messe, AVENTICS celebrated its first major public appearance, at its own stand and directly next to its former owner Bosch Rexroth. Stuart Cheyne, the UK Managing Director, explains: "For a transitional period, we will follow a dual branding strategy so that customers can become accustomed to our new name." This is why the old brand Rexroth Pneumatics will make an appearance next to the new name AVENTICS.

Referring to the company's history, dating back to 1884, Dr Brckner says: "We are a new company with a long history." AVENTICS will also benefit from decades of experience in pneumatics products and applications in the future. The new name marks an important milestone in the company's history. The Chairman of the Board adds: "With the launch of our new name, we are ringing in the next generation of pneumatics."

With around 2100 employees, AVENTICS is now considered a solid medium-sized enterprise. Right from the beginning, the company has benefited from an international position, with production sites in Germany, France, Hungary, the USA and China. And its market coverage is also global: AVENTICS is present in 40 countries. Stuart Cheyne says: "In the USA alone, we have 600 man-years of pneumatics experience in sales." In addition to the industrial pneumatics sector, the company is also active in the areas of marine technology, trucks, and inverted tooth chains.

And innovation does not by any means run short. Dr Brckner recalls: "Traditionally, only two companies dealt in plastic valves, that is Rexroth and Bosch Automationstechnik. The merger doubled development capacities and brought with it an enormous amount of expertise." In recent years, the company has continued to promote the use of high-performance plastics on this basis. Their current generation of plastic valves, the AV series, is lighter and more compact than ever. The valves are only half the weight of metal valves and are as small as a business card.

FDA certified

Stuart Cheyne explains: "The printing industry demands toluol-resistant plastics while the food and beverage industry requires acid resistance." Current valve generations, such as AVENTICS' Clean Line, meet these requirements. Their material has been certified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and they feature NSF-H1 greases suitable for food products. AVENTICS plastic valves from current series production have proven themselves in both clean and high-dirt, high-dust environments. Stuart Cheyne reports: "Tests have shown that our plastic valves can withstand more than 120million switching cycles - a benchmark for the industry."

The future of pneumatics depends on how it is able to achieve a higher energy efficiency in order to lower the total cost of ownership. Here, plastic technology plays a crucial role. The smaller and lighter the valves are, the closer to the actuator they can be placed, thereby reducing dead volumes and moving masses.

AVENTICS' new AV valve series is a breakthrough for the company in miniaturisation. AV - short for 'Advanced Valve' - combines the advances in plastics processing with a new design concept. AV series valves are half the weight and over 50 per cent more compact than conventional valves of the same performance level. In practice, machine manufacturers reach compressed air savings of up to 20 per cent. They can achieve even more savings with the electro-pneumatic pressure regulator for application-specific pressure control within the AV system, which will be available from mid-2014. The regulators were one of the highlights at the Hannover Messe exhibition.

The AV series valves feature a modular design and are currently available in two flow rate sizes. They can be integrated into plastic control electronics in a wide range of automation environments and communicate with all common fieldbuses. This makes them suitable for all standard controllers in machinery and system engineering. Dr Brckner says: "We are concentrating solely on pneumatics and focusing on industries where we have exceptional application expertise." This includes the automotive, food and beverage, medical technology, and heavy industries. Stuart Cheyne summarises: "We are proud to be a specialist for niches, because that is where we can offer our customers clear added value with our experience and our products."

For further information about compact lightweight valves and other products from AVENTICS, go to www.aventics.co.uk.