Enervent Zehnder’s anniversary year – 40 years as a trendsetter in ventilation technology

The year 2023 is a double anniversary year for Enervent Zehnder. Our company turns 40 this year and in Norway we have marketed ventilation units under the name Exvent for 20 years.

Today, Enervent Zehnder is part of the Zehnder Group. The globally active group improves the quality of life by offering innovative indoor climate solutions. However, few people know that our own story began with payment difficulties at a customer of a company in the metal industry.

Parts for ventilation units as payment of invoice

Our history is an excellent example of entrepreneurial spirit, the desire to develop technology and understand customer needs. It all started in 1983 with a metal company called Combinent. The founder Robert Hägg received from the customer parts for a ventilation unit as compensation for an invoice instead of money, and he became interested in the technology in the field.

After studying the options in more detail, Hägg decided to be the first in Finland to start manufacturing units with rotary heat exchangers. The continuous and steplessly adjustable operation of the rotary heat exchanger is still the best solution for most households in terms of ventilation and energy efficiency.

Strong investment in product development

Our business has steadily grown and internationalized, and the owners have changed, but production has remained in Porvoo, Finland. There is more that hasn’t changed. Energy efficiency in ventilation has been at the core of Enervent Zehnder’s product development for four decades. All product development still takes place in our own premises, where the climate laboratory that performs continuous tests is also located.

The picture shows our technology manager Tom Palmgren and one of the first units in the LTR series in the late 1980s. Our most famous product is Pingvin, which was introduced to the market in 1995 and gained the status of a legend, of which updated versions were sold for no less than 24 years.

At the beginning of the 2000s, we were looking for a solution to combine heat pump and ventilation. The result was the patented Pelican HP, which was released in 2007. Last year we introduced the ventilation unit Enervent Svea, whose characteristics, thanks to advanced fan technology, correspond to units in a larger size category. With the Cooler module, we made it even better.

A festive year characterized by work

We celebrate the anniversary throughout the year and invite our various stakeholders to visit Porvoo. If you want to put together a group from your own company, you can contact Andrei Leventcov, who is responsible for export sales, via email.

Enervent Zehnder increased its turnover and improved its profitability

The Porvoo-based ventilation technology manufacturer Enervent Zehnder increased its turnover and improved its profitability in 2022. The company expects exports to grow further in 2023, when it can sell to new countries through its parent company Zehnder.

– There are many reasons behind the growth. The general awareness of the importance of indoor climate is growing, the requirements for energy efficiency are emphasized even more and the products must have advanced functions. Finnish manufacturing is also appreciated, says Thomas Söderholm, Managing director of Enervent Zehnder.

– The year 2022 surprised us in a positive way. Our turnover increased and profitability improved. According to forecasts, housing construction will decrease in 2023 in all Nordic countries, but we will respond to that by investing in renovation construction, above all energy renovations. In addition, our latest product Svea Cooler, which was launched at the Finnbuild fair last October, provides a new type of solution for household cooling needs. It combines cooling with ventilation, says Söderholm.

Strategic role as an expert on northern climate within the Zehnder Group

The year 2023 is a double anniversary year for Enervent Zehnder. The company has manufactured and sold ventilation units for 40 years. This year also celebrates the fact that the company’s ventilation units have been marketed under the name Exvent in Norway for 20 years. The business is becoming more and more international as the integration with Zehnder Group, which has been the owner since 2018, continues, says Söderholm.

The product development of the ventilation units is done in the company’s own premises in Porvoo, where there is also a climate laboratory that performs continuous tests, to imitate the northern climate. Thomas Söderholm confirms that the company sees significant growth opportunities during the anniversary year.

– Zehnder bought us because of our expertise in the northern climate. In this role, we can develop products for a much wider area than before. We currently regularly export our products to 14 countries. This year we will be integrated to Zehnder’s ERP system, so we can increase unit sales to the group’s global sales network. Among the roughly 70 countries there are several countries with cold climates. The Nordic countries will of course remain our key markets, says Söderholm.

More information:

Thomas Söderholm, Managing director, Enervent Zehnder Oy, +358 40 764 9559, thomas.soderholm@enervent.com