Consolidated Annual Report 2012 and Single-Entity ... - PVA TePla AG

16 PVA TePla AG Annual Report 2012
INTERVIEW
Interview with Georg Sawitzki, who has worked at ABB for
30 years and now manages vacuum interrupters manufacture
in the Ratingen factory.
PVA TePla: How many sets of vacuum interrupters are
manufactured in the Ratingen factory every year?
GeorG Sawitzki: We have experienced rapid growth in this
segment since 1985 and have set new production records
on a consistent basis every single year. At present we manufacture
around 400,000 sets of vacuum interrupter every
year at our Ratingen factory. PVA TePla has very well
participate in this production expansion, both through new
high-vacuum brazing furnaces, as well as by appropriate
services.
PVA TePla: The expansion of the medium-voltage grid
is one of the most important markets for vacuum interrupters.
Are there any other important markets for such
products?
GeorG Sawitzki: In principal, vacuum interrupters are deployed
where electricity must be switched on a medium voltage
level. That includes power stations, rail locomotives
and industrial enterprises. We also supply cruise ships on
a regular basis. Renewable energies such as wind power
stations form an important part of our business. The evergrowing
interest in electric vehicles is also opening up another
market for us: the automotive industry. Our vacuum
interrupters can be found in the highest building in the
world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Beijing National Stadium
known as the Bird‘s Nest, the London Underground,
the Gotthard Base Tunnel and the Cape Town Stadium.
PVA TePla: Constant quality assurance at all stages of
production is probably a pivotal aspect in manufacturing
these sensitive products.
GeorG Sawitzki: The manufacturing process starts with a
comprehensive testing and quality assurance process in
order to guarantee the specified quality of the raw materials
we use. Areas focused on in this process include the
ultra-pure composition of the materials and low gas emissions
during subsequent operations. Only then do we begin
to manufacture the individual components. During the subsequent
surface treatment process, all components are
cleaned using high-tech cleaning technology. Special vehicles
automatically transport the components between the
various cleaning baths. Once the components have passed
through each of the cleaning stations, they are transported
to a class 1000 cleanroom. Class 1000 cleanrooms are also
used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, for example.
The contacts form the key part of the vacuum interrupter.
They are made of a copper/chrome compound and
are shaped into their unique form through a separate dry
processing. After all, the composition and shape of these
components are decisive in eliminating metal vapor arcs.
WHAT ACTUALLY IS A VACUUM?
A vacuum is a space containing no air at all – a completely
empty space, in the truest sense. In scientific
terms, the term „vacuum“ refers to a gaseous state in
which the pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure.
In other words, the particle density of the gas is lower
than that of the Earth‘s atmosphere. Gases consist of
billions of tiny particles, molecules and atoms, which are
constantly in a state of movement. The mean velocity of
the particles depends on their mass and the temperature
of the gas. Pressure is determined by the frequency
at which the gas particles collide with one another or the
sides of the container housing the gas. In vacuum interrupter,
this pressure is approximately 10 -7 - 10 -8 mbar.
This equates to between 10 and 100 billionth of normal
atmospheric pressure and corresponds to pressure experienced
at a height of approximately 500 km.