The years of upheaval
1990s
In 1992, the Elektror success story is almost 70 years old. Matriarch Margarete Müller-Bull has been at the helm of the company for over 30 years. She is supported by her long-time confidant Mr. Luik as an authorized signatory. Despite her advanced age of 84, she still regularly visits the Elektror branches and factories. It is a matter of course for them to be present and approachable in the company every day. Even though she continues to play an active role in decision-making, she recognizes the need to position Elektror for the future in the best possible way.
In 1992, Ulrich W. Kreher started as assistant to the management. The chemistry is right, mutual respect and the same ideas about the principles of company management allow Margarete Müller-Bull to act quickly, so that Mr. Kreher becomes an authorized signatory and member of the management board within a year. From this point onwards, Mr. Kreher plays a key role in managing the company. He recognized early on the need to focus on core competencies and a clear product portfolio strategy.
He further developed the triad of motor, housing and impeller already identified under Karl W. Müller. He was firmly convinced that Elektror would develop into a key player in ventilation technology through clear positioning.
In 1995, Elektror expands its range of side channel blowers to include a series with a two-stage impeller for the high-pressure range. The diversity of the product range on offer is constantly growing, as Elektror is now concentrating on the development of customized product solutions. As Sales Manager, Mr. Harald Strehle plays a key role in promoting this trend and, thanks to the sometimes very close and trusting cooperation, achieves ever more perfect product solutions that define entire industries.
Since then, Elektror has been a leader in sectors such as the printing industry, exhaust gas aftertreatment and railroad technology. Since the first generation of ICE trains, all Deutsche Bahn high-speed trains have been equipped with Elektror pressure equalization systems.
The Elektror Group was certified to DIN EN ISO 9001 back in 1996, underlining its high level of quality at an early stage. Following his conviction, Mr. Kreher placed great emphasis on the continuous development of the Elektror Group through modern digitalization from the very beginning.
The first ERP system, Infor, was introduced in 1998. It was the first major investment in a software solution in Elektror’s history. Until then, most investments had simply been spent on machinery.
In the course of these digitization steps, the first CAD workstations were introduced in design and development in 1999 and 3D drawings were introduced.