28/12/2022 | Press release

Fresh success for the Group’s diversification strategy

The technology enterprise Rheinmetall has won a major order worth over €770 million (including valued added tax) in the highly competitive market for stationary refrigerant compressors. It is the largest-ever single order booked by one of the Group’s non-military units – here the Sensors and Actuators division – outside the conventional automotive sector.

Importantly, the order marks the successful continuation of Rheinmetall’s diversification strategy in the industrial domain. Crucial factors in this sales success were, first and foremost, the outstanding key performance data and long service life of the refrigerant compressor as well as the use of propane (R290), an environmentally friendly refrigerant.

After selecting a refrigerant compressor model with direct current electronics, the buyer, an industrial customer, entered a long-term supply contract with Rheinmetall. This compressor is similar in design to those used in motor vehicles. However, multiple modifications were carried out to prepare it for the special industrial purpose, including the basic design and the hardware and software. This gives the compressors a significantly greater service life; above all, it meets the applicable standards in the field. Special importance was attached to the changeover to R290, a natural refrigerant. The system is highly integrated and extraordinarily compact.

Refrigerant compressors draw a gaseous refrigerant into a close circuit, compressing it to the prescribed working pressure. To minimize wear and tear in the compressor, the refrigerant is mixed with oil, which lubricates the compressor while simultaneously strengthening the seal during the compression process in accordance with the principle of displacement. With the right design, these compressors assure a high degree of effectiveness coupled with a long service life and low operating noise. Depending on the process control, highly efficient heating and cooling performance can be achieved, making the refrigerant compressor a valuable tool for minimizing CO2 emissions.

Its worldwide presence and unsurpassed development expertise mean that Rheinmetall can make technologies available for countless applications in a precisely tailored, carefully targeted way. The Group’s globe-spanning production network and proximity to customers around the world make Rheinmetall a highly competent, agile partner for industrial customers far beyond the bounds of the automotive sector, including public authorities.

This sales success vindicates once again Rheinmetall’s strategic goal of steadily diversifying its worldwide business and contributing to the reduction of global CO2 emissions.

The Rheinmetall Sensors and Actuators division

Rheinmetall consists of five divisions, three of which serve military customers. Together with the Materials and Trade division, the Sensors and Actuators division constitutes the Group’s civilian business arm. The Sensors and Actuators division is synonymous with outstanding expertise in gas, thermal and fluid management applications in the mobility sector and other industries.

The division’s five business units – Actuators, Automotive Emission Systems, Commercial Diesel Systems, Pump Technology and Solenoid Valves – are actively developing solutions to the great challenges facing the world of mobility today, including downsizing, emission reduction and enhanced efficiency, while simultaneously achieving optimum performance. Its comprehensive product portfolio encompasses various exhaust gas recirculation systems, electrically powered throttle, control and exhaust flaps, solenoid valves, actuators and valve train systems as well as oil, water and vacuum pumps for cars, trucks and off-road applications for light, heavy-duty and industrial applications.