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„Maximum safety, maintaining our health and that of our fellow human beings and being there for our business partners!“ – this is the guideline of Sprecher Automation – even during the corona crisis.
At the moment we all are facing personal, but also economic challenges. We would like to assure you, our customers, suppliers and business partners that we continue – in accordance with the legal regulations and measures – to provide advice, inquiries, offers and training, as well as planning, engineering, documentation and project-specific deliveries and services as well as the maintenance of stable operations of electrical systems, of course also in the critical infrastructure.
Erwin Raffeiner, CEO Sprecher Automation
PROTECTION AND HYGIENE CONCEPT
We have implemented a comprehensive protection and hygiene concept for our employees and business partners, which includes – inter alia – an office-distance concept with suitable protective devices for spatial separation and needs-based teleworking. Our crisis management team constantly monitors the COVID-19 development and makes necessary adjustments to the concept.
PRODUCTION
Since our products are manufactured exclusively at the Sprecher headquarters in Linz / Austria, we have the opportunity to react very flexibly to the rapidly changing conditions. By taking effective measures very early to protect our employees, we are currently enabled to maintain our production without significant restrictions.
ASSEMBLING AND COMMISSIONING
When entering the public space and during on-site activities, we adhere to the prescribed safety measures or additionally required protective measures. Wherever on-site activities cannot be carried out as planned, due to legal or other requirements, we evaluate alternatives together with our business partners.
SALES, ENGINEERING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Due to the measures we have taken, we can carry out, here as well, all activities that can easily be executed outside of our premises (e.g. preparation of offers, engineering) as scheduled in telework and all activities that must be executed at our premises (e.g. system tests, other tests) are carried out – in compliance with the highest safety precautions. Alternatively, we can also carry out factory acceptance tests via video conference with appropriate certficates. All our employees can be reached as usual via their contact addresses (telephone or email). In support cases we are of course available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can find more information about our support here.
TRAININGS
Our training center has switched entirely to webinars and implements web marketing events as well. Not only theoretical basics are taught, but also trainings with practical exercises are carried out. After each webinar, the contents, the recording presentations, the whiteboard sheets and back-ups are made available to the participants via our download area.
Despite the far-reaching effects of COVID-2019, we are currently realising our supplies and services using the measures described. However, since the effects of COVID-2019 cannot be predicted, we ask our customers, suppliers and business partners, as already mentioned, to exchange information that is in the mutual interest as early as possible.
Thank you for your support.
It was with great sadness and consternation that we learned on Friday, 5 November 2021, of the unexpected death of our shareholder colleague Helmut Schabetsberger.
Helmut was an admirable person who achieved a great deal not only in his private. He was also extremely committed professionally and his life was closely linked to the name "Sprecher". He played a major role in shaping the success of Sprecher Automation's path to success.
He was born with a great understanding of numbers and interrelationships. After completing his studies in business administration, he joined Sprecher & Schuh GmbH in Linz's Franckstraße in 1978 as an employee in the accounting department. At that time, half of the company was owned by the Swiss Sprecher & Schuh AG and half by the Oberösterreichische Kraftwerke AG, today's Energie AG. In various positions – ultimately as head of the entire finance department – Helmut already made a significant contribution to the positive development of Sprecher & Schuh.
The first turning point in his professional career came in 1986 when Sprecher & Schuh AG, and with it the Swiss-Austrian Sprecher & Schuh GmbH, was taken over by a French global corporation. From then on, Helmut's actions as financial manager were less and less characterised by his pragmatic approach – rather, he had to accompany relocation and concentration processes: In 15 years, the former Sprecher & Schuh GmbH was renamed Sprecher Energie, GEC ALSTHOM and ALSTOM Austria AG.
Together with his colleagues on the board, Helmut stood up to the strategy-related job cuts in Austria. Nevertheless, the workforce was almost halved by the French owner during 15 years. In the end, another 160 of the remaining 400 jobs were to be cut in 2002. A small group of employees did not want to accept this and the idea of today's Sprecher Automation GmbH was born. Without profound financial knowledge, however, it would have remained just an idea. We knew of Helmut's dissatisfaction with his professional situation at the time and asked him if he would like to take the plunge.
He spontaneously decided to take the second turn in his professional career and from then on headed the finance department of the newly founded Sprecher Automation GmbH as managing director. His prudent and responsible approach made it possible for us to put our technological opportunities also financially secure on the market.
In order to be able to estimate Helmut's essential contribution, it is sufficient to compare a few figures. Sprecher Automation GmbH started as a medium-sized company with 160 people and a turnover of 16 million euros. Today, Sprecher is a successful international group that employs 600 people and has a turnover beyond 100 million Euros.
In 2013, the then Governor Josef Pühringer presented him with the Golden Decoration of Merit of the Province of Upper Austria for his outstanding achievements.
Helmut remained with us at Sprecher Automation GmbH even after his retirement in 2019. He served as a member of the board of Sprecher Automation Polska Sp z o.o., as a member of the board of Sprecher Automation Schweiz AG and, of course, he remained a shareholder of the company.
Many professional discussions, but also private conversations with Helmut made one thing clear to us: The continuity of Sprecher as an Austrian private company was a fixed point for him. We see the continuation of this common understanding within the shareholders as a guideline for our further actions.
We will all miss Helmut very much. But he would have wanted us to look forward and keep him in the very best of memory. We will always remember his convictions and keep him as a role model.
Thank you Helmut!
Johann Meindl
Wolfgang Pfeiffer
Erwin Raffeiner
Josef Wischt
Injection moulding technology makes it possible
Our predecessor company Sprecher + Schuh Switzerland developed a switchgear type with full withdrawable technology from 1979 onwards. With this type of switchgear, the individual withdrawable units can be removed or exchanged for maintenance and repair purposes even if the rest of the system remains covered and is therefore in continuous operation. This essential advantage of the so-called NS3 switchgear has been used by numerous customers ever since. However, maintenance, repair and renewal have been increasingly difficult up to now because an important spare part, a plug connection, is no longer manufactured by the supplier company at that time.
So our colleagues started looking for a company that could produce this plug. They found what they were looking for at the Lower Austrian injection moulding specialist FUSO. The company has developed a model that meets all our requirements. What is a simple plug for us turned out to be a challenging project for FUSO, as the mould has very narrow spacing, generous recesses and extremely precise tolerances.
We are all the more pleased that, thanks to this injection-moulded part, we are now in a position to build new plug-in units for existing systems or to repair existing plug-in units and to significantly expand our maintenance and service offer for NS3 switchgear.
Erwin Raffeiner was re-elected Chairman of the Professional Representatives of the Electrical and Electronics Industry of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce (FEEI) for the term 2020-2025. He has held this position since 2011. An important topic for him is, among other things, the commitment to production in Austria, which he also exemplifies with Sprecher Automation. In his various functions, he works to dampen the unequal framework conditions for locally manufactured products compared to products from low-wage countries.
Erwin Raffeiner is a member of the strategy groups "Education" and "Energy & Climate" of the Industry Division as well as a member of the Social Committee of the WKO Upper Austria. At the federal level, he is involved in industrial interest representation as a trade association committee member of the electrical and electronics industry of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and in the business committee of "OVE-Energietechnik".
In this cyber security exercise, which has been taking place since 2010, parts of the critical infrastructure were replicated, among other things. Blue teams from different countries defended the approximately 5,000 facilities against a total of 2,500 cyber attacks from the various Red Teams. A cooperation of Latvian and South Korean experts successfully withstood the attacks with their system, in which SPRECON protection devices were also integrated. This shows once again: Our security concept definitely works!
You want to know more about this exdercise?
In a new technical article, our protection expert Andreas Aichhorn describes the migration of the protection interface in line differential protection from SDH to MPLS networks.
This means that the protection interface can also be used reliably in Ethernet networks.
How exactly does this work?
Read it here
As every year, the Upper Austrian newspaper "Oberösterreichische Nachrichten" has again asked for donations for its "Christkindl" campaign in 2020. And also "like every year" Sprecher Automation supported the campaign with a considerable amount of money.
Our CEO Mr. Raffeiner and our finance director, Mr. Pfeiffer, were pleased to hand over a cheque for € 5,000.
This time, a total of around € 880,000 was collected, with which 500 families in need will be supported.
We are very pleased that in the future, students of the master's degree in electrical engineering will be able to put the theory learned at the University of Applied Sciences in Wels into practice in Sprecher Automation's laboratories in Linz.
Our experienced colleagues from the R&D department will of course continue to give interesting lectures at the University of Applied Sciences in Wels. Both measures will help to inform students about the latest standards, technologies and procedures. They learn about the most recent trends in grid protection in the age of digitisation and are prepared for the risks and opportunities in this area.
This is a great opportunity for students not only to gain practical experience, but also to gain an insight into our successful, innovative industrial company - and perhaps even to lay the foundation for a successful career at Sprecher Automation.
The Chamber of Commerce, Industry Division, Life Radio and the OÖ Nachrichten present industrial companies from Upper Austria that focus on the training of apprentices within the framework of the "Dream Job Industry" campaign.
We are pleased that Sprecher Automation is one of 15 selected industrial companies and that we are able to present the apprenticeship profession electrical engineering.
Life Radio conducted interviews with our CEO Erwin Raffeiner and our apprentice Niklas Breuer. Life Radio will broadcast what the two of them said about the company and the apprenticeship and you can hear these spots between Tuesday, September 22 and Monday, September 28. For all those who cannot or do not want to listen to the radio during this time, the spots will be available for listening.
17th - 19th September 2019 • fairground ZIAD • stand 11 • hall W • Bielsko-Biała • Poland
Upper Austrian government member for business, M. Achleitner, visits Sprecher
On Friday, 13th September, the Upper Austrian government member for business, Markus Achleitner, visited the Sprecher headquarters in Linz. Not only a short introduction of the company was on the agenda, but also the latest economic topics as well as the acute shortage of specialists. A visit in the production halls completed the visit.
Sprecher receives the golden "Pegasus"
A On the 6th June 2019, the country's most important business award – the golden "Pegasus" – went to Sprecher Automation. This year over 300 companies have applied for the coveted prize.
„The award is an encouraging confirmation of our success strategy – the company and all our employees will follow up on this track. Qualities like solidarity, dedication and motivation, also in challenging times, made us great. Therefore I am particularly proud to accept the golden „Pegasus“ on behalf of all Sprecher people.“ says Erwin Raffeiner (CEO Sprecher Automation GmbH).
The golden “Pegasus” is a great motivation to continue our strategy and to stay on our path to success.
Oliver Gassner and Regina Braunsteiner (ltr).
© OÖN / Volker Weihbold
© OÖN / Volker Weihbold
with Sprecher Automation
Sprecher Automation’s presentation at this year's HMI was all about digital trends. The main focus at the booth in Hall 12 was on the "Digital Substation" and "IT Security". The visitors were able to test the latter live by pulling the plug and trying to manipulate the system.
Erwin Raffeiner, Managing Director of Sprecher Automation: "Our devices and systems are primarily used in the most critical of the critical infrastructures - power supply. That's why we attach great importance to all aspects of IT security - after all, our customers rely on us! We acquired the appropriate expertise at an early stage and developed our products with a focus on cybersecurity."With the digital substation, Sprecher Automation cast a view into the future, which in some pilot projects has already become the present. The advantages of such a digital substation are obvious: "Network operators benefit from digitisation in terms of security alone. There is no process voltage in the control room and there is no danger from open current transformer circuits," explained Raffeiner. "You also require much less 'copper' and less space for the secondary equipment, with shorter turn-off times and faster system commissioning." The first digital substation realised by Sprecher Automation went into operation in 2017 in Scandinavia. "Our customer is very satisfied and is continually expanding the system. Two more projects will be completed for other customers in 2019 and 2020. How fast this new technology will prevail and prove itself depends on the further operational experience of these pilot customers and the price development compared to the state-of-the-art technology," said the Managing Director of Sprecher Automation.
Another highlight at the booth was the controller unit SPRECON-E CP-2500. This 17-inch touch panel allows station operation without a PC. In network stations or substations that do not require complex, close-up operation, the CP-2500 offers a cost-effective alternative that enables on-site personnel to keep track of the entire system. The IT security risks associated with a PC system are completely eliminated, because the panel is directly connected to the (station) control unit and receives its display data and information from it.
Overall, Sprecher Automation had a positive experience at HMI 2019: "We were able to make valuable new contacts and enter into partnerships. In the talks with new and existing customers, some interesting projects have been announced, which we are very happy about," summed up Raffeiner, head of Sprecher Automation. Visitors from forty countries took the opportunity to find out more about the company during the five days of the fair.
1st - 5th April 2019 • hall 12 • stand E68 • fairground Hannover • Germany
28th - 29th March 2019 • Leipzig • Germany
19. - 23. March 2019 • Brno Exhibition Centre • Czechia
13th - 15th March 2019 • Bratislava • Slowakia
5th - 7th March 2019 • Dubai World Trade Centre