Bringing more energy efficiency to facilities management

Crises are often motors of innovation. Motivated by the 1973 oil crisis, Kurt Hörburger from the Allgäu region in Germany began seeking solutions to the problem of self-contained control systems for the various technical systems in a building – control systems that ensure resources are not wasted. And 50 years later? “In all sectors, energy efficiency is the topic on everyone’s mind. With our automation solutions, we – together with Bosch – have our finger on the pulse of the times,” says Christian Hörburger, who is the son of the company founder and also the CEO of Hörburger GmbH. At the moment, only one in eight companies is using digital building technologies to reduce consumption, even though savings of 10% to 30% are possible, and an investment pays itself off in three to five years. With more than 200 employees, Hörburger GmbH is one of the leading automation companies in Germany and can boast a comprehensive product and solutions portfolio in the areas of building automation, switch cabinets, retail facility management, energy management as well as machine automation. It also has decades of experience in planning, implementation and service. Together with Bosch Energy and Building Solutions, it has been able to leverage more synergies between the various plants and exploit the potential of IoT, connectivity and artificial intelligence. “We share the same vision of the future. Together we’d like to shape and expand the fast-growing market for intelligent building solutions, thereby bringing more efficiency and sustainability to facilities management,” says Hörburger.

Office buildings, research institutions, event venues, hospitals, chain stores, industry – Hörburger GmbH serves a broad range of sectors. Well-known firms such as Liebherr, Nestle, Vetter Pharma, the KfW Bank Group, REWE and the drugstore chain dm trust the company’s expertise. The thing that makes Hörburger GmbH’s solutions so special is that the company is a systems partner that works independently of specific manufacturers, which means it can find just the right make for the job and use nearly any technology. Customers receive an automation concept perfectly suited to the building and its users’ routines, so they can be certain that the use of resources has been optimized. Hörburger GmbH itself also designs and builds a wide range of individualized switch cabinets for building automation, so the specific demands of both the building and systems engineering can be translated into an optimally integrated technology. “Because we’re open to any technology, we can perfectly adapt our services to the existing technology and also integrate new solutions. This means we can provide sustainability and the greatest possible flexibility,” explains Hörburger. If usage patterns change and new challenges present themselves, Hörburger GmbH can react without having to invest a lot of additional money in technology – which is good for its customers’ bottom line.

Building automation is more than just the sum of its individual systems. “The heating technician builds the heating system, the ventilation specialist does the ventilation and air conditioning. But the intelligence – how everything works together, how it’s all implemented – that comes from us,” says Hörburger. Beside consulting and the creation of solution concepts, the automation specialist also provides operational support. “Customers want the best technology and only one contact person,” says Hörburger. Another reason that customers demand this is that all the technology has to be monitored while it is in operation – that is another thing that Hörburger can do, thanks to modern IoT platforms also made by the company itself. “The most important thing is satisfied, loyal customers and our top-notch team.”